I've Never Met Anyone Like You Before!

This was a response for a discussion question assignment in my Human Development and Research course. The goal was to evaluate your own personal career development based on the concepts in the reading and to describe the important factors that influenced your own development.

As usual, I never fully realize just how "non-typical" my story is, as this brief shimmer into my past has elicited several responses from classmates as to how unusual and interesting it seems. To me, it's just how my life is...unusual.

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Career choice is one of the more difficult and life altering decisions an individual can make, often experiencing many throughout their lives. According to Newman and Newman (2012), high school students who work long hours have an increased risk of cigarette smoking as well as alcohol and drug use, along with being more likely to drop out of school, as compared to those who either didn’t work long hours or at all. A contributing factor was a lack of social connections and socialization. I would be an outlier in the study mentioned, as I attended high school, adult school and college concurrently, as well as a holding down a part time job…after a period of experimentation. 

Other contributing factors are involved in career choice, including family, societal, socioeconomic, situational, individual and psychosocial aspects. Again, I would be an outlier to the studies that address these motivators, as I did not come from a wealthy family, yet graduated from college without having to rely on family to foot the bill. Upon earning my AA degree (at the age of 18), I joined the military. After serving for 12 years, I decided to continue my education, becoming the first person in my family to graduate with a 4-year degree, earning my BS in psychology. The positions I held while on active duty were both unrelated to my previous education and did not directly contribute to my desire to pursue my LPC licensure. 

While the skills I learned during my service time may not have much applicability directly within the counseling field, the ability to communicate effectively and respectfully, the understanding of the unique military culture and the desire to help my fellow brothers and sisters in uniform has influenced my desire to work within that specific population. The passion I have towards this particular group has even influenced some of my extracurricular activities, one in particular being increased physical training to participate in my first Tough Mudder.