A Reflection On My Career Path

I had two hard working parents who went above and beyond to ensure that my sister and I had a good childhood by trying to grant as many requests that they could. They always stressed the importance of hard work to achieve anything and everything we set our minds to and education, but I was very young so education wasn't that high on my priority list. I wanted to become a truck driver or a construction worker, but after my dad suffered a back injury at his job I knew that I wanted to fix his

I was indecisive of my future career path. My mom would tell me the classic “You should be a lawyer” or “You should be a doctor.” I would go along with her idea for a couple weeks until I jumped off the bandwagon. I wasn’t passionate about either of those fields; I was interested in both math and science and as a young girl. As I got older, I became invested in technology due to my love of gaming, but I didn’t know that people devote their lives to technology until I interned.

Finally as an adult I followed the footsteps of my father and went into the U.S Army. My brother took a more safe and mother approved career path and became a professional chief. Mom talks every day about my brother and his accomplishments about what new fabulous place he is working at now. Paul did the same for his father going into construction, a very physically demanding job and then starting his own business.

The majority of individuals follow in the footsteps that their parents set out for them. Trying to figure out who and what an individual wants to be can be difficult, often when others want that them to go down a certain path. Research shows individuals strive to work in the field as their parents if it catches their eye. Nonetheless when an individual reaches a certain age to finally decide what they want in the long run it's their choice whether to continue what their parents aspired for them to be.

My granny was the only person in my family to have a college degree. I am the second because of her. From middle school on we talked about college, where I would go, and what I would do when I grew up. Parents encourage careers that lead to the greatest profit, mine were no different. My granny never encouraged me to choose a career based on the profit. She only encouraged me to choose what made me happy. Life had it’s own plan and some things changed how my educational journey would pan out, but that didn’t make it impossible. Because of her I knew anything was

There were events in my life that impact my career in a good way. During my childhood I was living with my grandfather, he was raising me along with my mother and my other cousins. We used to be a very close family, but it was a time were my grandfather started to get very sick. Of course, since I was a child, I remembered I was never enough years old. My mother did not want to let me know that my grandfather had diabetes, and due to all the complications that diabetes causes a dialysis should be done prompted.

It was the totality of events, early childhood experiences and the results of personal experiences, and an inner calling to want to help people in need. Aside from my cultural experiences as an African American woman. Many of my significant life experiences and relationships stem from my parent’s. Specifically my mother’s resolve, resilience and strength, and my father’s foresight on race and cultural relations, and his work ethic. I did not realize until approximately fifteteeen years ago how instrumental my parents were in my decision to pursue a career in social services. Also, growing up with a sister with special needs, (Which eventually I would become her advocate for seven years), and the loss of a sibling at a young age.

I have been influenced by my family, friends, and medical physicians. Having a career in the medical field will allow me to help and treat people with different

Patton and McMahon (2006) developed a systems theory framework for development of careers called the Therapeutic Framework. The system categorizes the various factors that influence the choice of career into individual factors (for both the learner who is to choose their career and their counselor), organizational factors, or environmental factors (Patton & McMahon, 2006). The system also recognizes the effect of timing on these factors; thus incorporating the aspects of past, present and future (McMahon, Forde, & Dickson, 2015).

I have given a great deal of thought to the next leg of my academic and career journey. As I reflect on the road I've taken to get this far, I realize that I have not only learned a lot there were many late night papers, team projects and plenty of reading I have also grown a great deal on a personal level. I think that the best part of reaching this juncture is the realization that I set a goal and achieved it. It is a good feeling of personal triumph. I know that once my degree is officially completed and conferred it will be an accomplishment that can never be taken away.

The question “What do you want to be when you grow up?” meant so many things throughout middle childhood, adolescence, and was even relevant in adulthood. My interests varied from law, to education, and even construction for a period. It took most of my lifetime and lived experiences, up until very recently, to actually figure out, make a decision, and follow through, with my true occupational goals. This paper will examine my current career path and goals. It will investigate the results of the O*Net Interest Profiler in which I participated, and how they compare to my current occupational goals. Finally, it will discuss gained insights and further resources for future career exploration.

"The judge has made his decision, the accused has been found guilty." These are the words that one day I will finally hear. My future goal is to be a lawyer. A lawyer is a professional person authorized to practice law. They defend or prosecute people for the crimes they have committed. (dictionary.com) I am very out spoken and believe in fighting for what I want or think is right.

This lesson mainly addressed aspects related to career development. This lesson encourages students to discover their academic and personal strengths, their skillsets, and their interests. Students then take those concepts and apply them to career exploration. They are able to link their strengths, preferences, and abilities to potential future career paths. Some of the specific aspects of career development that I addressed include applying planning and career exploration in setting and obtaining lifelong career goals, applying necessary skills for career readiness and success, and teaching students where and how to obtain information about post-secondary options. In this lesson students are encouraged to apply decision making skills to place different careers into the appropriate career fields. In doing so, they are also encouraged to begin thinking about careers that are of interest to them and what career goals they have for themselves. They will be given resources in order to continue career exploration outside of the classroom. While I do not expect sixth graders to fully decide their career path, it is my firm belief that it is never too early to get students thinking about careers and having them set goals in order to obtain the career and future that they desire. I also believe that this unit touches on social and emotional development as well as academic development. This lesson allows the student to collaborate with one another and work in groups as well as in pairs. This promotes relationship building and teamwork. It also allows students to take an inventory of their personal strengths and skillsets. This could boost self-esteem and promotes a sense of self-awareness. Lastly, this unit also encompasses academic development. Students will understand that good grades and academic success are key elements to obtaining the career that they wish to have. By being academically successful, this will allow them greater options and opportunity post high school graduation.

Finding a specific career path can not only be difficult, but it can also induce bouts of anxiety, anger, and sadness over a crucial part of an individual’s life. Settling on a career can be unnerving when thinking about the fact that this is the career that you spend thousands of dollars on in college, that this is the career you will work in until you retire. With this course, I’ve found that it has been easier to narrow down a goal towards finding a career. Through career assessments, different assignments and discussions, I have realized what my barriers and strengths are. Overcoming these and improving these skills or applying them to an actual career assisted me in narrowing my goal as well. I am now able to clearly see the advantages and disadvantages of my career goal and to think clearer about the next steps that I will take after this course.

My career path was rerouted after the birth to my son. I was managing a 24-hour Alarm Monitoring Call Center with two years of college education in Psychology. Due to an inconsistent work schedule and difficulty locating Psychology courses that worked around my schedule, I decided to change my career path to Business Management, since I already had nearly 8 years experience in supervision and management. My mentor introduced me and made me familiar with the Dictionary of Occupational (DOT) following high school. The DOT is comprised of all occupations and job titles, salary ranges, responsibilities, and industries (Berry, 2003). As I prepared for my new journey, I evaluated my decision, researched, planned, applied for new occupations that interest me, and prepared for my new career in Management.