“If you don’t have a heart for people, and you’re just in this for the money, then you’re in the wrong field”- It was a Monday evening class in Crisis Counseling and as the students were politely submitting their attention in a very half-hearted fashion, Professor Ziglar leaned forward onto the desk of the front row, quieted the tone of his voice and said those faithful words. As time has gone by I’ve considered these words and their relevance to my career in counseling. My future is uncertain. I’m 21 years old, and what’s to come throughout the duration of my life is unfathomable, so the question I ask myself as I lay in bed at night is this: How will I be able to choose a career that will endure, and have peace in knowing that what I’m doing matters?
Going into the field of counseling is a tough choice; there are plenty of counselors out there and not a whole lot of money for the common practitioner. I’m going to most likely incur an average income in a job that will always be anything but part time. Although I’ve considered these facts reasonably and thoroughly, something always draws me back to this career. In spite of changing my major several times in efforts to shelter my hopes of living the “American Dream”, I always come back to counseling, and the reason being is this: I love people.
The future that I will inevitably be a part of is uncertain. My life, similar to those around me, will be unpredictable and challenging. My generation will face difficulties that others have yet to face, yet somehow we’ll still be enduring the same problems. In the same way that every beauty pageant nominee will always state their claims for world peace, so will every person long for unity in a way that we’ve yet to attain. The goal of my career is much more than a 10 year, or even a 20 year plan; the goal of my career is to make a difference in the world in which I live, to live every day in a way that challenges those around me- and the best way I see to do that is through a career in counseling.
I know that no matter what, I want to help those who are facing distress. Whether pausing my trip to the grocery store to help a woman crying in the produce section, or sitting in my air conditioned office at a nine to five pace, I want to help people. The career of counseling is very versatile, and can be useful for a variety of vocations. Although I would like to work in a counseling practice for a while, perhaps even open my own practice, I also love the idea of travelling. This summer for my internship I’m going to Haiti for two months to counsel the earthquake victims and their families. I can see myself doing much more of this in the future, especially as different needs arise.
As well as working with those in distress, I’ve also taken a particular interest in orphanages. I’d like to see a greater connection between the adoption agencies in the US and overseas and hopefully, one day, I can be a part of strengthening that connection. One way that I’m particularly passionate about helping on this subject is that I’d like to work on setting up a pro bono availability in the counseling practice that I’m a part of, in which we offer free family counseling to those who have recently adopted children.
No matter what I do, in whatever vocation, I know that I’ll be making a difference. A falsity that society impresses upon us is that we’re only important if we can become an Oprah or a Mother Theresa. The truth is, most of us are not going to be famous, and we’re not going to be able to afford to make a huge “statement”; we’re only going to be remembered by a few. So the question we are left with is this: how will we be remembered? Or better yet, how will we remember ourselves? When I’m old and gray and I look back on my life, as I’m taking it all in, if I can say that only one person was changed by the life that I lived, or that I made one single life better, even that I’d count as a success.
