Encouraging Reactions

I met a colleague (in my current line of work) for lunch the other day, and when she asked how business was and started talking shop, I said, "Well, I've actually decided I'm leaving the profession."

"Really? What are you going to do?"

"I'm going to become an occupational therapist."

Her immediate reaction: "I think you'd be really good at that, actually." It turns out she has a son who needed several years of OT as a child (he is now happily studying to be a teacher). So she knows all about OT and thinks I can do it! How cool is that?

I have told about a dozen people so far, and although my colleagues are shocked (one of them actually said, "I can't imagine the profession without you in it!"), they were all encouraging and thought OT would be a great fit for me.

I'm going to have to tell a lot more people soon. Our annual conference is coming up in a few months, and I submitted three presentation proposals. I actually submitted them before this whole OT thing really got rolling (you have to submit about 7 months prior to the conference date!). However, I have decided that I just can't justify spending $1000+ and missing 2-3 days worth of classes to go to a conference in a field I am planning to exit. It kills me not to go--I was first at this conference in 1995 and have gone almost every year since. I LOVE the people in my field. They are smart, articulate, funny, and endlessly interesting. And getting together with people I only e-mail or call the rest of the year is indescribably wonderful. But you have to let go of the old to make room for the new.

The OOTA (Ohio Occupational Therapy Association) is having its annual conference in October. Guess where I will be going instead? The best part is that the conference is within easy driving distance, so I won't have to pony up for an expensive hotel room.