A Career to Suit My Personality

When I was in school and the teachers asked me what I wanted to be when I grew up, I could never decide. My answer was always "Everything". I was then and still am truly inquisitive and interested in just about everything. I quickly learned that I had to focus on something and set out to find my true calling.

My first job was clearing tables in a restaurant. I was a busser since I was too young to serve alcohol. I quickly learned that I had people skills. Before long I was learning other aspects of the job like running the register and seating people. They even began to let me enter food orders into the computer for the wait staff. Just being inquisitive and asking how I could help, even with things outside of my job, put me in good graces with the management. By the time I decided to move on I was on a first name basis with most of the usual diners.

After that I worked several other jobs which helped me add new skills to my repertoire. As a desk clerk at a hotel I learned how to deal with angry customers. At a craft store I worked up to supervisor and learned how to multitask. I also learned everything you could wish to know about glue. I loved the job but felt like I needed more. I just never really felt like I had found the right job for me. Finally, a customer recommended I apply at the bank where they worked. There was a mortgage receptionist position available and the benefits were better. I was leery of leaving the craft store because it was comfortable. Learning a new job is nerve wracking to say the least. The job at the bank did take advantage of all the skills I had learned from pervious jobs. I needed to multitask, be good with people, and also deal with unhappy people including grumpy loan officers and pushy real estate agents. I quickly learned each individuals personality and how to keep them happy. I grew to love this job also... for a while. Eventually I grew tired of this job as well and wanted something more. I applied for a mortgage processor position and worked that for a few years. That put me behind the scenes and away from the main flow of people and I didn't like that. I just wasn't meant to work in a cubicle.

Nothing felt right although I was capable of doing each job. At one point I thought I might like to teach elementary school children. I went to a job fair and talked to several people. I also volunteered at the elementary school in my neighborhood. Based on the information I gleaned from the people I encountered and my experience I decided not to pursue a job in that field.

While working at the bank I was taking classes in finance. During one of those classes the instructor had us take a Myers-Briggs personality test. This opened my eyes! I read the article about my "type" and was amazed. It was very correct. There was a list of jobs that my personality type would be good at including, artist, poet, and writer. I already knew I was good at all three but neither seemed to fit the career I wanted. I have always had a powerful need to help people. I scanned through the remainder of the page looking for any mention of my current job. It wasn't there. That was when I saw nursing on the list. I had always been interested in nursing but had this fear that I wasn't good enough. I started searching for information on Google about nursing. I found a chat site where you could talk to other people in a particular field. I talked to a nurse who became a good friend of mine. She recommended I look into becoming a Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) first. That would help me get some experience in the medical field and then I could decide later on if I wanted to go back to school for a Nursing license. That was when I decided to make the leap and change my major and my job. I also volunteered at the community hospital in my area. I told them I was interested in nursing and wanted to volunteer on the various nursing floors. That put me right where I needed to be. The hardest part was not helping. A volunteer can not help a person out of bed. I could however, get the nurse and watch her do her job. I answered the phone which I was certainly good at and started making a list of terms to look up or ask about later. I learned how to help the ward clerk keep things organized. I discovered the hospital even had a library with a wealth of books and other information. I chatted with the people there and they printed up literature to help me in my journey. I also talked to an HR representative about becoming a future employee at their hospital. All of these things helped when I was ready to apply.

When I had my nursing assistant certification in my hand I turned in my application and updated résumé. I had a nice list of references which included some hospital staff I had worked with while volunteering. The HR assistant I had worked with had already talked to the nursing directors who were looking for nursing assistants. When I intereviewed they were impressed that I already knew my way around the hospital and as we walked several of the hosptial staff waved or said Hello. One of the long time volunteers stopped to tell them how wonderful I was. I was hired within two weeks of receiving my certification. I now have been working this job for a number of years and I still love it. As a nursing assistant I work with people, and I help them. I still haven't decided to go for that nursing license. Maybe I will when I'm ready. Right now I am just enjoying my job. I have finally found my true calling.