I grew up with a brother who knew he was going to be an engineer, get his degree from Michigan Tech, and work for John Deere all before graduating high school. My career path has been less direct. Neither is better than the other—but if you also felt lost and confused in high school, college, or during career pivots, this is for you.
I am currently in Saint Catherine’s Graduate Social Work program. I hope to focus on providing individual therapy to adolescents and queer-identified teens and adults.
But when I was in high school, I didn’t think this is what I would be doing at 34.
When I went to college, I followed my interests to study fine art and writing. After my first year, I dropped my art major to focus on my English degree. At the end of college, I knew I didn’t want to write for newspapers or magazines. I had the inkling that maybe I would enjoy teaching other people about writing. Without an education degree, I decided to go to graduate school.
In my Master’s program, I loved teaching. I watched students get excited about their stories, and their peers’ stories. When students came to me for conferences, I enjoyed working one-on-one with them to hone their writing skills. After graduating, I set my sights on teaching in higher ed.
No can-do attitude could have prepared me for the reality of seeking a tenure-track teaching position. I worked as an adjunct instructor for a few years, but wasn’t making any progress finding more permanent positions. I paid my bills writing reference books for elementary- and secondary-school libraries. When Covid hit, I was let go from that job.
In seeking out other work, I fell back on skills I developed while I was in undergrad and grad school (round 1). I valued creative thinking, equity and social justice, and roles that would continue my career development. I looked for after-school para jobs, served as a personal care assistant, and after 10 months of un(der)employment, I accepted a full-time position in a non-profit working as a youth engagement coordinator.
I was there for four years and it was in that position I landed on social work.
My youth engagement role, and many of the roles I had before it, emphasized values I always had but couldn’t articulate when I was in high school.
- Connection
- Social justice
- Access and equity
- The value of our personal narratives
The ambiguity present during my degree- and career-pivots were not without anxiety. But the skills I nurtured (and continue to nurture) by seeking out opportunities that I was genuinely interested in allowed me to find purpose and joy in every iteration of this journey.
