The first job I had was when I was 15. I used to be a trail guide for the stable where I kept my horse. It was actually pretty fun and it would crack me up when people thought they could get past me and try to run their horses, and my horse would see them coming and stop them.

The second job I had was assistant horse trainer. I used to give riding lessons and ride horses that needed training, as well as show horses for my boss and for clients. I had horses and people in training on the side as well, and eventually branched out and was a horse trainer on my own. In addition to being a horse trainer, I trained dogs.

I eventually needed to have more of a steady income while I was putting myself through college, so I worked as an administrative assistant for a large service company, and just trained horses and dogs on the side.

When I was done with college and grad school, etc, I became a licensed marriage and family therapist, which is what I am now. I have my own private practice and work for myself. It took me years of hard work and determination to be able to be out on my own. I don’t really consider what I do to be a job because I reallly enjoy what I do, and I love being my own boss.

And I still have horses and ride them in competition as well as train my own dogs.

What jobs have you had?

The first job I had was as an assistant horse trainer. Starting at the age of 16, I gave riding lessons and helped my boss train horses. I was an assistant trainer for about 10 years. I also trained dogs on the side and worked for a few different dog training companies eventually going on my own and training dogs on the side for years.

After that I worked in an office as an administrative assistant for a service company. The idea was to have this job until I completed college and grad school but I was getting promoted and having fun so grad school took a back seat. I worked for a few different companies and my position grew and after a while I was schmoozing clients like Ralph’s Grocery Company, Vons etc.

When I go married (ironically I met my husband because of my job) and my husband and I moved into together he discovered my Bachelor’s degree in psychology and asked me why I was doing what I am doing, and what were my original plans. When I told him I had started out wanting to become a therapist, he asked me why I didn’t pursue that dream. I just shrugged.

My husband got literature from local colleges and showed it to me. I decided to apply to all of the colleges and got into all 4 of them. I chose one of them, got my Master’s Degree, and now I am a licensed therapist and I am self-employed.