Isabelle Leroux

What is the one piece of career advice you wish someone gave you when you were younger?

Do not allow others to make you second guess your dreams. Believe in what you believe in even if you don't succeed. In the end at least you know that you gave it everything you had.

Did anyone ever oppose your career plans when you were young or push you in a direction you did not want to go?

My parents didn't want me to pursue a career in art, though it's something I'm very good at. I had to go through a lot of twists and turns because I allowed them to convince me that art wasn't something that I should do. However, I'm now going to be pursuing a career in art therapy and it's the happiest I've ever been.

How did you pick your career? Did you know all along?

Art has been a huge part of my childhood. My aunt, my grandfather, and even my mother all have talent in art so it made sense that I'd take to it. I love art in all of its forms and art is something that I am and always will be passionate about. Psychology on the other hand came to me later in high school. The study of the brain has always fascinated me and learning about what makes us who we are is absolutely amazing. That's why I decided that I'd become an art therapist. There would be nothing more fulfilling to me than to help people while at the same time giving them an outlet to express themselves through.

When you were a student, did you do anything outside of school to build skills or get knowledge that has helped your career?

When I was in elementary school I used to swim for a swim team. I'm glad to have done this because it helped me to become disciplined as well as learn how to work together with others. Later on I volunteered in a nursing home which taught me to grow a thicker skin. Not everyone is happy to be in a nursing home and because of that they might take it out on you. I had to remember that I shouldn't take things to personally.

What is the biggest challenge you had to overcome to get to where you are now professionally? How did you overcome it?

Looking carefully into your career future is a must. If you don't know where you're going in your future then you're going to have a very hard time of it. There are so many job opportunities now especially for people who are self-starters.

What is the most useful piece of career advice you got as a student, and who gave it to you?

My ceramics teacher told me that I needed to keep focused on what I wanted to do in order to achieve my goals. He's right! When you have even the slightest spark of wanting to do something you should go for it.

In layperson terms, what do you actually do at work?

I currently don't have a job that pays me. However since my father has become very sickly over the past couple of years (aside from my mother) I've turned into one of his primary caretakers. Working with someone who is sick is a very difficult task and it's one that you can't take lightly. Aside from helping my father to do day to day tasks I also listen to him when he talks to me about his day or what's been difficult for him lately. Listening is the number one thing that I would say I do.

What is it like when your job gets tough?

My current jobs right now are going to school and taking care of my father. When school gets tough it's usually when I'm usually stuck in thinking that the path to my career is too long an unpredictable. That's one of the hardest things because it's also my passion. On the other hand taking care of my dad gets tough because I have to see him so vulnerable. In both of these occupations things can become difficult very easily.

How did you start building your network?

I started building my network through friends, family, and former employers. I'd say that all began in high school with my volunteer job in a nursing home. During that time I was also a TA for two of my teachers (Holocaust and Ceramics). From there I took on a job delivering newspapers a few years later out of a neighbor's house for a local newspaper company. All in all I've built a solid network so far.

When did you get your first Big Break? How did you get it? How did it go?

My first big break was probably delivering newspapers. It doesn't sound like much, but it was my very first job getting paid. My previous jobs were all volunteer based. I was paid $30 a weekend to deliver newspapers and overall it was great. Minus the back pain from carrying over 50+ pounds of newspapers on foot.