I may not have ended up where I intended to go, but I think I have ended up where I needed to be.
-Douglas Adams
When I was young I wanted to be a writer, then an astronomer, then an actress. As I grew older, I wanted to by a psychologist. I wanted to earn my doctorate in psychology, as a matter of fact. I wanted to specialize in relationship psychology. So when I went to college, psychology was my declared major. It stayed my major for one year, until I barely got a C on my first basic psychology class. Then I freaked out and decided I wasn’t smart enough to major in psychology. So I changed my degree to Communications. I got an Interdisciplinary Studies degree to make sure I had all of my bases covered. After I got my degree, I had plans to become an Intercultural Communications consultant, so that people traveling would have a better understanding of how communication differed per culture and could have some tools on how to better interact with their colleagues. But then I realized I had no business sense and would never be able to successfully create my own business. During all of this I worked primarily in manufacturing work, followed by administrative assistant work – I hated both. And after I graduated, I then had a Bachelor’s Degree and I was still working at jobs I hated. I started looking at all the copious amounts of volunteer work I had done over the years and realized that working with children was a prominent theme. I decided to go back to school to get a 2 year certificate degree (of which I only had to complete 1 year) as an Instructional Assistant for Special Needs Children. Then I worked for AmeriCorps for a year. I loved that job! Then I started working as an instructional assistant for a number of years, which I also loved. When the economy started to tank, I switched angles and became a caregiver for the elderly for a number of years. I also loved that. But, then I decided that I was tired of doing live-in, which is particularly hard when you are married. So I got shift work, working as a direct support professional for adults with developmental disabilities. I LOVE this job!
What is the moral of the story? I WANTED to be a psychologist, it was my DREAM. I WANTED to be an Intercultural Communications Consultant, it was my DREAM, too. My dreams were “shattered” on more than one occasion because the universe had other plans for me. Hindsight is always 20/20 and I can state with assurance that I ended up where I was SUPPOSED to be. I am completely happy with the line of work I ended up in! When you don’t do as well in one area, as you would have liked, that does not mean you are not equally good at –or even better- at another. The truth is that, no one is talented in just one area of life. Life rarely turns out like we plan, it often ends up turning out even better, even if it does not feel like it at the time.
-Douglas Adams
When I was young I wanted to be a writer, then an astronomer, then an actress. As I grew older, I wanted to by a psychologist. I wanted to earn my doctorate in psychology, as a matter of fact. I wanted to specialize in relationship psychology. So when I went to college, psychology was my declared major. It stayed my major for one year, until I barely got a C on my first basic psychology class. Then I freaked out and decided I wasn’t smart enough to major in psychology. So I changed my degree to Communications. I got an Interdisciplinary Studies degree to make sure I had all of my bases covered. After I got my degree, I had plans to become an Intercultural Communications consultant, so that people traveling would have a better understanding of how communication differed per culture and could have some tools on how to better interact with their colleagues. But then I realized I had no business sense and would never be able to successfully create my own business. During all of this I worked primarily in manufacturing work, followed by administrative assistant work – I hated both. And after I graduated, I then had a Bachelor’s Degree and I was still working at jobs I hated. I started looking at all the copious amounts of volunteer work I had done over the years and realized that working with children was a prominent theme. I decided to go back to school to get a 2 year certificate degree (of which I only had to complete 1 year) as an Instructional Assistant for Special Needs Children. Then I worked for AmeriCorps for a year. I loved that job! Then I started working as an instructional assistant for a number of years, which I also loved. When the economy started to tank, I switched angles and became a caregiver for the elderly for a number of years. I also loved that. But, then I decided that I was tired of doing live-in, which is particularly hard when you are married. So I got shift work, working as a direct support professional for adults with developmental disabilities. I LOVE this job!
What is the moral of the story? I WANTED to be a psychologist, it was my DREAM. I WANTED to be an Intercultural Communications Consultant, it was my DREAM, too. My dreams were “shattered” on more than one occasion because the universe had other plans for me. Hindsight is always 20/20 and I can state with assurance that I ended up where I was SUPPOSED to be. I am completely happy with the line of work I ended up in! When you don’t do as well in one area, as you would have liked, that does not mean you are not equally good at –or even better- at another. The truth is that, no one is talented in just one area of life. Life rarely turns out like we plan, it often ends up turning out even better, even if it does not feel like it at the time.
