I don't think I chose my career as much as it chose me - and I am so glad it has really worked out for me.

I never thought I could handle working with people with special needs but then my minister introduced me to a family in my congregation whose infant daughter was severely disabled. She asked if I would be interested in volunteering with them so that they might have a few hours break once a week. I wasn't sure I could do it - I had no idea how to handle a child with such severe medical needs - so I said I would meet with the family and try it out. I instantly fell in love with the child! Nine years later, I am still working with that family - but now I get paid for it. I technically have two jobs, since I work for two different agencies, but I consider it to be one job with two separate pay cheques. One of those agencies is the government and the other is a wonderful charitable christian organization who treat their clients and employees like gold. This organization is not run by any particular church, however it's values are very much inline with the United Church - it's extremely liberal and will help anyone who needs it. I couldn't be happier with my work life! As I say to anyone who asks about my job - I get paid to go to the beach!

"Choose"?

Well... the manager at a cafeteria here in Toronto needed someone to help the kitchen staff with catering at Christmastime. She and I used to go to the same church. She called the Pastor who was out of work and might want a temporary job, and he suggested me. She called and asked if I would help out just for a few days. I agreed. That led to a part-time job. Then the cashier there got pregnant and after she went on leave and had her baby she decided not to return to work, so I got her full-time job. I've now worked for the same company for 6 1/2 years.

I do like my job now. I work with a good group of people, and serving the customers is fun. I really feel blessed to be there at this time.

I love to read so library work was the only career that I could find where I got paid to spend time reading...I also prefer small towns so that is where I work...that said, I never would have chosen this particular public library - I only agreed to come in two days to train their new staff member as a favour to a friend - life happened and I ended up with the job and have been here 12 years now!

Also, because I was here in this job, I was in the ideal place when the local newspaper owner had to quit 8.5 years ago...I'd helped out occasionally when she was swamped and so I guess I was the first person she thought of when she had to retire...while owning/editiing an independent rural newspaper is not something I ever aspired too, it is the perfect career for me and complements my libary career and life wonderfully.

It really does make life easier when you do what you love.

I started out as a librarian for much the same reasons. I was based in Hamilton, although I was working for the Wentworth Libraries which then managed the libraries for the smaller municipalities around Hamilton. That all went away with municipal amalgamation and all "my" libraries are now part of Hamilton Public Library. I left a year before amalgamation got underway. In my position I was responsible for the automated library system and other library computer systems and I leveraged that background to jump to IT management. It was a necessary move to get into the same community as my wife. I'm now in the private sector managing IT for a health care company. So I chose my first career out of interest, but the second was more or less chosen out of necessity.

Mendalla

 Hmm, good questions.   Made me sit back and think.   I've done lots of schooling and had several 'jobs' that had opportunities to lead into a career.  Schooling I did for passion and followed my heart well as a couple of the jobs whereas other jobs were more by necessity or chance. 

 Then life happens, as it does, and choices were made (heart and passion choices)  and a proper 'career' opportunities fell by the way side though at least one or two remain open if it becomes absolutely necessary.   Upon pondering the questions I realize that I don't actually have or even desire at this point to have a 'career' at least not how it's traditionally defined as something separate from other parts of my life.  If anything my whole life is a career.  I work, sometimes for money and sometimes not, I create, I do things, I live but don't have one defined 'job'.  

 Now I'm pondering  whether that's a good thing or a bad thing.  :D 

Being otherwise unemployable, I became a journalist and writer.

My mom suggested it ... she was volunteering at a children's treatment centre and was herself impressed by what the occupational therapists did, as well as the people they were & she thought it might be an interesting option for me.  I visited the centre, met the OTs, did more research since I'd never heard of this profession & decided that was what I wanted to pursue.  And so ... that's what I've been practicing for the last 34 years!   Thanks mom!    There have been numerous approaches to move into management positions, but I truly LOVE my clinical work, so that is where I have remained.  It's been a wonderful career - lots of diversity and evolution of practice within that time frame.

Well, for the most part, I've been doomed until now with just jobs. Not sure about the future. Hopefully its bright and I can wear shades!

My father is a carpenter by trade. Both my brothers are self employed contractors. I'm the only union worker. I've worked in two so far. They hate unions. 

I like learning trades related things.  Plumbing,electrical.  

High school dropout because I went down east and hated the school. Finished up in adult night classes. Bounced around on my own and living with friends, relatives and such. Drank and partied between the ages of 18 and 24. Worked lots of dead end jobs, so I have lots of experience!

Went to college for two years at seneca in Enviornmental Landscape Management. Fancier term for the title of parks worker in a municipality now. But the pay is good and has benefits. I work 5 minutes drive practically from home.

Been a seasonal worker outside mostly, but I was getting good experience as a maintenance worker at a convention center. I was sort of the go to guy of the building and had experience with the facility. I had to even bring my own tools because they had none of the right ones I needed. That was where they called me "Houseman" because I was everybody's golden boy in a way! its a term they use in hotels. Too many late nights, I was going nuts with the workload of a private business. I met the PM there during his campaign rally. What a day! 

I'm full time dad so thats busy enough with a job.

As many of you above, I did not chosen mine own career.  joblessness, namelessness, careerlessness all chosen mineself.    As one said, "well, though, why NOT you."  verily, why then not?  Waste of brains, though. 

I do get to work at a menial labour position which is exploitive and for a company which is well known to underpay women and keep them out of management positions.  As to the above statement, "well, why not you?"  Ah, verily, why then not?   The questions I most hate being asked are, "Why are YOU here?"  and then the person wants a real not fake answer.  And when I tell it, it's like sigh sigh sigh sigh sigh. well, yes., sigh waste of brains though, and we answer yet again, "why Not you.?'  I mean, they fish out all the fish, develop wilderness into factories and suburbs, who will miss a few brains . . .

