From the age of seven, I have always thought about what I wanted to be. I first wanted to be a masseuse, then a pediatrician, then a therapist, then a physical therapist and finally an occupational therapist. Little did I know, when I started thinking about my future career path, it would combine everything I have ever wanted to do.
The beginning of job contemplation, I knew I wanted to help people. I liked the idea of becoming a masseuse when I was seven because my mom said I was good at massages. Around fifth grade, I realized that I would rather work with kids and help them feel better. Once the end of seventh grade came around, that is when I really started towards my occupational therapy path.
In seventh grade, I was very lucky to come from a loving family and lead a relatively lucky life. Many of my friends were not as lucky as I. I remember, it was like a plague hit all my friends. They suddenly had anxiety, depression, anorexia, bipolar disorder, etc. Seemingly overnight, I became everyone’s confidant. Everyone would always come over to my house and I would try to help the best I could. If we were not at my house, we were outside at the park or walking around. I could not understand why my friends were not okay. All I knew was that they were saying life was not worth living and all I could think of was that I needed to give them fun memories to help them see that life was worth living. I did my best, and within that same year I learned that I would be moving away. I was terrified. I thought that when I moved away, there would be nothing tethering my friends to the world and they would not be okay.
Luckily, everything worked out and I have watched them grow into amazing people through the power of social media. This experience had me curious about majoring in psychology in college to potentially be a therapist. However, with deep reflection, I realized that I felt that this career path would soon become too mentally draining for me. I did think the brain was fascinating, however, I could not solely work in mental health if I wanted to keep my mental health stable. I decided I still wanted to major in psychology as I did find it interesting. I looked for a career where I could major in psychology but help people in a different way. It was here I found physical therapy. My freshman year of high school, I was certain that was what I was going to be. Then came sophomore year.
Sophomore year there was a speaker that came in talking about occupational therapy and physical therapy. It was here, in this classroom, where I fell in love with occupational therapy. I liked how flexible the career path was, how there were more opportunities to work with kids and that I could major in psychology but help people physically. I even shadowed at an outpatient clinic my junior year of high school. This was perfect for me. From then on, I stayed on that path. I got my undergraduate degree in psychology at the University of Indianapolis, and I just graduated with my master’s in occupational therapy at Sacred Heart university. I have had such an amazing time in this fieldwork rotation, and I look forward to starting my job in September.
I truly found a job that combines it all. Joint compressions and massage can be included into a sensory diet or used as a tool for regulation. For more physical injuries, massages and mobilizations may also be used. I also get to work in pediatrics through various diagnoses. In addition, emotional regulation and understanding mental conditions is vital for this occupation, which thanks to my psychology degree, I am proficient in. Depending on what setting I am in, roles may intertwine with physical therapy. I have always known what I wanted to do, I have always wanted to help people. I first started with listing parts of the occupation I would someday have. Now, seeing the whole picture, I am truly happy to have gone through this journey and have learned so many valuable lessons along the way.
Best Wishes,
Julia Sherman (a.k.a. Junior Mint)
