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By Sarah Aiken
 I
began working as a WorkFirst coordinator in the spring of
2004. The work I do directly impacts low income families,
families that receive a Temporary Assistance for Needy Families
grant from the state and the local community. Parents receiving
a TANF grant are usually in distress, fallen upon hard times.
My predecessor and one of our WorkFirst instructors had gone
through the Dependable Strengths Articulation Process. They
then utilized it in our Life Work Skills class to help parents
get motivated from within and find value in themselves through
their strengths. It also provided them with insight for future
career plans. The outcome was parents going to work!
We lost our Life Work Skills instructor and so lost the DS
process in that class. That was when I decided to send our
new Life Work Skills instructor and myself to the training.
My purpose was to be able to gain insight to DS and become
a trainer so we could keep the DS process going in our area.
I got much more than I anticipated. I gained insight both
professionally and personally.
Personally, I have wondered, "Am I doing what makes
me happy in the workplace?" Like the parents I work with,
I have taken on many "cover words" through the years:
motel maid, waitress, fast food cook, retail manager, dairy
worker, teacher, and (now) administrator. Because "I
started at the bottom, and worked my way up," I always
felt I provided hope to our parents. I came to realize I have
carried with me strengths in each occupation I have held.
In some cases they were underutilized, which is likely why
I moved on.
I had a mentor teacher when I was doing my practicum for
teaching who told me to always keep balance in my work life
and my home life. "It is what keeps you from becoming
a burn out." Since first hearing those words I have always
sought balance—"sought" being the key word.
I never really found it. Before attending the DS training,
I struggled with the choice I made to leave the teaching profession
and become the coordinator for the WorkFirst program. Was
it the right choice for me?
While I still miss many aspects of teaching, and get emotional
when I think about the kids and adults I taught, as well as
the impact teaching has on a community, I know that helping
parents get education and training, advising them and paying
their tuition and books trickles down to the children and
also impacts the community. Many parents start to study with
their children and begin to learn the value and importance
of education.
DS has taught me not to seek balance in my life, but to find
it—through my strengths. I have strengths that I utilize
in teaching and as a coordinator. Both make me equally happy
in different ways. I just need to maintain balance in my work
life, my home life and my strengths. The key to my happiness
is, if some of my strengths are underutilized at work, I need
to be sure to balance them in my home life and vice versa.
Just being aware of this has helped me to relax more and find
happiness.
I am happy to report I have co-taught one 2½ day work
shop and found it to be a very pleasant and rewarding experience,
which provided me with an opportunity to maintain balance
in what I do by coming back to my roots of teaching—and
that was remarkable! This process allowed me to view myself
and my needs through new eyes. I am not a cover word, and
if ever I need to seek new employment I will look for the
employer that fits me:
A dedicated person with strong commitment to family,
work and growth. Courageous and takes on the unknown with
a flair to try new things for the challenge. A person who
finds fulfillment when empowering people and providing opportunities
through education and teaching. A person who embraces change
and the energy it brings, all while being consistent through
the process. I am a unique individual with an internal drive
to balance life through organization and resourcefulness.
I am persistent with a can-do attitude.
I have not reviewed this description of myself for some time
now, but still find it all to be true. Thanks to Bernard,
Jean, and the DS team for the clarity I now have in my life.
"Hello, I need some advice" will remain an essential
part of my continued growth and the growth of my children,
our parent's in WorkFirst, and our community.
Sarah Aiken, a WorkFirst Coordinator at Grays
Harbor College (Aberdeen, Washington), completed her training
as a DSAP Facilitator in March 2006.
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