So, what do you do?
A married couple that I know have spent the last twenty years working contract positions in a variety of fields (teaching, radiography, park ranging, and office management – to name a few). They usually work for six months to a year, and then finish their contracts and head off on an adventure – ballooning in Mexico, camping in Belgium, renovating a house in Portland – until money gets a bit short and they look for work. So when they’re at a party and the conversation turns to work and someone asks "So, what do you do?" they smile and reply "Do you mean for money or for fun?". They’ve structured their lives to revolve around leisure activities and use work as a means to an end.
For the last few years, my answer to the what do you do question has been "I am a social worker". It’s not just what I do, it’s part of who I am. Work, for me, has always been about passion. I struggled for years to figure out what I wanted to do at uni, because I wanted - no - needed, to feel passionate about what I do. Social work provides that for me. I love what I do, I’m interested in it, challenged by it, and I find it exciting and personally fulfilling. I’ve worked jobs just for money before, and I can handle it for a limited period of time. But then I start to feel frustrated, empty and bored, and usually have left the country and gone travelling. But social work, and mental health social work in particular, fits me like a glove. I get to work with fascinating clients, a wide range of professionals, use my brain and my heart to help people, learn new things all the time, and I get the honour of being with people in some of their darkest times.
After this Friday - last day at work - when people at parties ask me, "So, what do you do?", I’m going to have an entirely different job description. It’s not something I’m currently comfortable with – it’s something I’ve always wanted to be, but it doesn’t yet feel like a part of who I am. Mother.
For the last few years, my answer to the what do you do question has been "I am a social worker". It’s not just what I do, it’s part of who I am. Work, for me, has always been about passion. I struggled for years to figure out what I wanted to do at uni, because I wanted - no - needed, to feel passionate about what I do. Social work provides that for me. I love what I do, I’m interested in it, challenged by it, and I find it exciting and personally fulfilling. I’ve worked jobs just for money before, and I can handle it for a limited period of time. But then I start to feel frustrated, empty and bored, and usually have left the country and gone travelling. But social work, and mental health social work in particular, fits me like a glove. I get to work with fascinating clients, a wide range of professionals, use my brain and my heart to help people, learn new things all the time, and I get the honour of being with people in some of their darkest times.
After this Friday - last day at work - when people at parties ask me, "So, what do you do?", I’m going to have an entirely different job description. It’s not something I’m currently comfortable with – it’s something I’ve always wanted to be, but it doesn’t yet feel like a part of who I am. Mother.