Ah, I think I’ve finally reached the time of year where significant change must start. It arrives along with several other milestones that have in the past represented big changes as well.

First, it was roughly five years ago this week that I began my ill-fated trip to graduate school. Well I launched that process, anyway. My initial thought was to go into communication Studies, but I decided against that avenue for practical reasons. I wasn’t sure I’d be able to actually make a career out of it. In retrospect, that was probably a mistake.

So, I thought perhaps I could become a rehabilitation counselor of some sort, with an emphasis on serving clients with multiple disabilities, as I have. Good idea, I think, but unfortunately not enough passion to really carry it through. Or perhaps more not enough knowledge of what it really takes to make it through graduate school and into that competitive, challenging field. I always say I have a lot of respect for those who take working with their clients/consumers seriously and do it well.

And now, we’re revving up the engines again, this time with more support from family members and counselors at the North Carolina Division of Services for the Blind. I spoke with someone this week who is going to connect me with an individual to whom I can speak about my most ideal career option: Writing.

Practicalities there still make me nervous, but I feel good that the folks at DSB are at least allowing me to approach this with an open mind and decide if it will be in any way a viable option. I don’t have much time to waste, and I know that it is really important to make as sound a decision as I can going forward. That said, there is just no way to know exactly what will happen, even with the best planning.

To try and generate thoughts about which field I might like to enter at least until I have enough experience to do the writing thing on a professional level, I solicited my Twitter followers regarding some of their job titles. I also of course asked about passions. They include:

• Administrative Assistant
• Assistive Technology Teacher/Instructor
• Care Provider
• Customer Service Agent
• Darkroom Technician
• Digital Content Manager
• Domestic Engineer
• Mainframe Senior Systems Programmer
• Management Analyst
• Receptionist/Account Manager
• Vocational Rehabilitation Counselor
• Writer

I know I won’t end up doing most of this stuff, but still find it interesting to ponder. I could also plug some of these positions into a job database to come up with related fields, generating further ideas. And, if you wouldn’t mind adding your position to my list I’d very much appreciate it. If you want to do so in private and follow me, send a DM or a Facebook message to my inbox. Otherwise, you can email me at johnmill79 (at) gmail dot com.

As always, I write about my journey in the hopes that it will help others out as well. Things should get interesting soon, so stay tuned.