What I Want to Be (When I Grow Up)

I’m taking a career counseling class this summer and I got inspired to write about how I ended up where I am.  I was 17 years old when I went to college.  I had no clue what I wanted to do except I knew I wanted to have a whole lot of fun.  Junior year of college came and I had to make a decision.  I chose communications as a major because I liked to talk and I got an A in Communication 101.  The school made it a requirement that I take a minor since the major is so vast.  I chose Television, Film and New Media because I got to take a screenplay writing class, watch movies, and learn how to use my voice.  After college I moved back home for the summer and worked as a nanny.  I enjoyed nannying because I was paid to go to the country club essentially.  It was too easy though.  I sat down one afternoon in my bedroom and googled “how do you figure out what you want to do with the rest of your life?”.  I stumbled upon some exercises that involved me writing down what I was good at and matching it to possible careers.  My strengths included creativity, confidence when speaking publicly, exceptional people skills, and excellent communication.  In my 21 year old brain that only meant one thing…I was going to have to become an actress.  I told my mom and she suggested that I call my old nanny Laney.  Laney lived in Los Angeles and nannyed celebrities’ children.  She offered to let me stay on her couch for a month or so.  Three months later I moved across the hall from her.  She hooked me up with a weekend nanny position and my boss, a celebrity divorce lawyer, hooked me up with an agent.  The agent told me under normal circumstances that she wouldn’t take me if I were a dog off the street and also told me I needed to lose weight.  She insisted that I take acting classes and suggested Playhouse West.  I went there and met my best friend Stevie.  Stevie invited me to Mosaic church.  Two years later I got sober and went through Celebrate Recovery.  I got some sobriety under my belt and met Chris my husband who I married a year later.  His mom taught a 12 week class called Soul Talk and I learned how to counsel people through this group.  I felt inspired to become a life coach or something.  I enjoyed it so much!  I decided I wanted to be the “real deal” so I took four prerequisite classes (including statistics) and applied to CSUN.  Meanwhile I really, really wanted to work at a treatment center.  I prayed to God and a week later ran into my friend’s mom at church; she worked as a nurse at Promises and got me an interview!  I got the job and started a week later.  The following summer I got in to CSUN!  Now I am two years into the program about to start my last semester in the fall.  It’s time to sit in my bedroom again and write down what my strengths are, thankfully the list will be longer this time because of my experience.  I have been training at the San Fernando Valley Counseling Center and I love what I do there.  Seeing clients grow before my eyes is the most rewarding thing I have ever experienced.  It is such a privilege to be a part of the inner most part of peoples’ lives.  It’s only been eight years since I sat on my bed thinking I was going to be a movie star, and now I’m about to embark on a whole new journey as I prepare for getting licensed.