Some Find Their Way; Others Are At A Crossroad

I know I have mentioned this before but I currently hold a BSc Psychology degree from Acadia University where I attended from 2008-2012.

What some people may not know is that when I started at Acadia, my goal was to study Biology and eventually become a doctor. You see, my mom was a nurse and I always admired her love for people and how she cared for the sick and I always knew I wanted to be in a helping profession.

However, I changed my degree to Psychology after my first year as a Biology student because I just couldn't master Biology and Chemistry; I ended up failing both those classes in my first year.

Realizing that I couldn't make my dream of becoming a doctor a reality, I decided that I would instead pursue a Psychology degree with the hope of one day becoming a marriage counsellor.

Once I had completed my degree, I realized that it probably was a mistake studying Psychology. If I had known better I would've pursued something else, like maybe a professional degree such as Business (although I SUCK at business courses), Education, or Social Work, something where I was sure I could find a job.

I mean, what other reason is there for pursuing post-secondary education if not to get a banging job when you're done in order to pay bills and still live your best life?

Now, I was extremely proud to have completed a Science degree in Psychology. The road was not easy or smooth, but I made it. The problem was that there seemed to be no rewarding jobs available for those with just a Bachelor's degree in Psychology and many Master's degree programs require you to have some form of work or volunteer experience; a problem I encountered securing both of these.

What happened was that upon returning home, I was hired as a teacher at a school for children with special needs, and I hated it. I think the reason being was that I was underpaid, and improperly trained; I quickly realized that teaching wasn't for me.

After leaving for maternity leave, I never returned, and shortly after the school closed. When Sapphyre was about 5 months old, I had an interview with Colina insurance and became a sales agent for life and health insurance. I enjoyed being a sales agent but I knew I would not want to waste my Psychology degree and the $100,000.00 that paid for it.

And so, that is where I decided to move to Canada because I knew eventually I would become a permanent resident and I would have the opportunity to go back to school and make things happen.

When I finally became a permanent resident in 2015, I did my research and decided I would pursue a BA in Social Work and so I applied to the program in January 2016; but, in May I was hit with a letter of rejection and I was distraught. I began to doubt myself and feel like my life would end with me being an insurance agent (I was working at TD insurance at this time); but, I wasn't having it.

I still do not remember exactly how I came across the BA Child and Youth Study program at Mount Saint Vincent University (MSVU), but when I did discover the program and phoned in to get more information I was told the deadline was THREE days away!

Instead of letting panic settle in, without hesitation, I applied to the program and within two weeks I received my acceptance package and I began to feel whole again; I began to feel as though I was giving my life purpose again.

I later decided that I would use this degree as a stepping stone into graduate school, and although I had not yet decided whatI wanted a graduate degree in, I made a promise to myself to excel in all of my courses so that I would have a fighting chance of getting into any graduate program my little heart desired.

I also realized that with MSVU accepting the transfer of most of my courses from Acadia that I would finish this degree in a little over two years! And so, the journey began!

Currently, I am loving my Child and Youth Study program and I am learning so much about children and youth and I have met a lot of amazing people in this program and the professors are AMAZING! I currently have a cumulative GPA of 3.92, but my plan is to graduate with Honours and a cumulative GPA of 4.0!

Several months ago, I was still unsure of what I would pursue in graduate school. It wasn't until this past summer, I was taking an online course and the professor had asked what everyone's end goal was after finishing the program. Someone mentioned that they were interested in Paediatric Occupational Therapy, and I thought to myself, "Wow, that sounds very interesting".

Remember earlier when I said that I wanted to be in a helping profession? Well, Occupational Therapy was just that!

I began doing my research. I researched the field, schools that offered the program, and so on. I quickly realized that I need volunteer hours and so, I began applying to various hospitals, clinics, and organizations trying to get a volunteer position with an Occupational Therapist.

About a week after applying to various volunteer positions, I was contacted to come in for an interview and it was at the Veterans Memorial Hospital here in Halifax, NS. I was so excited that I was even offered an interview!

During the interview I reiterated that I was interested in volunteering with an Occupational Therapist as I was interested in applying to that program in graduate school in 2019. I was offered the position as a volunteer but told that I would be working with a Physical Therapist as there were no Occupational Therapists needing volunteers at the moment.

So I thought to myself that therapy is therapy and Physical Therapists and Occupational Therapists in some ways do the same things, so I accepted the position hoping to gain more knowledge and experience into the field.

Let me tell you all how much I LOVE the field of Physical Therapy! I believe the Lord had me volunteer in this field so that I would find my way and decide on the career path I wanted to take.

I volunteer at the Geriatric Day Hospital in the exercise program and I love it! The patients enrol in the 6-week program, and what I love most about this experience is I get to see where the patients are at the beginning of the six weeks and where they are at the end of the program, and the changes and improvements they make are amazing! They are so happy with their achievements and they always leave with a smile and it makes me feel good that I helped them achieve their goals!

This is the kind of helping profession I want to be a part of!

I named this post what I did for a reason. I have a lot of friends who have their lives figured out; I don't. I'm glad for them though! I'm glad that they've found their way!

While I, myself, am still trying to get past the crossroad, I've never lost sight of where I want to be. And as you can see, I have absolutely no plans of giving up. I remain focused and headstrong. Every disappointment we experience in this life should be motivation to press on.