"It's all about the Statues of Liberty, baby"

This coming Wednesday I will be speaking at Weston High School’s Career Day. I’m going to be speaking about how I got into PT, what schooling one must go through to become a PT, the job outlook, and some other random stuff regarding physical therapy. One thing that I was not asked to talk about but feel that I must address with these high school students is success. 

I would consider myself successful even though I am still very young and new to the professional world, because I  am happy every day that I go to work. Sure, there is something to be said about not having to worry about bills and loans, and all those money issues, but I think that we are going to be seeing a different definition of success start to take root because many of us have seen how our parents and friends feel about working in jobs they do not like. 

These high schoolers that I am speaking to will spend roughly 1250 hours in school this year, and 5000 hours in class throughout high school. Remember how long those days used to seem? But, the average person will spend 90,000 hours working after they graduate from college. That’s like spending 72 years in high school. The point is, is success making a lot of money, or is success doing something that you love? I’d challenge you to find someone who loves what they do who does not consider themself successful. 

From interacting with many of you, albeit over the internet, I can tell that most of us are passionate about what we do, regardless of the paychecks we take home. I think that it is up to us now to instill this notion of loving your job (As Jim Koch the founder of Samuel Adams beer has says over and over, “Do something you love, and never work a day in your life”). I believe that the movement has already started without us acknowledging it, but I think we need to reach out to those who are undecided on what their futures will hold and influence them to redefine success. We need to let them know that success does not always mean sitting behind a desk, wearing a suit, or taking home a HUGE pay check (don’t get me wrong, if you love what you do and it makes a lot of money, all the more power to you). Anyone involved in the physical therapy field probably knows what I am talking about. Here are some things to take into consideration when looking into a career of physical therapy. 

Best Job Satisfaction 

2nd Least Stressful Job 

I’ve been told that I will be speaking to roughly 11 students and a couple of adults at this Career Day on Wednesday, and hopefully I can get just one of these people interested in the profession of physical therapy, and even if I don’t, hopefully I can keep these students interested in what they love to do.