Why did you choose your profession?

Since there is so much talk about what everyone does, what do you do and why is it that you chose your profession?

I am a golf professional. After college, I started working for my dad in sales, and really didn't enjoy it. I knew I wanted to work outside and I loved golf, so I got into the golf business. There are many benefits and drawbacks to what I do. I work hard and have very long hours in the spring, summer, and fall. Many times the summer months bring 7 day work weeks into play, and always at least 6 days a week of work. That is time I sacrifice with my family, but the benefit is that in the winter time, I have a lot of downtime, and get to relax with my family. The money wasn't good at first, but that is the same in most professions. I make decent money now, but there is the opportunity to make more, although it wouldn't matter, because I love going to work everyday.

Re: Why did you choose your profession?

I'm a Middle School English teacher.
I love English, I love writing, I love reading, and for some reason that no one understands, I love Middle School kids. It just made sense to me that I become a teacher.....I love it.

Re: Why did you choose your profession?

I always knew I wanted to teach. I wanted to be that teacher that inspired kids just as I was inspired as a student myself. I first wanted to teach music. I changed my mind and went for foreign languages because speaking a second language(s) sounds like music to me and reading music is like reading a second language. I've had a number of students want to follow in my footsteps. I'm proud of myself and my students.

Re: Why did you choose your profession?

I am a hairdresser. I actually really like what I do(been doing it for 20yrs-yes I am old) I knew I would never be rich. I am a go getter though and I knew I would do well and I do. I make more money that some of my friends with college degrees. I have a very creative personality and my job is an outlet for it. I also knew that it was the type of job that would give me the flexibilty that I would want when I had kids. I am able to make my own hours and I never am in a position where I have to choose work over my kids. I miss out on almost nothing and for that I feel like I made a wise choice for me and I feel very lucky.

Re: Why did you choose your profession?

I have a degree in Accounting - I love numbers and that's why I did it, but during college, I didn't love real accounting, but I found what I loved.

I'm an Import Manager..now for a chemical company, the second one actually.

But I've worked for shoe importers, dried fruit & nuts, phosphates, vitamins, etc.

I love the fast pace, intensity, dealing with foreign companies. It's well suited to my personality, which I think would've only otherwise been suited to a court-room attorney.

Re: Why did you choose your profession?

Heck I'm in insurance (broker to be exact) and in places other than NY/UK its generally accepted that EVERYONE in my business got here by accident or because of family. Only a VERY small portion are in my business on purpose.

I was slaving away at 12hr job making $14k a year with no benefits no vacation, 6 day week.

I was offered the same pay to be a receptionist, 8-5, 2weeks vacation, benefits. I jumped on the chance. They said my personality was more analytical and they made me a service rep.

The rest is now 14yr history.

I've been the client rep for Sean Combs company, Estee Lauder, Absolut and small mom and pop places. I moved to NY and moved back to TX with this job (not the same place of course). I've worked for the Largest Insurance Broker in the World and now I work for #3 in the same role. I feel I've done a lot in this job and held many, many positions and roles.

Insurance is a world. So many avenues, jobs, roles, ways to help, ways to work, ways to learn and grow. You can NEVER get tired or bored.

But WHY did I choose it? Because it was there.

WOULD I have chosen it? No. I was a science major once. go figure!


ETA: I don't think I'm doing half bad for just a HS diploma either

Message edited 2/18/2011 10:57:08 PM.

Re: Why did you choose your profession?

Re: Why did you choose your profession?

R&D Chemist

I was a Biochem major and undecided on what type of jo I wanted. Thats when I got an internship in R&D making active ingredients used in skin care, and then another internship at Estee Lauder... so I kinda just fell into this job bc of the internships I got thru the chemistry department at my college.

Re: Why did you choose your profession?

I didn't really choose it, I just kind of fell into it because of good timing & luck. It wasn't my intended/planned career, which I ended up hating when I was actually in it... so this came along at just the right time.

Re: Why did you choose your profession?

I wanted summers off, days that only lasted until 3, every holiday and then some free, and the inability to get fired if I made it past the first 3 years.

Ooooppps......JK......Good thing those were not my reasons or I would be very dissapointed by now!

