My Career Journey

Growing up in rural Maine, there was little talk about career goals. Maybe it was just the time but I never once had a guidance counselor guide me towards assessing my future goals. I knew I wanted to work with people but was unsure of the specific work I wanted to do. I knew that for me to narrow my options down it would be important to get some experience. 

While my friends made good money waiting tables I decided to hold my path and get experience working with people. I spent my time working at various summer camps, including volunteering at a camp that welcomed families with children with cancer and families who were bereaving the loss of their child. This was an eye opening experience that solidified my desire to work with children and families.

I pursued my bachelor’s degree in child development and continued my vocational exploration by working in the onsite preschool and completing an internship workin with pregnant and parenting teenagers. This was the beginning of my exposure to vocational and educational counseling/coaching. I often worked with the teens on their GED prep, talking about future goals, and helping them prepare for applying and interviewing for jobs.

Post graduation I was unsure of what the next step would be for me. Should I go straight into graduate school or would gaining more work experience make more sense? I went the experience route for a moment. I spent time working with individuals with disabilities assisting them in accomplishing their goals in the home and community. I thrived in an environment where I could assess someone’s needs and develop a game plan with them (and their family) to achieve their goals. For me there is nothing better than seeing someone reach their goals.

After a few years I knew that there was so much more to learn about helping people reach their goals. I also wanted to continue helping individuals with disabilities in achieving their personal and professional goals. I began the task of researching careers that encompassed these two areas. I had never heard of a Vocational Rehabilitation Counselor. The thought of being formally trained to assess people’s interests, aptitudes and abilities, geared towards career goals, intrigued me. I conducted an informational interview with a local university director and I was hooked! 

During my training I was hired as an intern for our state vocational rehabilitation program. This internship rolled into permanent employment post graduation. I was able to specialize my work on assisting transition age youth in exploring their career goals and workin with them to goal map and gain work experience before even graduating from high school. I also worked closely with them on identifying higher education programs, if that was the path they were taking. 

After two years with state VR I moved to the federal side where I have been working with Veterans and service members in assessing their career goals and guiding them through the steps in achieving their goals. During this time I have expanded my assessment knowledge and refined my coaching skills. Working with an adult population has allowed me to identify challenges that were very different from my previous clients. 

Upon identifying these unique challenges that are face by adults making a career change I decided to pursue my PhD and specialized in Post-Secondary and adult learning. My critical thinking skills were pushed to their limits in this program. I gained a deep understanding of what it means to be a critical thinker and how to incorporate these skills into my career coaching practice. It allowed me to take a broader look at my client’s challenges and how to assist them in becoming any barriers. 

Ok enough about me! I want to hear about you. What has your journey looked like? Let’s connect to talk about your career goals and how we can get there together.