Bethany Zimmerman
4/28/2015
AL250
Career Autobiography
I have had little experience in working as of yet, but the little I have done has been
influenced a lot by my family. The first part-time job I held was working during the summer in
high school at one of many resorts located in the Upper Peninsula; essentially, I helped to clean
the cabins and sometimes ran the gift shop for a few hours in the afternoon after that. The only
reason I managed to have this job is because my mother used to work there and somehow
managed to have the kindly owners allow me to help out. My parents backed me and urged me to
apply for and have my only other job, which was at the library of my previous university.
I have always been very close to my family, and I have always been completely open
with them, just as they have been with both me and my younger sister. Therefore, they have
always been a part of my decision-making process when it comes to larger issues. They helped
influence where I first went to college and my first two jobs, although I have finally managed to
come out of that shell recently and have more confidence to decide things for myself. Also, I
have recently discovered the extent to which I have been sheltered by my parents and how much
it has influenced me to become the type of person I am now. I think this sheltering occurred
because I was their first child and they thought I was a bit weaker, and also due to my naturally
shy nature.
Despite this influence, I have still decided to push myself to pursue a path my entire
family thought unlikely for me: to study languages and travel the world, and eventually become
an interpreter. To start with, they were worried about how I would handle going to college;
where they feared I may fail, I ended up thriving. Not only this, but a person like me has decided
to do what most of my family never did: firstly, attend one of the largest and a very good
university, and then to study languages and study abroad for months at a time. Due to my shy
personality, everyone—even my classmates—thought I would be the one to stay in my tiny
hometown, too afraid to go elsewhere.
My family still has some influence over my career goals, but mostly they are my own
goals. They have always supported me in doing what is best for me and are encouraging me to
pursue my own goals. Three years ago when I was still an English major at Northern Michigan
University, they supported me and my interest in writing. Then, when I decided to transfer, they
still encouraged me. I know it has been a little painful for them to see their first child slowly
moving away—they have told me so—but they have never tried to stop me. They only care
about my safety and for me to lead a good life. Although, I have honestly never caused any
problems—I am far harsher on myself than they could be—so they have never had reason to
scold me for really big issues or lecture me about partying or anything of the kind. I have never
really met with resistance concerning my plans.
Unfortunately, I think this has to do with why I have not had more work experience; they
sheltered me too much and want me to have a good life. This has made me inexperienced and
naïve when it comes to life in general and holding a job. I have never gone through a real
interview, nor have I had experience writing a real resume until recently. Unless I quickly learn
and improve, I feel that this problem will affect my career goals in a negative way; I will be too
naïve and inexperienced to succeed in becoming employed in a good company.
Recently, there is another person whom I consider to be family: my boyfriend, who is
Chinese. Before I met him, I only had a vague plan of what I could do for work in the future: the
JET program, teach English overseas, translation or interpretation. Because of my personality, I
was leaning towards translation, even though it is rare to be able to make money off of that. He
finally helped me decide to pursue being an interpreter. He has helped me to come up with a
more solid plan for the future: to attend a program that will focus on making me more fluent in
Chinese, and then attend a series of classes to become a certified interpreter. When I am with
him, he often helps me study Chinese, and we have recently started trying to speak in Chinese
more, even though I do not understand much yet.
I think that being the oldest child means that my parents were already inclined to
sheltering me more and being stricter with me, even though they ended up not needing to be that
strict. Although, I think they had higher expectations of me. Once again, though, I was already
strict with myself and would not allow myself to do badly in school, get into trouble, or do
anything wrong if I could help it. They were strict with my younger sister as well, but had to
lecture her more than me. I think that is why they have allowed me to major in something that
does not bode well for my future in the work force. That is, I think it will be difficult to find a job
that I can make enough money to live comfortably with; despite this possibility, my parents have
only ever supported my decision.
My family always supported me in my decisions when it comes to college and my career
path, and some of them even have faith that I will succeed. They have not been too strict,
allowing me to choose my majors in Chinese and Japanese. My parents have also helped me find
part time jobs in the past, and have always been a part of my decision making process when it
comes to larger issues. No doubt I will continue to consult with them in the future, but I will also
be responsible for making my own decisions about which career path I take.