How I ended up a counselor
March 13, 2018
Out of high school, I joined the Army. I spent 6 years working on helicopters. I decided to leave after the end of my first contract. I went to undergrad at the ripe old age of 26. Loved all of it. Completed my beloved BS in Psychology. (If I could do it again I would have double majored in Spanish.) I graduated in 2009, a not so great time in the economy. I decided to get a master’s degree because I wanted to apply all that I learned about psychology to where people spend most of their time, WORK. After a year and a half I left that institute with a Master of Human Resources.
I found that Human Resources professionals are the strategic business partners of the organization, which means their primary objective is to do what’s best for the company. I would assume that most HR professionals would attempt to make sure that the company goals also benefited employees. Unfortunately, this isn’t always the case. Now I understand that what I wanted was to help the individual directly with their professional goals. Before I obtained this great insight, I did look for work in the HR field for a year. When HR didn’t prove fruitful, I found myself back in aviation, the field I left behind when I left the military.
Another year went by of me working on helicopters and I knew this isn’t what I wanted to do for the rest of my life. There were rumors about an impending layoff so I began to look for another career. The company I worked off ended up laying off over 400 people. I found a counseling master’s program. Before I enrolled, I asked my closest friends if this was a good idea. The reply was more than supportive. I was surprised that all of them were relieved that I was considering going into this field. One person said “you do this everyday why not get paid to do it.” Back to school I went. I enjoy being in school, I always feel engaged and challenged. Learning new things makes me feel alive. After graduation, I returned to the workforce hoping I would not end up changing careers again. Despite my love of aviation the environment isn’t always female friendly. And HR didn’t quite feel like the right fit. Now I could help people everyday. Since graduating, I have been exposed to a few different aspects of counseling. Decisions have to be made on whether or not I’m going to specialize but I’m sure I’ll stay in the field of counseling.
