Growing up, all I ever wanted was to be a wife and mother. Maybe that’s because that’s what my mom wanted to be. Sure she worked, but that wasn’t her heart’s desire which is perfectly fine. It wasn’t until college that I discovered that I was meant for more.

In high school, I was in drama club. Drama club was so cool at my school. Initially, I joined with the idea of being popular. But it turns out I actually really loved being part of that group. I was never in a Play but that didn’t bother me. I wanted to help make it all happen. As mentioned in a previous post, I love event planning. A Play is like an event. As House Crew manager, I made it happen. Ushering in patrons, making sure everything was in place, ensuring concessions were operating so that the show could go on. Felt great!

Back to college…once I was in college and started doing so well academically my mindset started to change. I guess I didn’t believe in myself, that I wasn’t smart enough. Suddenly, I was smart enough! I was always smart enough, but never really believed it. Before I knew it, I was getting straight A’s. Let’s not get carried away, the straight A’s didn’t last through all of college but that’s another story.

Exposition:
So now what? I was getting good grades but what did I want to do with my life if I wasn’t going to only be a wife and mother? Please know that I’m not discounting any type of mother. As I worked (full time) through college I certainly learned what I wasn’t going to do! Grocery was not my jam. Banking was not my jam…I mean I’m terrible with math so duh! Hmmm. Well, I couldn’t choose. So I figured “business” was a broad enough topic to cover almost any career that I chose. So here we go.

Business school was tough. I mean really tough. I needed to pick an emphasis so I took all of the core classes in my first semester of business school:
1. Accounting – obvious no
2. Management
3. Marketing
4. Entrepreneurial
It wasn’t until halfway through the semester that I figured it out. Marketing. It was the best class and I actually enjoyed attending. Okay, so what does that mean? Sales? Typically you start in sales….and I did.

Fast forward to 2014. I found myself unemployed for the 2nd time in a year. I had tried a few careers since graduation. Sales, back to banking (seriously, I don’t know what I was thinking), web marketing, property management. What can I do that can develop into a passion? Nothing I tried was translating to passion.

Enter, Wheelchair Company. (See what I did there?)

I found a job posting on Monster.com — yes, I know I’m dating myself. It read: Associate Product Manager. As I read on, I got more and more interested. Could I work for a wheelchair company? Then I thought, hey, a wheelchair company helps people. I could get behind that! But I had no experience. No manufacturing experience, no wheelchair experience, no product management experience. How would they even consider me?!

Climax:
So I called and called…..and called until they talked to me. Finally, someone could get past my lackluster resume and talk to ME! After several interviews, including a panel interview and a business plan presentation on bottled water to 4 executives…I got the job. This was by far, the hardest interview process I’ve experienced to date. It was also the best thing to happen to me professionally. Worth every bit of time and energy.

Cut to the resolution:
Passion. Over the past 6ish years I have developed an intense passion for helping people. Not only have I developed that passion, I turned it into a career. A career that I can’t imagine leaving. I’m so connected to this industry that I took a position with another wheelchair company after being laid off from the 1st one. I also volunteer with a non-profit that serves the same community. There is a saying in our industry…”once your in, your in.” And I believe it. Or, actually, I believe in it.

Share your passion in the comments section, I’d love to hear your story. Follow me for more whimsical heart stories.