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But I don’t know what career I should do?
I enjoy helping others, working with animals, and children.
I’ve been working with people of various ages with disabilities mainly autism for over 8 years, and I have a ba #career-choice #career #job
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7 answers
Updated
Vanessa’s Answer
Hi Kelly,
Some career choices that may interest you with animals are:
veterinarian, zookeeper, wildlife biologist, zoologist, animal nutrionist
Careers involving children that may interest you are:
school counselor, pediatrican, speech language pathologist, recreational therapy, special education, special assistance resource teacher.
With your experience working with people with disablites such as autism you can certainly get a job in elementry schools and universities/community colleges. In elementry schools there is a postion called a special education teacher where you teach and assist children with disabilities. If you decide to work at a univeristy or community college you can work with the Office of Accessiblity & Services. You get to help register students the accomodations they need depending on their disability(e.g extended time, getting an assistant for a blind student, etc) and contact professors/teachers about the accomadations needed for the student.
Some career choices that may interest you with animals are:
veterinarian, zookeeper, wildlife biologist, zoologist, animal nutrionist
Careers involving children that may interest you are:
school counselor, pediatrican, speech language pathologist, recreational therapy, special education, special assistance resource teacher.
With your experience working with people with disablites such as autism you can certainly get a job in elementry schools and universities/community colleges. In elementry schools there is a postion called a special education teacher where you teach and assist children with disabilities. If you decide to work at a univeristy or community college you can work with the Office of Accessiblity & Services. You get to help register students the accomodations they need depending on their disability(e.g extended time, getting an assistant for a blind student, etc) and contact professors/teachers about the accomadations needed for the student.
Updated
Eleanor’s Answer
Hi Vanessa! Something that will actually combine all of your interests is working as a PATH Certified Instructor at a therapeutic equestrian center. This can be either teaching equine-assisted therapy or hippotherapy. If you click on Find a Center on the PATH Intl website, you should be able to find a facility near you - and those facilities are ALWAYS looking for volunteers. People with ASD find enormous benefit from equine-assisted therapy! I would recommend volunteering with the program to see if this is something you want to pursue professionally.
Review PATH Intl here https://www.pathintl.org/
Equine-assisted vs Hippotherapy https://www.banyantreatmentcenter.com/2019/03/01/what-is-the-difference-between-equine-assisted-therapy-and-hippotherapy-boca/
Find a PATH Certified center here https://fontevacustomer-15cf09b5446.force.com/s/searchdirectory?id=a2If40000019XO9
Eleanor recommends the following next steps:
Updated
Zohra’s Answer
Hi Kelly,
I think servicing people is a great career choice and we need more passionate people like you. My advice is for you to make a list of pro's and cons, then label one as primary career, one that you see yourself doing for 5 to 10 years. One that will pay the bills and allow you a work-life balance that will then allow you to choose one or two other servicing passion(s) of yours as a volunteer service.
Good luck to you!
I think servicing people is a great career choice and we need more passionate people like you. My advice is for you to make a list of pro's and cons, then label one as primary career, one that you see yourself doing for 5 to 10 years. One that will pay the bills and allow you a work-life balance that will then allow you to choose one or two other servicing passion(s) of yours as a volunteer service.
Good luck to you!
Updated
LeQuyen’s Answer
Hi Katie,
It is a great start that you have already identified what you enjoyed working with. A career is a big part of one’s life so you want to choose a career that fulfills your passion. Make an inventory list of your skills, strength, interest…etc. Do some research on the jobs you think you would like to pursue including job availability, salary, and level of education requirements. You can also take a career exploration survey available on job websites such as Indeed Guide How to Choose a Career (https://www.indeed.com/career-advice/finding-a-job/how-to-choose-a-career). Rank your list based on what you value most and what you are willing to compromise. Once you’ve narrowed the list down to what you think you would like to pursue, shadow someone in that profession. Don’t forget to ask them the pros and cons of the job based on their experience. Whichever path that you choose, do what you love and good luck!