I think I considered becoming a teacher from a young age. I also have some recollection of my mother encouraging me to pursue that field – I’m not sure whose idea it was first. While I was doing my undergrad (in psychology and music) teaching jobs were hard to come by in Ontario and it seemed a bit pointless to do a B.Ed then, so I continued on with a graduate degree. By the time I finished that degree they were hiring lots of new teachers in the Toronto area so I decided to do a B.Ed. I loved classroom teaching (elementary), but also had an interest in connecting with children on another level and some years later ended up doing a grad degree in Counselling Psychology and became an elementary school counsellor. I loved that role too. I am currently not able to work at the job I love due to some health challenges, but feel that I had/have completely nailed it for choosing a fitting career.

I drank my way out of college and took jobs in the construction camps up north. They were high paying.

As I had no family, few qualifications, and hated being unemployed for lengthy job searches. I got a job in my present specialty 38 years ago. I heat treat steel weldments using furnaces or electric heating systems.

 Hey what an interesting thread!  I'm just making this comment now so I can track the thread and come back and read all the entries.  I hope I'll be able to post something too.

A quote to my sister (who had a Masters Degree(

It's tough when you reach middle age and still wonder what you'll do when you grow up.

She commisserated.

This is an interesting thread for me considering where I am in life.  I entered the OT program at U of T right out of high school at the age of 18.  I knew I was interested in working with people with disabilities.  I went on to do a Masters degree and a few years later started a Ph.D.  I loved the ideas of OT but was less enamoured by clinical practice. My clinlcal line of work often included an assembly line of handing out bath bars and bath seats to allow seniors to stay in their homes.  Meaningful? Very!  But I found it mind-numbing and exhausting after a while...hence the move to academia.I loved the ideas and research.  I am actually envious of Carolla who loves clinical practice.

I left the Ph.D. program in my second year after Matthew become quite ill.  I have bounced around odd contract jobs, primarily teaching at community college and sometimes university, but formally left the profession a few years ago.  It was clear that at least for a while the only place I was going to be was at home with Matthew and my other two boys.  His care become quite complex.

And now I don't know what to do with my life (scary at 42).  We have more help and Matthew is more stable (for the most part), or at least more predictable. It is reasonable for me to begin considering leaving the home again.  The theology degree I have been working on was, in part, a chance to explore that.   I want to return to something but I am not sure what.  As mentioned, I have puttered around for the last few years doing a theology degree for fun, and that will be finished this spring.  My goal for the next few months has been to sort of what my next step(s) might be.   A few people suggested I consider ordination.  I vetoed it for several reasons.  I have flirted with returning to OT but that doesn't excite me.  The two things I keep coming back to are either returning to doctoral work or perhaps explore teacher's college with the hopes of working in the area of special education.  I believe I would find the latter quite meaningful and I like the idea of forming longer term relationships and community with the kids, something that didn't really happen in the highly consultative model of OT I was working within clinically.

I envy those of you who feel your calling and love your jobs passionately.  I wish I had that.  However, on the other hand, I am aware that I am very priveleged to be allowed this prolonged period of exploration.

@ Beshpin - not to derail the thread - yes, I recall that you did post that you wanted to get into med school & didn't know what might happen if you did not - I recall because I replied to you ... your post & my reply are not showing as I scroll back. 

Carolla - just curious about what occupational science is.

As for me it took me a while to figure out what I wanted to do.  Took part of a degree and then  stopped school and worked for a while.

When I went back to school I had some career counselling and one suggestion was being a speech-language pathologist.  Really had never heard of that kind of work before but learned more about it.  Seemed like a good fit because of my love of language and communication.  Did an undergrad degree as a pre-requisite and then a graduate degree in speech-language pathology.  Always knew that I wanted to work with children so that's the group that I chose to work with.

My first job involved more traditional speech-language therapy (what people think SLPs do) but then I was ready for something different.  So I worked with preschoolers who had disabilities and fell in love with that work.  And loved working with OTs and PTs in a collaborative way.  Always a very interesting field to work in.  Could kind of evolve into new areas and learn new things.

But I sure didn't predict the volume of paperwork when I was in school lol 

I think that the work that I chose was a perfect fit for me.  I'm not doing it now bc I'm unable to work due to health issues.  But it was the right job for me. 

My master's thesis explored occ. science quite extensively..  I'm just not sure I love it enough to consider doing a Ph.D.

Some prophets came from the united states and put their hands on my head and told me that I was called by God to be a pastor. I was in grade 11 at the time. The Bible verse that I was given was "and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever". And look at where I am now. I am an atheist and far from the house of the Lord. So in grade 12 I started taking Saturday Bible College. Bible College was Tuesday to Saturday. I was also told to teach Sunday School and volunteer in Nursery. According to my spiritual gifts inventory teaching was one of my gifts. I had no experience with anything other than teaching and music when I left the church so I did not really know my career options. Other than being a pastor or a teacher. I am no longer teaching and plan never to go back

Another prophecy over my church was that God would raise up two great youth leaders.( I was identified as one of the two. My whole gr 12 class was gifted bbut a grade 11 student and myself were identified as great leaders) One would waste all their God given gifts and talents and stop serving God. and the other would go on to serve God although that leader was less gifted. So the upside is that I am. The more gifted great youth leader.

So now I am just waiting for Obi One Konobi to come help me fulfill that prophecy. Because even darth vadar returned to the light so eventually I will fulfill my destiny as well