Here I was, a recently married 24-year- old woman asking myself, “What next?” I was searching for the perfect career that would complement my strengths and passions, but what I found was corporate America. I realized I lost something along the way while searching for my soul-satisfying career. I had career tunnel vision of professions that I “should” be seeking, but little did I know, there is a big difference between a should and a want. So I stopped, took a leap of faith and I waited for my career to find me.
Just a few short weeks later, my sister recommended that I speak to a woman whom I would have a lot in common. We were hours away from one another, and I am not the type to call people. Being an introverted millennial, I would much rather email, text, basically anything that has some sort of barrier. However, this time, I found just enough courage, and I called her.
I told her my testimony, my struggle and where I was now. What she said was both a surprise and blessing. “You need to look into parent coaching. It sounds like it’s for you.” As a childless millennial, I never thought my “want” would be parent coaching.
Running whole-heartedly into this career that I did not think I would “fit” into made me realize something. Millennials matter to the field of parent coaching. We are creative, energetic and inspiring. We are explorers who are endlessly curious (my resume literally says, “Expert at being curious.”) We pour our hearts into all that we do. Corporate America cannot contain us, because we do not fit into their mechanistic set of standard operating procedures. We are alive and need room to grow. Parent coaching is a profession that “gets” us. It encourages aliveness in parents which then translates to their children. Not only do we get to be who we really are, but we also get to encourage it in others.
Parent coaching is truly something special that satisfies my curiosities in a new way. Right now, I could not ask for more. Did I ever think I would be able to say that about a career? Absolutely not.
Even if your soul-satisfying work is not parent coaching, do not doubt for a minute whether or not you would fit into a specific field. Every profession could use a little more life that millennials bring.
So there I was, staring at my computer screen intently as I read my introduction letter to the Parent Coaching Institute. I smiled to myself and practiced my response when people asked me how I was going to be a parent coach when I was not a parent myself. Sure, someday I will be a mother and a parent coach, but for here and now, my millennial heart wouldn’t have it any other way.
