I am a Professional Development Specialist.

Man. That is quite a career title. Raise your hand if you ever said: "I want to be a Professional Development Specialist when I grow up!"

Yeah. Didn't think so. I never thought this is what I would be when I grew up either, but I can honestly say... I LOVE my job.

I went to college and studied Biology. I had a passion for it, I found it interesting and to be quite frank, I was under the impression that science = money. I spent my entire college career studying the ins and outs of biological sciences, running assays and analyzing and interpreting scientific research. Naturally, when I left college I just assumed I would continue down that career path for a while. I worked in pharmaceutical labs and veterinary hospitals in order to gain field experience, however, I graduated during a time where it was difficult to find work.

So I took the jobs I could get when I could get them. They were usually all temporary, seasonal or internships.

I was started to get frustrated with myself. I had a BIOLOGY degree. That was supposed to mean something. How was it remotely possible that I could not find a full-time job in my field. I was starting to feel like I had wasted precious time and money studying something that I wasn't going to make into a career.

I did what most would call crazy and decided to go back to school. Maybe more education would help me find a career that fit my needs and it was one of the best decisions I ever made for myself.

That got me thinking about my journey to where I am today. It is ridiculous to ask an 18 or 19 year old - pretty much what I consider still an adolescent (yes I know we don't think that when we are 19, but now that I'm 30 I feel like I've earned the right to consider 19-year-olds adolescents), to decide what they want to do for the rest of their lives, and that is basically what we ask them to do when they pick a major.

Now I had a passion for biology. I loved doing it and I loved learning about it, but I'll be honest, I wasn't the best at it. My skill set was decent when it came to actually doing science, but I would've never considered myself an expert and knowing what I know now, I would never have been.

The combination of going back to school along with the experience I gained while I was working during that time really gave me the opportunity to discover what I was good at. Where my skills were hidden and how I could use them to my benefit.

Once I figured that out I was able to determine what the best jobs were for me to apply for instead of just taking shots in the dark with who I thought would hire me based on my degree. It also allowed me to enroll in a graduate plan that taught me to build those skills and improve upon them.

In the end, all of these things came together to help me mold my career to me. Now I am able to use my passion (science) and combine it with my skill set to help make a difference in the next generation which is exactly what I had hoped to do in a career - make a difference in the world.

My advice is to really find out what you're good at, not just what you like or are passionate about, and find a way to combine those things. Don't be discouraged if it takes you in a different direction than you had hoped and don't be discouraged if it takes longer than you think.

We are talking about the rest of your life here. You need to enjoy it.

The last thing you want is to wake up every day and dread going to work. We spend a third of our lives at work. That's a lot of time. Find something you will be excited to get up and do every day.