How a Writer-at-Heart Became a Direct Support Professional
For as long as I can remember, I’ve been a writer.
As a child, my favorite thing to do was dream up magnificent tales of dragons and princesses in my head, and type them into digital reality on the family’s iMac computer after school. I would scribble down stories in notebooks and inscribe notes to my parents when I really wanted something from them (I didn’t get my first cell phone until after I wrote my dad a detailed letter listing all the reasons why I needed one). Throughout all of my life, I’ve journaled, jotted down quotes I overheard, created stories, and expressed myself through words on a page. The desire to write never left me.
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Almost two years after graduating from college, with a bachelor’s degree in strategic communications (basically the writing side of marketing and social media), I am working in the healthcare field, helping people with physical and intellectual disabilities go about their daily lives.
The pandemic has brought forth much devastation, and graduating during the beginning of it was no easy feat. In March of 2020, the university sent out an email to all students saying they needed to pack their things and leave campus with three days notice. We couldn’t finish our club positions and internships, and all classes had to be moved online. Due to the financial crises, many of us were unable to find jobs afterward. Plus, we still have not had our graduation ceremony.
Long story short, getting hired for my first field job has proven to be a lot harder than I’d ever anticipated. I’ve worked a few jobs since graduating, which include assisting customers at Spirit Halloween, helping my neighbor with his successful catering business, and serving hundreds of people at weddings. I’ve been thankful to be able to stay productive, but I’ve realized that if I can’t write professionally just yet, then I want to be spending my time doing something more meaningful.
Toward the end of 2021, I applied for a Direct Support Professional position at a non-profit organization in my area. I began the orientation trainings in December and prepared to start dedicating my time to those in need of a little extra help. I now work at a residential facility where twelve wonderful guys of all different backgrounds live together. Half of them are non-verbal, so they must find other ways to communicate their needs. To put it simply, my job is to aid these men with showering, getting dressed, eating, and challenging themselves a bit more each day. To put it realistically, I never would have guessed how chaotic and boisterous my experiences working there would be.
I’ve decided to start this blog about my time working as a DSP, and how it’s changed my perspective on certain aspects of life. Now that I’ve started this journey, I’m very excited to share my stories.
