From Chemical Engineer to Organizing Engineer

I came to organizing and owning a business differently than most. I never wanted to have my own business. I’m not naturally organized. But here I am, almost 11 years of doing both!

It all began when I got engaged. At the time I was working as a Chemical Engineer in Los Angeles and my fiancé, Jeremy, was in Washington, D.C. The discussions on who would move were endless; we both loved our jobs and our respective coasts.

My decision to move to D.C. was one of the hardest decisions I’ve made. I lived half a block from the beach (my favorite place in the world). My job was great. My sister and three cute nephews were two hours away. I decided to leave it all and move to D.C.

I found a job in D.C., but it didn’t take advantage of my degree or work experience. I was well paid, and I was miserable. I liked the people, liked the money, liked working in the city, but hated the work.

I was looking for anything else I could possibly do: nutritionist, personal trainer, engineering, anything. At the same time, I was reading The Happiness Project, by Gretchen Rubin, and it mentioned “professional organizing”. It resonated with me, and I Googled it. This was an actual thing! The more I read about it, the more I knew it was my next career. When Jeremy came home that night I told him I was quitting my job and starting a professional organizing business. His response was an understandable look of shock.

That was in April 2011. I spent the summer learning as much as I could about organizing and running a business. I made a deal with Jeremy that once my student loans were paid-off I could quit, which I did the following August!

I’m not sure why organizing connected with me. I definitely wasn’t the little girl who always put things away and had things just so. I wasn’t the friend people called when they needed help organizing their closet.

But I create processes. I solve problems. I understand people and how unique each situation is. I also relate to my clients. I’ve lived in an unorganized home. I’ve moved a lot. I’ve set-up a new home. I’ve adjusted my home and life to kids arriving on the scene. I juggle home life, mom life, wife life, business life, and my life. I know how overwhelming it is to see your home and life and not see a way the calm the chaos. I also know all the work necessary to calm your home and life is worth it. I love to help people with the same thing.

People think it was a big jump from engineering to organizing, but it lets me do everything I liked about engineering in a new way: solving problems, creating and implementing processes and solutions, and helping people. I found a way to use my engineering experience in a way where I see results with each client appointment. I make a difference in how someone’s day goes. There’s nothing better.