Jada
Question from a 9th grader: How did you get started in your career, and what choices helped you the most?
Hello! I am a 14-year-old 9th-grade student from the United States. For a school assignment, I am exploring potential future career paths and learning about what it takes to succeed in the professional world.
I have a wide range of interests right now, including therapy/mental health, law enforcement, law, architecture, writing, and military service (especially the Air Force).
If you work in any of these fields, I would love to hear your insights. To help me complete my assignment data, please include the following background information at the beginning of your response:
Occupation:
Current Age:
Sex:
The year you started working in this field:
The Country and State you work in:
Company name (if you are comfortable sharing) or general field:
In your reply, please also include these details about your journey:
Your Journey: How did you get started, and what steps did you take to get where you are today (such as specific classes, internships, or volunteering)?
Opportunities: How did you find those opportunities, and what were the main benefits of doing them?
Decisions: What opportunities did you choose to take—or pass up—and why?
Obstacles & Advice: Is there anything currently holding people back in your field, and what do you recommend a student my age do (or avoid doing) to move forward?
Thank you so much for your time and for sharing your input! Your advice will help me a lot as I plan my next steps.
2 answers
Ryan Pfeiffer, MA
Ryan’s Answer
Probably more of interest to you is that I started in law enforcement, went into the Air Force, and then left to become a firefighter. Of note, I also have a Masters Degree in Counseling.
I started my career as a law enforcement explorer - a kind of internship / volunteer program for people not of age to serve yet. Its a very popular program, so if you ask around you may find one near you.
Regarding obstacles and decisions: I choose to go to college in Florida to study at the best school that matched my interests, I choose to get certified as an EMT even though I thought I couldn't handle it, and I choose to leave the Air Force after many years to pursue a whole new career - a very difficult but rewarding decision.
If you have any more specific questions that will help you, please let me know.
Melissa D Goldsmith, SIP, CST, MMT, MLD-C, NCTMB, LMT, RYT
Melissa D’s Answer
Current Age: 46
Sex: Female
The year you started working in this field: 1996
The Country and State you work in:
Idaho, USA
In your reply, please also include these details about your journey:
Your Journey: How did you get started, and what steps did you take to get where you are today (such as specific classes, internships, or volunteering)? Started in Journalism/ High School newspaper and submitted work.
Opportunities: How did you find those opportunities, and what were the main benefits of doing them? In school.
Decisions: What opportunities did you choose to take—or pass up—and why? Choose to write for myself and submit to magazines when I got older so I can control what I write.
Obstacles & Advice: Is there anything currently holding people back in your field, and what do you recommend a student my age do (or avoid doing) to move forward? What holds me back is the five-paragraph essay. Know it. Refine it. Make it your strongest piece of writing. You will use it a lot!
Melissa D recommends the following next steps: