[nabs-l] Some Questions...

[Kaiti Shelton]

Hi Kerri,

Lillie and others have made some excellent points thus far.  Here's
what I have to add.  Again, anyone else feel free to correct/add to
this.

Each person is different, but for me I found what I wanted to do and
my major in college by trying out a few different fields early on.  I
did some volunteering under music therapists, (which eventually led me
to choose music therapy as a major and vocation), but I also tried out
a college prep teaching program to explore teaching as a career.  I
also chose courses that interested me, E.G. I took a psychology course
because I also considered going into psychology.  Eventually, when I
had to make the decision between a bunch of linked fields,
Middle-Childhood English Education, special education, Psychology,
music education, and music therapy, it came down to what I liked most
and the academic subjects that suited me the best.  The best way to do
it if you can is to take the opportunities you have to take courses
and turn them into career exploration exercises.

If that isn't an option because you're out of high school already,
there are other options available.  If you think you have a field you
might want to check out you could try taking an intro course to that
field.  In order to cut down on expense you could try taking this
course at a community college or tech school if you don't want to jump
into a university right away.  As Lillie suggested, you could also try
entering school as undecided and then take the general courses
required to graduate while you do some career searching and figure out
what you might want to do.  Then you'd just have to finish your degree
requirements and take the courses specific to your major once your
gen-eds are out of the way.

But most importantly, give some serious thought to two things; what do
you like to do, and what are you good at?  Are you a good writer?  Do
you like to research?  Do you have good people skills?  Do you
like/are savvy with computers?  These kinds of questions would be good
ways to help you figure out what possible vocations might be.

I would also talk to other blind adults who might be able to provide
insight from their own experiences with choosing careers.  A lot of
them in the federation I've talked to have even held several different
jobs in adulthood, and even gone back to school and totally switched
jobs later in life.  They would be great resources for this sort of
thing.

Most importantly, remember that although this is an important
decision, and it is intimidating for everyone who makes it, it isn't
necessarily final.  It's great to have a plan, but even the best plans
can change along with interests and other such factors.  Take the
suggestions of others on this thread, take some time to think, and
don't get too freaked out would be my advice.  It's a big decision,
but you'll get it and have plenty of people to help you out.

Feel free to write me off list if you have any questions.

On 6/7/13, Lillie Pennington <lilliepennington at fuse.net> wrote:
> Hi Kerri,
> I'm going to attempt to answer your questions. I don't know everything, but
> hopefully some of this will help. Anyone feel free to correct
> information/add something I may have missed.
>
> Generally, a career is picked based on what you have a passion for or like
> doing. It is also based on what major in college you had, if you went to
> college, but I think the process is different for each person. Personally,
> what I want to do is based on what I had a passion for.
>
> I'd give the same advice for chosing a major; think about what you like to
> do and what you could possibly see yourself doing in life. Maybe try
> looking
> on a colleges website and look at the list of majors and for each one think
> "could I see myself doing that or a related field in my life?"
> Also, many colleges have "undecided" options, where you start by taking
> "general" classes that go towards any degree. You go through these classes
> in hopes that you'll decide or learn something in one of these classes that
> will trigger the want to major in that. For example, if you took a
> marketing
> class and found a love of it, you could possibly consider majoring in
> marketing.
>
> There's personally no way, in my opinion, to "find" your passion or want,
> it
> comes to you. Confidence also grows over time as well, along with internal
> motivation.
>
> You could talk to people from the center about what to do, as well as your
> state counselor. Both parties have probably delt with people in a similar
> position. They also may have more guidance for you on your other questions.
>
>
> I am not exactly sure what jobs can be done with or without a degree; you'd
> have to probably ask your state counselor or someone else about that.
>
> What did you like doing in training? That could lead to a job choice. What
> were you doing before you entered training?
> There are most likely other jobs you can do at Duncan doughnuts besides
> taking orders. I'd look at their website or maybe call their manager for
> ideas.
>
> I hope this helps, and if you have any other questions, let me know.
>
> Lillie
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: nabs-l [mailto:nabs-l-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Kerri Kosten
> Sent: Friday, June 07, 2013 7:44 PM
> To: National Association of Blind Students mailing list; Ed McDonald;
> karen;
> Anjelina Cruz; Kea.anderson at gmail.com; dsmithnfb at gmail.com; Arielle
> Silverman
> Subject: [nabs-l] Some Questions...
>
> Hi Everyone:
>
> I don't want to say too much on a public list, so I am going to try to keep
> this very general and just ask my questions.
> Basically, how did you decide what you wanted to do in life for a career?
> How did you pick your major?
> If you do not have much confidence in yourself, how did you find out what
> you were passionate about/wanted to do?
> How did you find internal motivation?
> How did you decide whether to go to school, or just get a job?
> What jobs can blind people do without a degree?
> What jobs can a blind person do just to gain confidence in themselves until
> they find direction?
> I find myself really struggling now that I am out of training. I did really
> well in training, but the goals I set in training do not apply now in the
> situation I am in because those goals were training specific. I think I
> also
> did really well in training because it was a routine and I got used to it.
> I
> was also always told what to do, or knew what I needed to work on in each
> class.
> I am really struggling finding motivation now that I am on my own and don't
> have the training center staff encouraging me, pushing me, and telling me
> what to do.
> My problem I think is if I am scared of someone, or I really respect/admire
> someone, or I am intimidated by someone, I will work as hard as I can and
> make sure to do everything they say. But, when just left to myself, on my
> own, I really really struggle to find motivation, make decisions about
> things, and find direction.
> Does anyone else find themselves struggling with this kind of thing after
> training or am I the only one?
> How have you gotten through it and found direction/your passion and what
> you
> wanted to do?
> The problem is my Rehab counselor called me today. He is someone I really
> respect. I am now stressing out because I want to at least have a plan for
> him when I return his call. I at least want him to think that after
> spending
> so much money to send me to training, I am motivated and am doing things
> and
> taking some sort of action rather than sitting around.
> But, I have no idea what jobs to look for or what to do. A Dunkin Donuts
> just opened here recently. Is there anything I could do there?
> I just want to show my counselor I have been doing something or at least
> have a plan.
> Thanks so much, and I look forward to reading your responses!
> Kerri
>
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-- 
Kaiti