Finding My Path: How a Water Career Changed My Future

I pumped gas at a gas station in my small hometown for my first job back when an attendant pumped gas for the customer. I also washed windows and checked the fluid levels in cars. I was 16 years old.

I moved on to working as a laborer at a moving company, bartending at night during college, and working for the Illinois State Water Survey during college summers. While working at the Water Survey, I realized that I enjoyed learning about how water impacted me every day and how necessary clean water is to our existence. It was not until this last job that I found my future in a water career.

As I look back, I see how I bounced around, unsure where I would land, unknowing what I wanted in a career, and unsure about where I would settle. I am fortunate; I found a career in water that I love.