Hello, I'm Jill. This is ASL Stew!
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So today I kind of wanted to tell you a story,
the reason I almost quit interpreting.
Yeah, so I actually almost...
was really, really close to want to quit interpreting just overall.
You might be wondering why
because I'm involved in this channel
and I support interpreting that way.
I interpret at a school and a lot,
but I kind of wanted to warn people,
or a PSA for all of you interpreters especially young interpreters.
Not to I guess get stuck or make a mistake like I did.
Let me explain.
So let me start with when I graduated from my interpreter training program, my ITP.
Um, I was getting close to graduating
and I was starting to look for potential work.
At that time I was living... let me think 2009...
so I think Jenna and I were living together at that time.
I was I guess the main bread winner.
She was working too, but I needed to have stable work.
Cause we had rent and things like that.
So around that time I was trying to look for work
and I graduated from RIT.
So I thought maybe I would try to get a job there full-time,
nice benefits as staff, stuff like that.
But back then, in 2009, they had what's called a hiring freeze.
So for a couple years they were not hiring anyone, no interpreters at all.
So that option was out.
I could freelance and do quite a bit of work there,
but it's not necessarily stable work.
If a student quit working...
I mean if a student quit their school,
then that means my work's done.
Um, but whatever it wasn't stable.
Then I decided to go ahead and apply for VRS work.
Now I had just graduated... well I was soon to graduate from my ITP
and most people would say don't work VRS.
It's too hard. It's not a good fit for a recent graduate.
But I decided to discuss with a former mentor
and some other people that I know
to see if they thought I was ready and everything.
Everyone I spoke to said yes I was.
So I went ahead and applied
and I'm not gonna say which company,
but that's not important.
But I applied and I got hired.
I started working so to speak "full-time".
Back then that company didn't have full-time work with benefits and stuff.
But I was working pretty much 24 to 28 hours a week doing VRS work.
Then I had other freelance work on the side at RIT.
So then as I was going along,
I would say maybe less than five years later,
I decided... well understand... let me back up.
The money is really good for VRS.
I'm gonna be totally honest, it's really good money.
Way better than freelance, better than university/staff,
K-12 definitely.
And it's easy to get a lot of hours.
I mean you can work a ten hour day.
So it's really easy.
Whereas in freelance it's harder.
But anyways, so I was going along working
and I noticed that I wasn't as happy as I was before.
Working freelance and doing that I really enjoyed it.
But I just felt like something wasn't right.
Like maybe I wasn't a good fit for interpreting.
I mean I did know I had good skill, but I don't know.
Then I just started to really, really hate work.
I didn't like interpreting. I didn't want to go to work.
I just felt crabby and I don't know, I was having a lot of issues.
I thought, well maybe I just don't want to be an interpreter anymore.
Maybe I just want to work with Deaf people,
or do sign language but in a different field.
So I actually went back to school,
not at RIT but a different local university.
Went through there and got a second Bachelor's degree.
It took me two years part time.
So I got my Bachelor's degree in anthropology.
Got that, thought maybe I'd be involved in archaeology
cause I had actually went and done a dig in Jordan, the country of Jordan.
I really liked it, or I thought
maybe just do something in general with anthropology,
maybe get a Master's (degree).
But then I started thinking.
Why do I want to stop interpreting?
I have skill and some things I like.
What is it that I just don't like right now?
So I really took a look at myself and I thought you know what,
I just don't like VRS work.
Again, it's not the company I worked for.. they're great.
But just in general, the VRS industry does not fit me at all.
For some people it's great.
They really enjoy it and work for many years,
but for me, I just didn't like it to be honest.
I'm not gonna say the reasons, it's not important.
But I realized that I wanted to quit interpreting
because I was working almost full-time in a niche that I didn't like.
That meant mentally I wasn't happy.
So I decided I needed to switch to a different type of interpreting.
At that time RIT was hiring
and so it took me a few times.
I applied multiple times, but finally I was hired.
Now in general I feel a lot more happy.
Obviously we all have bad days or whatever,
but I just realized that it's not that I don't like interpreting,
I just don't like that niche of interpreting.
So I guess I wanted to tell you this story just to warn you
whether you're young and in an ITP, graduating,
few years, or many years experience, it really doesn't matter.
If you're feeling just not satisfied, "I don't like interpreting", "I'm not happy",
first take a step back and think about it.
Is it because you don't like your work?
Maybe you're in K-12 and now you feel like
"I don't like interpreting anymore".
Maybe you need to switch to university work, or freelance,
or medical, or try and work so you can do legal, or VRS, something.
There's so many different options for work right now!
Don't quit right away or switch to a totally different field.
I mean if you want to, that's perfectly fine.
You do not have to interpret for the rest of your life.
But just think about it first.
So that is the story of why I almost quit interpreting.
I'm curious, have any of your guys had a similar story, experience.
You almost stopped interpreting?
Wanted to quit and then continued anyways?
What is your story?
I'm just curious if anyone else has had the same experience as I have.
Or am I the only one?
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Thanks so much and see you in the next video. Bye!
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