It is a great start that you have already identified what you enjoyed working with. A career is a big part of one’s life so you want to choose a career that fulfills your passion. Make an inventory list of your skills, strength, interest…etc. Do some research on the jobs you think you would like to pursue including job availability, salary, and level of education requirements. You can also take a career exploration survey available on job websites such as Indeed Guide How to Choose a Career (https://www.indeed.com/career-advice/finding-a-job/how-to-choose-a-career). Rank your list based on what you value most and what you are willing to compromise. Once you’ve narrowed the list down to what you think you would like to pursue, shadow someone in that profession. Don’t forget to ask them the pros and cons of the job based on their experience. Whichever path that you choose, do what you love and good luck!
Updated
Angela’s Answer
Hello! Try narrowing down what you are most passionate about and what is realistic for your lifestyle and your short term and long term goals in life. You could consider taking on internships or part-time jobs within the different fields you're interested in and see how you like it! Seek advice from people you know and trust for overall career advice. I hope this helps!
Updated
Priya’s Answer
Hi Kelly!
Checking out ONet or asking a career counselor can be a great way to narrow down or explore options! Some things that come to my mind as you list out your interest are helping professions like psychology/counseling, medical field, veterinary field, or working with nonprofits. I think particularly work with nonprofits comes to mind if you are interested, as there are various nonprofits that help children, people, and animals! Good luck!
Checking out ONet or asking a career counselor can be a great way to narrow down or explore options! Some things that come to my mind as you list out your interest are helping professions like psychology/counseling, medical field, veterinary field, or working with nonprofits. I think particularly work with nonprofits comes to mind if you are interested, as there are various nonprofits that help children, people, and animals! Good luck!
Updated
Katie’s Answer
It's okay not to know what you want to do and you can certainly change your career over time. Here are some steps to get you started with identifying a career:
1) Browse job postings or use google search to find careers that are interesting. It doesn't have to be something you want to do forever, but if something even remotely sounds good to you, write it down.
2) Find a company/person who does each of the jobs/careers that you found.
3) Email, call or visit and ask if you can have 20 minutes of someone's time to learn more about what they do.
4) What are pros and cons of each of those positions? Do any of them sound good to you? Do they have recommendations for similar or totally different positions and someone you could speak to, to learn more about those?
Some people call it networking, but I prefer the term Discovery. People truly enjoy talking about what they do AND helping other people. You'll get advice, you'll learn what sounds good and what doesn't, and you may even develop relationships in the process that can continue helping you find out what you want to do. There is not a single job that I have held over the past 20 years where I have not taken this approach. Sometimes people email me back, sometimes they don't. The people I have connected with though have been incredible resources and have helped me determine if their job is something I would like or dislike. Some of them have contacted hiring managers on my behalf and given them their impressions. I do a lot of mentoring for people trying to get into careers completely different from my own and this approach has also served each of the people I mentor.
Best of luck! I know finding something that you love can be daunting, but the more people you talk to, the more you will learn about yourself and what options you have available to you.
1) Browse job postings or use google search to find careers that are interesting. It doesn't have to be something you want to do forever, but if something even remotely sounds good to you, write it down.
2) Find a company/person who does each of the jobs/careers that you found.
3) Email, call or visit and ask if you can have 20 minutes of someone's time to learn more about what they do.
4) What are pros and cons of each of those positions? Do any of them sound good to you? Do they have recommendations for similar or totally different positions and someone you could speak to, to learn more about those?
Some people call it networking, but I prefer the term Discovery. People truly enjoy talking about what they do AND helping other people. You'll get advice, you'll learn what sounds good and what doesn't, and you may even develop relationships in the process that can continue helping you find out what you want to do. There is not a single job that I have held over the past 20 years where I have not taken this approach. Sometimes people email me back, sometimes they don't. The people I have connected with though have been incredible resources and have helped me determine if their job is something I would like or dislike. Some of them have contacted hiring managers on my behalf and given them their impressions. I do a lot of mentoring for people trying to get into careers completely different from my own and this approach has also served each of the people I mentor.
Best of luck! I know finding something that you love can be daunting, but the more people you talk to, the more you will learn about yourself and what options you have available to you.