Career Paths

As a career counselor, I hear a lot of perceptions and misperceptions about career choices and planning. Many students are clueless. Some are a little more prepared and driven. While others are misled by individuals with no right to advise on career trends. Most people are a combination.

I met with a student today who worried that she might choose the wrong masters in counseling program. If she chose an MSW instead of a marriage and family therapy or counseling program would she be "screwed"? First, I don't recognize too many significant differences in any of those fields--all qualify someone to provide counseling/therapy. Second, I think that a master's degree in anything is a positive step and makes a person more marketable than if they didn't complete the degree. Third, and this is my major point, it is hard to classify a career path was "wrong" or worthless. Each new opportunity we take has the potential to dramatically alter our future, especially in the career world.

I would wager that most people end up in career paths they never would have imagined. Some of the positions many of us will hold by the time we retire are not even created yet.

In high school, I never would have guessed I'd be a career counselor at a university. Even during my master's program, I don't think I would have seen this as a part of my path. And I am confident this will not be the end of my own career development. Who knows where I will be, what I will be doing, and hopefully, how much more money I'll be making. ;) It is interesting the small steps we take that alter our fate. I truly believe it is the Lord opening new paths and showing us the way. Even devastating career issues and changes often lead to even greater success elsewhere--sometimes the Lord has to close doors to get us to open the ones right in front of us.

So, I'd like to ask. How did you get to where you are today?

My career progression:
High School: considered family history (how embarrassing--I really was a Molly!)
College: Sociology major (really, not a very real-life applicable degree, but again, not necessarily the wrong choice for me to take)
1st "career type job": Three Springs of North Carolina--counselor to delinquents--helped me get into graduate school
Master's degree: school counseling, high school focus (decided I wanted to help students with their careers)
1st "real" career type job: Career counselor, university
Thoughts on the future: sometimes wish I had a MSW so I could do therapy; would like to have a second BS in communication/pr; considering opening a resume online business--who knows how?; would like to teach at UVU adjunct for student success or career exploration classes; could really see myself in a PR type job

Squish out their eyes!

As the wife of a cop, I hear a lot of crazy stories. I heard a pretty crazy one just the other day, but ironically, and even a little more scary, this story is from a co-worker. Here is the story:

Just a few nights ago, this woman's daughter's boyfriend (we'll call him Bob for the sake of avoiding long soap opera relationship chains) decided to stop by the gas station and pick up a pop and a snack before heading to his girlfriend's apartment. Apparently after purchasing his pop, Bob got into his truck to find a homeless man (whom he has given money and food to in the past)sitting in the passenger seat with his hand in his pocket. Not knowing if he really had a gun or not, Bob willingly agreed to give him his wallet and was coerced into driving the man up Provo Canyon. After a long night driving around rural side roads, stopping at ATM machines, and pleading with the man to let him go, Bob finally saw a large group of people (probably camping) near the side of the road. It was morning and Bob pulled over to the people, told the man if he didn't get out immediately, he'd make a big scene, and the man got out. Of course he then called the cops, but the man was still on the loose.

Crazy story. Scary story. It reminds me of all the scenarios my mom always used to theorize about with my siblings and me as kids.

Mom: "If some guy grabs you at gunpoint at a store and tells you to come with him, tell him, 'Kill me now while there are witnesses!!' It's better than being dragged off, assaulted, and tortured where no one can help or find you."


Mom: "What do you do if a guy attacks you? Squish their eyes out. Just keep pushing and pushing until they pop out!"
Us:"Ewww, Mom! That's gross"
Mom: "Well you have to visualize yourself doing it. It's gross, but you just have to keep pushing and pushing until they pop out, otherwise, you won't be able to do it."


Mom: "If you are carjacked, crash into something before they take you out to the middle of no-where. At least that way you have a chance of surviving and people can still find you."


And so on. My mom is a true fighter. And so is my husband. Both of them visualize scenarios and picture themselves reacting. That way, when the worst happens, the adrenaline kicks in, and you can no longer think clearly, you have trained yourself to respond appropriately. When I heard this story I thought about how I probably wouldn't have taken off at the gas station. That I'd probably jump out of the vehicle, start screaming and resolve the situation right there. Maybe he really did have a gun, but at least that way someone could probably help me right away, arrest the culprit, and worst case scenario, at least my family would know what happened. But maybe that is a risk not worth taking? Russell says you do what you need to do to stay alive--that even if you are raped, tortured, at least you're still alive. But I think as a woman, though, I'd rather not put myself through the torture of what can happen. I always picture those poor women I heard about on America's Most Wanted, raped, cut open, and stuffed with broken beer bottles. Yuck! And what if he didn't have a gun at all? So I don't know.

And who knows, maybe I'd be too chicken to be so bold. How do you think you would react? What's the best way to react?

Politics Make My Brain Hurt

I have never been very politically savy and often notice myself merely repeating what I have heard respected people around me saying about what is going on in our democracy. I have been trying extra hard this year to get interested in politics, understand the issues, and vote. Yes, I am embarrassed to say that I fit my demographic--I have never before voted. But I look forward to voting for my first time this November.

Because I don't always understand politics enough or have enough history following each of the candidates to catch or understand lies, over/understatements, I appreciate the following article. It breaks down inconsistencies and discrepencies for politically un-savy people like me. This article discusses last night's debate .

One thing my untrained mind picks up on, however, is that I can't find any substance to Obama's whole Hope and Change thing. What does that mean? Where is the substance? Obama scares me. He's creepy. And what creeps me out the most is that it seems like people only follow him because he's dynamic, not for what he stands for. I certainly do not understand what "Change" actually means in concrete terms. Spell it out for me Barack, because I can't seem to figure it out, at least when you speak! What does he stand for aside from some fluffy ideal of Hope and Change. Sure, I'd choose to eat lunch with Obama over McCain any day. And I don't particularly like McCain, but at least I feel like he has a little more concrete to his fluff. I don't want to say that Obama is akin to Hitler, but Hitler was charismatic, too. I just don't want to vote for a leader based on how fun and energized his public speaking is.