I actually became a teacher because I love the feeling of being able to give people (and now my students) knowledge to make their lives as fullfilling as possible. Four years ago I found myself at a special education school and have not thought about teaching in a general education setting since, I could never have imagined how rewarding this job could be.

Re: Why did you choose your profession?

I chose it because no one can complain about how much I make since the salaries aren't public & they don't pay them.

in all seriousness, I fell into it. My background was event management - golf tournaments, black tie dinners, large scale award ceremonies, etc.

I moved from that to application support & development (which I hated)...then eventually moved into HR. I like my job because I can advocate for both employees & company but it's a fine line between the two.

Message edited 2/21/2011 8:08:16 AM.

Re: Why did you choose your profession?

I fell in love with the beauty of weather when I was very young. I was obsessed with hurricanes by age 10. (Blame John Hope of the Weather Channel, God Bless His Soul!) I lived through a few small hurricanes and took my pictures, loving every minute of it. The way to learn more about weather is to intern at a TV station when you are in college. (I never wanted to be on TV. I am a sweatshirt kind of girl.) But, I was appalled when our stations didn't do live closed captioning for the weather during the news. (Rochester is an area that had a lot of deaf people.) The meteorologist would be on-air saying a massive severe thunderstorm was about to hit a certain town, but the pre-typed captioning only said 'chance of severe weather'.

So, I made it my mission to be the person doing the weather and signing the updated forecast. Again, I never wanted to be that on-air meteorologist. But it happened. I grew up around so many deaf people that I needed to be there for them. I was on-air for years and it wore me down. People are cruel. They don't like your outfit, they tell you. I couldn't have my curly hair, so I had to straighten it everyday becaue 'nobody can believe a curly haired person as an authority on anything.'

Watch your newscast now. Things haven't changed much. They now allow long hair (which they didn't a few years back. If I wanted my hair long, I had to wear it up like a librarain.) But they still don't allow curly hair, unless it is an entertainement reporter or someone 'fun'. I was done.

So, I switched into becoming a photojournalist and LOVED IT!!! I was in danger every day. I wore the bullet proof jacket often. I was hospitalized often. Broken ribs when I was attacked, pit bulls that I needed to beat down with my tripod as they attacked me on the street and the amount of major news stories. I LOVED IT ALL, except the fact that I worked some flucked up hours. (Yes, news works 24 hours per day.)

Nothing will have ever prepared me when I was out on a police 'stake out' and the shooter was finally brought to justice. The police went into their van for some warmth and I was still outside, at 3am and about to pack up. A man came up to me so angrily and said 'I bet you don't remember me.' I got my tripod in a stance to defend myself. And then he smiled and said 'It's ME, you covered my story when I was shot on Otis street a few weeks ago.'

After that I went into management. But then I went back to overnights once DS was born, since we have no family on LI.

The only career goal I missed was the fact that I have always wanted to fly into a hurricane. My TV station had it planned for me to fly into one when it came in September 2001. (I was a meteorologist AND a photojournalist, so my station only needed to pay for one person to cover it.) Osama Bin Laden obviously changed our station plans at that time. All money went to helping cover Ground Zero. God Bless everyone.

Re: Why did you choose your profession?

Re: Why did you choose your profession?

Honestly, my Mom pushed me to do it.
I was waffling between a bunch of majors that were in the same field and she suggested SLP. I looked into it and of course, since she suggested it.. I hated it. So I went to school for SLP thinking I would do Deaf Ed. in the end.

After my first class I was hooked. She was right.

But, then I wanted to work in a hospital setting. I started working with adults even though Mom kept telling me to work in a school. I resisted for a year. I wound up hating it and now I am in a school and loving it. Right again..

Re: Why did you choose your profession?

I'm a photographer. I started it as a hobby, friends/family asked me to take pictures for them, and it just snowballed. I never thought I would call this my "official" career. In Feb 2010, I was able to quit my "real" job and I do photography full time now - I usually work on average 10-16 hours a week out of my home depending on type of sessions (usually I limit myself to 5 sessions a week) and editing/miscellaneous business stuff makes up the other hours. I work more than I ever worked with a set FT job, but its flexible and I LOVE it!

Re: Why did you choose your profession?

