When I first moved to DC, I would inwardly gag when someone began a conversation asking about my occupation. I'm not going to go down the rabbit hole of why that is rude and i'll save the lecture on why a person's worth has nothing to do with their job title. What I will say is that what I do can't be summed up in a title. As I begin to consider next steps, I go back and forth about getting out of direct services or staying in. Not that I don't love serving others but I think I may be ready for a new challenge, i'm just not sure what this new challenge is yet. In the meantime, I'm at peace that I am where I am.
As someone that has explored different occupations, i'm pretty sure folks are not exactly aware of what it is I do. One moment I'm working with the homeless and the next moment i'm in a some remote place on the otherside of the world. Sometimes I wonder myself just what i'm doing. On the outside it may not make sense, but to me it does. So back to the question: what do you do?
Since I have transitioned into working with young people, I have realized more and more my title doesn't matter because I do whatever needs to get done. In my current role I manage/coordinate/plan (whatever) post-secondary activities for young adults (so essentially think of life skills development, workforce development, college/career planning, etc.. All the things you wished you had learned earlier). I sum it up as a youth life coach, a voice of reason, a resource, a guide to assisting young people navigate systems they may not understand. In any given day I can deal with a plethora of issues. From counseling a student dealing with family stuff to guiding a group through work opportunities, to coordinating with outside partners, to being a cheerleader, surrogate mother, problem solver, therapist, listener, giver of hugs, voice of reason, and the list goes on. There is no such thing as a "normal" day (yesterday I had 2 students argue over a saugage muffin...really?) Some days are more exhausting than others and some days almost make me feel defeated. When you hear stories day in and day out, it can get easy to get jaded or become emotionaless to the struggle. You hear story after story and it can numb you from having any sort of reaction. I never want to get to that point where I have no reaction, no emotion to the struggles that my students deal with daily...and trust me, their struggles are real. As exhausting as it can be, as sad as some moments are, I absolutely love what I do. I'll continue to do some soul searching to figure out the what next but for now, i'm going to continue serving, mentoring, guiding, loving, mothering, supporting my young people.
So in the end, when asked what I do? I can confidently respond with " I do what I love".
As someone that has explored different occupations, i'm pretty sure folks are not exactly aware of what it is I do. One moment I'm working with the homeless and the next moment i'm in a some remote place on the otherside of the world. Sometimes I wonder myself just what i'm doing. On the outside it may not make sense, but to me it does. So back to the question: what do you do?
Since I have transitioned into working with young people, I have realized more and more my title doesn't matter because I do whatever needs to get done. In my current role I manage/coordinate/plan (whatever) post-secondary activities for young adults (so essentially think of life skills development, workforce development, college/career planning, etc.. All the things you wished you had learned earlier). I sum it up as a youth life coach, a voice of reason, a resource, a guide to assisting young people navigate systems they may not understand. In any given day I can deal with a plethora of issues. From counseling a student dealing with family stuff to guiding a group through work opportunities, to coordinating with outside partners, to being a cheerleader, surrogate mother, problem solver, therapist, listener, giver of hugs, voice of reason, and the list goes on. There is no such thing as a "normal" day (yesterday I had 2 students argue over a saugage muffin...really?) Some days are more exhausting than others and some days almost make me feel defeated. When you hear stories day in and day out, it can get easy to get jaded or become emotionaless to the struggle. You hear story after story and it can numb you from having any sort of reaction. I never want to get to that point where I have no reaction, no emotion to the struggles that my students deal with daily...and trust me, their struggles are real. As exhausting as it can be, as sad as some moments are, I absolutely love what I do. I'll continue to do some soul searching to figure out the what next but for now, i'm going to continue serving, mentoring, guiding, loving, mothering, supporting my young people.
So in the end, when asked what I do? I can confidently respond with " I do what I love".
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