Choosing a Career Path

                Choosing a career path is an exciting, confusing, and challenging task that many have gone through. When choosing a career path for myself, I had to ask myself what makes me happy. Having the need to help people obtain their goals always comes to mind when I ask myself this questions, and it is quite often. I regularly asses my feelings about my career path, and ask myself are you really happy with your job and where it could lead you?

                I entered into the education profession through what I refer to as the back door. I moved to Charlotte, N.C. after accepting a substitute life skills teaching position. My undergraduate degree was in fashion design and business. Initially, I planned to move to NYC from N.C. to pursue a career in the fashion industry. The fall after I graduated from college the terrible tragedy of 9/11 took place. This made people around me very nervous, and I started to question if the move would be right for me. A childhood friend and I would always talk about our futures, and he would always say that he would be a history teacher and I would be the perfect home economics teacher. I always laughed it off, and focus on other interesting careers like being a fashion designer, lawyer, social worker, nurse, etc…

                After completing an internship at a children’s apparel firm during the summer before my senior year of college, I decided that I would be successful in the industry, because I did a great job. After graduation, I started to prepare for my big move to The Big Apple. After the tragedy, my family persuaded me to come home and try to find a position there, as if there are huge popular high fashion clothing firms in Charlotte! The same childhood friend assured me that new opportunities would come up, and that I could still apply my fashion design degree in other ways. He soon told me about a life skills position that was available at a local middle school in Charlotte. My first day was the worse day ever of my teaching career, but I needed and job and so I stayed with it.

                I started to understand my students more by getting to know them and finding out about their lives. I started to see how I could assist my students by providing guidance that they did not have access to. I demonstrated them basic cooking techniques while adding nutritional facts and explanations to them. I showed them how to sew, and how to make a budget, and also how to get ready for a job. My students enjoyed it, and I could see that they were getting something out of my lessons, and I started to really enjoy it. It fulfills me to see my work being useful to others.

                I decided that I was on the correct path. Although I was not in NYC pursuing a career in fashion, I was happy. I later felt that this was the best move for me. Unlike reaching your customers in the fashion world with a new hip design, I am able to actually relate and make a stronger meaningful impact on my students. This means a lot to them, and it means the world to me. As I finish my tenth year of teaching Family and Consumer Sciences classes, I feel that this was the best suggestion that any friend could make to me. It changed my life, and brought purpose to me, and one should always choose a career path that will help you to feel good about yourself buy assisting others.