Reasons for choosing occupational therapy as a career

Brian was tall and had big blue eyes. Though he towered over me, his voice was full of fear.

Wh-what will I do?" he stammered.

A smiled. "You'll be fine! But first you've got to fill this form out, Brian," I said, winking. "Paperwork -- get used to it. You're going to encounter a lot of this in the real world."

Brian had lived in the group home since he was twelve. Emotionally and developmentally disabled, he had never had more than a part-time job at the mall or in a fast-food restaurant. A brilliant piano player, Brian nevertheless demonstrated little motivation to pursue a musical career in spite of encouragement from his peers. My background in psychology told me that he feared rejection, that his inability to cope with life stemmed from childhood abuse problems. My experience as a social worker told me otherwise: Brian was an able-bodied twenty-year-old male with enormous potential for success; he worked hard and had the kind of affable disposition that disarmed the most bitter of people. When he asked me whether or not I could find him a "real" job, I cried. Working for thirteen years in a group home, I had rarely viewed the kinds of breakthroughs that I witnessed with him.

As if Brian was a personal segue into the "real" world of business, I entered full throttle into a head-hunting career. For years I helped Bloomberg-NYC find their next corporate ladder climber. Inspiring young people to investigate their own potentials in the diverse world of business and finance, I unwittingly seeded my desire to become an occupational therapist. A career that combined both my background in social work and my more recent experience with career development services and job recruitment, occupational therapy is an eerily optimal combination of my skills, talents, and inclinations.

Little did I know that when I helped Brian to fill out the job application for his first "real" position, he would become my first client. I am seeking a career change into a field with which I am already familiar in theory if not in practice. I am drawn to occupational therapy because my professional and academic background both serve as optimal foundations for the profession. Social work and psychology form the theoretical framework for occupational therapy, which incorporates tools, techniques, and theories from both. Similarly, my professional and volunteer work in group homes for the emotionally and developmentally disabled introduced me to special needs populations and the social services individuals require to maximize their potential. I have already helped many people like Brian find jobs of which they are proud, jobs that empower them, support them, and teach them. Becoming an occupational therapist is a natural next step for me also because of my demonstrated leadership experience: as a director of an after-school program for youth aged 6-12, I proved to myself and to others that I can be a creative, confident, and compassionate inspiration for people of all ages.