Currently a full time SAHM, but right before DS was born ( and after I am done SAH with my LO's) I will be returning to the field I chose as an in-home daycare provider...

There are a few reasons I went into the field...

1) I love kids....I have always had a connection with them (from a very young age)...It feels good to know that I can be a postive influence in a childs life, if even in a small capacity..I would much rather spend my day with children than adults most times

2) Choosing to be my own boss allows me the flexibility I want and to be there for my own children w/out sacraficing ..
I also work out of my own home (though on a seperate floor from my living quarters), so while it feels like I am "going" to work, I don't have to get in the car

3) I have a great earning potential

4) It's a field that will always be needed.



Growing up, I always wanted to be a teacher....Life got in the way and with my father passing away when I was in HS, a very sick mother who I lost also at a young age and a developmentally delayed brother that I take care of, college never happened....I needed to work straight out of HS, and so I did...

Worked for the government , worked in corporate customer relations blah blah blah ...All it was- was a paycheck
Went to technical school as an adult to be a medical assistant, phlebotimy and EKG tech....Got my degree- but knew it was not for me...But felt like I "needed" to have a degree for "something" I guess..It sits in a box

Then I opened a childrens entertainment company and loved it...Did that for years....Got married, bought a house with the daycare in mind and the rest is history

Message edited 2/19/2011 8:49:14 AM.

Re: Why did you choose your profession?

I'm a hairstylist. I hated school and I loved doing hair. I still do!!! No I don't get paid that much and every once in a while i will cut my finger, or I will get that client that no matter what I do I will never make her happy!! But when I am out and i meet one of my clients and her hair looks fabulous and she tells me she has never felt better and love the way she looks, that's what makes it all worth it!!!!!!

Re: Why did you choose your profession?

To be fair, I chose my profession at 19 because I took certain classes in college that I really enjoyed, but I don't love what I do. It's just not for me. I am now taking steps to go into a different profession and hope to start it next year.

Re: Why did you choose your profession?

Honestly - Because it will provide me with a pension. When I was younger I never thought I would be a custodian but honestly I got to say that after working for 2 big corporations I am really enjoying working in the school system. The people are extremely nice, I am always doing different things and the night goes fast.

Re: Why did you choose your profession?

I always wanted to work with children and assumed I would become a teacher.

I was a Psychology major in college bc Ed classes bored me.

I ended up getting my masters in counseling and became a Guidance Counselor.

I love my job.

I also love that my job works well with raising a family (this was important to me).

I choose to be a school counselor as opposed to my own practice bc I liked the security, the benefits, the pension and the time off.

Re: Why did you choose your profession?

I didn't choose it. I planned on being a nun. Then I decided that wasn't the right path for me. So I thought a career as an attorney would be right for me.. but I wasn't crazy about it after dipping my toes in. So I just kept going to school. Finally I had to get a real job and after a few false starts I landed here. It's in the finance world.. my educational background is in literature and science. But whatever. It pays well and life is good.

Re: Why did you choose your profession?

i'm an attorney (practiced in commercial litigation for 3 years, been in bankruptcy/construction litigation for almost 1 year). i chose this career because it's... me. it just suits me, perfectly. i can argue and advocate anything until i'm blue in the face, and i don't get tired of it (i hold back a lot on here, lol).
love it, but my hours get to me sometimes.

Re: Why did you choose your profession?

I'm a case manager working with the mentally ill. I've always had a knack for Psychology, especially abnormal. I find it so interesting.

I love what I do!

Re: Why did you choose your profession?

I am a licensed Professional Engineer (PE) in Chemical Engineering (hence my screen name)

I always loved math, and a huge part of engineering courses was math. Plus I did well in chemistry and physics.

I would have loved to work in Industry, but I ended up in consulting (we work with govt, universities, hospitals, private sectors, etc.). I love the flexibility with my company - I was a SAHM for 5 years, then eased back into part-time work while the kids are in school. Since I stayed with my career even while at home, I advanced in salary too and feel I am paid really well.

Message edited 2/19/2011 9:59:15 AM.

Re: Why did you choose your profession?

It literally fell in my lap.

Love my job, only work one day now, I stay home with the kids.