Yesterday, May 31, 2011 marked my ten year anniversary of working as a social worker in the field of child welfare. At almost 32 years old, (YIKES!), I have spent 1/3 of my life working in this field. (At least I think that's 1/3, my math skills are horrible, hence the social work degree). When I went to college I knew what I wanted to do, I wanted to become a social worker and work with survivors of domestic violence. I did not, in any way, want to work with children. I spent my college years volunteering on the help line of the local domestic violence shelter, and when it came time to do my social work practicum in my final semester of college, I had it all worked out in my head. I already had connections to the shelter, I already knew how everything worked there, that's where I wanted placed. Little did I know, my advisor had very different ideas, and placed me with Juvenile Intake where I had to do direct work with children, exactly what I did not want to do with my social work degree.
Kids were too emotional. The work was going to be too exhausting, too emotionally draining, and why would people listen to me, I wasn't a parent, I didn't know anything about kids! At the time, I was terrified to begin my practicum experience, but once I got started, and began to interact with these kids, if only for a short time, I knew, working with children is where I would learn and grow the most as a human being, in this field. Ten years later, and hundreds of unique experiences, learning moments, heartbreaking losses, and countless smiles and laughs shared with amazing resilient children, and I still feel, this is where I'm supposed to be and what I'm meant to do with my life.
In another ten years I may be talking about culinary school, or my first novel being on the best sellers list, or debating the idea of buying a matching mansion in the mountains for my summer home with my 200 million lottery winnings, but for now, I'm right where I need to be.