Career Planning Part II

Proverbs 12:15 (NIV)

The way of fools seems right to them, but the wise listen to advice.

Think about this, you were exposed to whatever your parents did, teachers, police, firemen, doctors, and nurses.  These are the people you interacted with, but there are so many more professions out there.  I have known many foster children who wanted to become social workers, or rebels who wanted to become probation cops.  When we are blessed by one of those transformational people in our lives, it is natural that we consider their profession.   Television also matters.  A few years back all the girls at our school wanted to be interior designers with the rise of shows like MTV’s Cribs or Extreme Makeover Home Edition.  Recently I have seen a wave of wannabe forensic scientists following the hit shows like CSI, Law & Order, and Forensic Files.  Cooking shows have recently also increased the visibility of that profession.  If you are considering one of these careers, you must do due diligence to see what the career is actually like.  Television has a way of making a lot of jobs look enticing.  I enjoy the show, Deadliest Catch, but I don’t want to be a crab fisher.  I don’t like the cold. Even though that show tries to illustrate the cold, I don’t think it is possible to get it until you are in that harsh environment.   I hate cold and want nothing to do with it; I learned this about myself early on.  So when I watch Deadliest Catch I know I want no part of that industry.  As a teacher I work with student teachers quite often.  A student teacher has completed a bachelors degree and a full year of teacher credentialing courses.  Before getting paid, they must do an unpaid semester of teaching, and some colleges require more.  What breaks my heart is that these young adults have never tried the job prior to actually teaching.  Substituting does not teach anyone how to teach, nor does it give you and idea of what teaching is.  When a student teacher is awful, the kids attack like sharks. Some tough it out and learn methods to get better, others quit.  According to Cynthia Kopkowski of the National Education Association half of all newly hired teachers quit within their first five years of teaching.   This is proof to me that many people are entering professions that are not a fit for them.  You must find a career that is a fit with the gifts and calling of God.