Anyway, check out the article from Factcheck.org and let me know what you think. PS, it does point out issues with both Obama and McCain, for those of you who don't agree with my ideas on Obama.

Check out Russell's blog

So my charming husband has finally joined the blogosphere--check out his new site Russell's Food for Thought. Notice his lovely photo of Timpanogos? which he took himself this summer. He is quite the photographer, especially considering all we ever use is a simple point and shoot camera.

Hunting

I went hunting for the first time yesterday and I loved it! I can't actually say it is the hunting that I love because I actually do not have my hunter's safety certification or my hunting license, plus, we didn't actually kill anything. But as for everything else, I had a fabulous time. Russell and I went to his family's land in Scofield where we were trying to get an elk. We arrived early enough to first hear an elk bugle and then I spotted a few elk with the binoculars. Unfortunately, they were super far away. So we moved farther down the trail, saw two more elk--again, way too far away. And then finally, I spotted a whole herd. I counted at least 13 elk--a huge bull and his harem of females. It was incredible to watch the group as they headed further up the mountain side and into the trees. We heard the bull bugle and watched as he gracefully followed them into the trees. We waited for quite awhile, hoping they would return, but they never did. I don't know about killing elk, but it was really exciting to see so many, especially such a large impressive male.

We were really lucky because the weather was perfect! I imagine most hunting trips are a little more uncomfortable--cold, rainy, or snowy. The leaves were in various stages of color and were gorgeous. I can't imagine a much better way to spend a warm fall morning, out in the quiet, beautiful wilderness with my husband and admiring such amazing animals.

I do think it is a little ironic, 20 elk and 15 deer later, we came home empty handed. I guess next time we'll have an idea where to find them and be able to catch up to them--that is, if elk follow behavioral patterns.

6 of my quirks

I guess I am supposed to share six of my quirks or oddeties.

1. I self-soothe myself by playing with my ears. I have always done this--since I was a baby I am pretty sure. My parents always worried I'd develop cauliflower ears, but fortunately, my ears look the same as always. I sometimes feel silly, but I saw that hot lady on LOST on David Letterman and apparently she does that same thing. I figure if she can do it, I can too. Plus, I think more people play with their ears than most people realize.

2. I like nice clothes, but somehow, I don't ever like to wear mine. For some reason I always have the notion that wearing my nicer clothes takes extra work. I do have some outfits that feel like I have to tug or tuck all day long to keep them the way they were intended to fit, but overall, most of my clothing peices aren't that hard to wear/tolerate.

3. I always take two pairs of shoes to work. I have found that working on a campus, there are often unexpected long walks. I usually wear a pair of flip-flops, crocs, or tennis shoes even if I am wearing a dress or business suit. I don't care if I look silly or unprofessional or if people see my silly combination. I change as soon as I get into my office and this protects my precious feet. I can't tell you how many women complain about their blisters. I have even lent out my comfy shoes to co-workers about to trek across campus.

4. One of my favorite meals is tomato sandwiches. People often think I am weird, but my favorite sandwich is simply tomatoes, mayo, mustard, cheese topped off with salt/pepper and garlic and onion powders. You can keep the meat. Cucumbers taste good, too.

5. I think I used to live in a haunted apartment, but I'm not sure if I was simply dreaming. In NC I used to experience some weird things, usually during the stage of sleep where you think you are awake, but you can't tell because too many irrational things are happening. There were a few nights, but one night in particular, I thought I must have been dreaming, but that same day my roommate announced that we had ghosts. Apparently she and my roommate had been noticing a lot of paranormal activities. I normally would have skeptically laughed it off, but to this day, I'm not sure if my experiences were a weird stage of sleep or actual hauntings.

6. I am sewing a whole nursery set, but I am not pregnant. I needed a hobby and I absolutely love sewing. I have found baby patterns to be the best for a novice sewer. Little bits of fabric, more economical, and less accountability if you mess up. Plus, there are tons of cool and fun baby sewing projects and it doesn't take months to finish each project. I have the cutest fabrics and about half a nursery sewn so far. I'll have a whole nursery probably before I ever even get pregnant.

Hope & Change

I don't know if it is because I am biased, but did anyone else notice that overwhelmingly, Barack Obama's debate last night focused mainly on spending money? Even during the question about how this economic bailout will affect the presidency, (not only did it take Obama 3-4 times to finally answer the question--I think McCain got it in maybe 2 tries) Obama kept going back to "add this new program, fund that new program, spend more money here and there. . ." It doesn't give me much confidence in a man, who during huge nationwide economic anxiety, only seems to focus on spending even more money. It sounds like all of his so called "change" and "hope" required billions of dollars to me. And Obama himself, admitted that budgetary issues will actually limit greatly many of the things he is promising to do as president. I also wondered how during what was supposed to be a discussion of foreign policy, instead, Obama began again to discuss the need for alternative energy. I hear you on that one, Barack, but not while you are supposed to be talking about protecting this country. I usually see McCain as dry and wonder about his ability to lead this country. But last night, I was surprised at how well versed McCain seemed, especially in regard to military and foreign policy. Obama seemed pretty clueless to me. I don't particularly like either choice, but I don't know how I can trust a man as the commander in chief who believes the best foreign relations work is simply telling countries like Russia, "You are a 21st century super-power. You need to start acting like a 21st century super power instead of a 20th century one." I'm not so sure any country, especially Russia, would simply say, "Okay. You are exactly right. . ."

I don't think this is the kind of change I want for me and my family.