Career Path
My aspirations for what I wanted to do as a career started young in life. I can remember in primary school keeping to myself deciding to have a small group of friends, instead of attaching myself to the school yard social heirarchy and attempting to get in with the popular crowd. Even at that age I felt that we shouldn't have to appease the egoic aspects of eachother's nature in order to form social connections. This was in some ways isolating. I decided that I wanted to become an actor after I finished school. I had and still do have a fascination of people. That aspiration faded in High School. I didn't believe that it was a valid career path that I could accomplish any success in and make a stable income. Beverly Hills Cop 3 in 1994 was one of the elements that inspired me to want to become a police officer. Later in the year we all had career councilling sessions at school and I was told that in order to enter the police force I'd need to first complete a humanities degree of some form or other. The options were teaching or nursing. I decided to do a nursing degree as I had an empathic nature and teaching didn't appeal because I felt it wasn't in allignment with my personality.
After four years of study, (two of which I was living and supporting myself with my then girlfriend Monique) I got a job as a Registered Nurse in the hospital environment. I liked the patient contact, but sometimes found myself bumping into cultural stereotypes of how a man should act, behave or think. In the nursing profession you need to wear a psychological coat of armor many a time due to the stressful nature of the role and having to deal with patient suffering and death.
After 4 years of study and 5 years of nursing practice I decided to move in a more cerebral direction with a role in health information support and training. I worked in that role for many years even after suffering a very public existential crisis in my early 30's. I used to be embarrassed about it in my younger years, but these days I see it as a valid part of my history and not to be shunned or burried away somewhere.
Eventually I no longer wanted to work in the corporate system. I had the goal of buying my own business and working for myself. My wife wanted to move to the Gold Coast and I decided to buy a vending business down here on the coast. My true passion at the time was to buy and run a gym but I feared that I wouldn't be successful at it, something that I regret not chasing. I sold that vending business preferring to work as a self employed freelancer. In life, we learn that the best way forward isn't always what is easy. We learn that we shouldn't chart our path forward from what we fear, but from what we love.
