When I Grow Up

I was thinking a lot about this while writing my last post about enrolling T in Montessori, but it didn't seem fitting to put it in there at the time.  I sort of touched on my own education and where is has gotten me.  Not very far.  However, I'm also of the mindset that my life is not over yet, and that I still have lots of time to find the perfect career for me.

As I mentioned, in 2007 I graduated from the Environmental Landscape Management program at Seneca College.  It was a fantastic program and I loved every minute of my two years there.  The decision to take it was influenced by Tyler when he started his own landscaping business.  Eager to be involved, I figured we would both benefit if I went to school to gain some extra knowledge in the fields of landscaping and horticulture.

The program was just amazing, and wasn't limited to landscaping.  The course material covered landscape design and construction, but also horticulture, arboriculture, greenhouse operations, business management, park management, and also had environmental aspects to it as well like restoring ecosystems and eco-toursim.  Much of the class time was spent outdoors, in fact when the weather was nice we would often spend our entire time hiking in the woods or even learning about ecosystems in canoes on the lake.  The campus was stunning, situated on a lake with trails running through the forests.  Breathtaking.

I enjoyed the curriculum and was interested in every topic.  Upon graduation I only worked one season in the field before getting pregnant and starting my motherhood journey.  But what I learned has stuck with me, and I do hope to get back into the industry again.  I'm not entirely sure exactly what I want to do, but I'm sure that living out here there will be many opportunities for me to get involved once again.  I have always particularly enjoyed the horticultural aspect of the industry, so perhaps that is the area I will focus on when I'm ready to jump back in.

But that is not all I have my sights set on, oh no.  I have some other dreams that I would like to pursue.

I am thinking of working towards getting my doula certification.  I have loved being pregnant and giving birth to my children.  Even the labour and delivery aspects were amazing experiences for me.  When I was planning my labour with F (which was a VBAC following a planned cesarean I had with T), I really started researching a lot about pregnancy, labour, and delivery.  I planned his birth meticulously, probably the way I should have planned my first, but of course with your first you never know what to expect.  I learned so much and became so passionate about my experience.  I would talk pregnancy and birth to anyone who would listen.  Even after his birth, the thoughts never left my head.  That's when it dawned on me that I would love to be a doula.

A doula is a birth companion for women.  Someone to talk to, to inform, and provide support.  Having a positive birth experience was so important for me, and I would love to help other women achieve positive experiences as well.

I have also been thinking of expanding to include becoming a childbirth and lactation educator as well as a doula.  I just feel like I would have so much to offer.  Never before in my life has anything held as much wonder and excitement for me as these topics.  Surely that's a sign that I am meant to do this?

I have looked into what it would take to become a doula and it is definitely attainable.  I don't feel emotionally ready to tackle it just yet though, not to mention the costs which at the moment we cannot afford.  But it is never far in my mind.  I've tucked that dream away safely to be explored at a later time, well hopefully sooner rather than later.  I'm hoping to revisit the idea in a year's time, and maybe then I can register to start my training. 

So there you have it.  When I grow up I want to be a horticulturalist-slash-doula.  I want to grow flowers and help women bring children into this world.  Weird combination?  I don't think so!  (oh, and with my new found zumba obsession I was also thinking of becoming a certified zumba instructor, but one thing at a time.....)