Job Search
I don’t really know what’s going on here lately. I’ve been kind of itching for change… I’ve noticed it especially since my vacation. Just out of nowhere. Suddenly I want to swim every day…. Suddenly I want to live more like a minimalist… Suddenly I am changing my diet and actually starting to lose weight and taking my health into my own hands… And suddenly, I want to work- outside the house- in some capacity where I can contribute and express myself. At first, the desire for work was just for a few hours a week to make sure I still can while dealing with Bipolar… but it has since turned into finding and creating a career path for myself long term.
I’ve only starting thinking (Um…obsessing is more like it) about working again for the past couple of weeks. Jake has helped me find some jobs to apply for that was doing what I used to do: teach/direct theatre groups and put on a show. I should be finishing those applications in the next couple of days.
But something else is calling me. The research I’ve been doing about the body/brain connection is so fascinating to me; I want to move toward this kind of work. But I don’t know exactly what that work is. What would I do? What is that kind of work called? How do I get there?
And how much more training do I need? Isn’t there somewhere that would take me on without making me go back to school? I’ve already decided I can’t do school again- that’s a lot of time and a lot of money that I just don’t have… especially if I’m only going to be working part time…
Will I only fill 20 hours a week by my work? Spend half at “the office” and the other half at home? Not a bad idea… Or am I going for a full time career that I always imagined for myself? Something that can really make a difference in the lives of others? I guess either way would work as long as what I’m doing is helpful work.
As I’ve been trying to figure out what that career will be, I have found a couple of possibilities that excite me.
One is becoming a Movement Analyst- which has a handful of different applications. This does require further training, but it’s only a certification program.
The second brought me straight back to Dance Therapy/Mental Health Therapy, dual certification. I had my mind set on doing the degree, but couldn’t afford it… so I’m going to look into it again, and maybe just get certified rather than get a Masters degree, too.
And the last option is something called a Mental Health Resource Specialist. I think this one excited me most of all. Through this blog, I’ve been able to help a lot of people in similar ways as a specialist would do. This person kind of welcomes newbies into the world of dealing with mental health issues, and provide them with resources to help them get therapy, find psychiatrists, get started with a few management strategies, etc. I’ve been doing this for years, and am excited for the possibility of helping even more people in that same way. So far, no openings that I’ve found… but I’ll keep looking.
In my ideal world, I will be able to work in all three of these areas, plus one more closely related to the brain research. So, I guess now, I need to find out how much it would cost to get certified in each area, and break it down into chewable bites. SO EXCITING!!!
Now, having said all of this… I do need to remind myself that though I have started having small depressive episodes, I am still mostly feeling elevated, perhaps even hypomanic. So I have to make sure I’m not rushing this. I don’t want all of this to just be a spontaneous hypomanic risky and hasty decision. I gotta make sure this is still what I want in the middle of my depression, too. Wish me luck!