I'm an Occupational Therapist who works in the crazy world of real estate sales. How many times do I hear: you have an occupational therapy degree and you are working in real estate?
My answer is usually the same...if you think outside the box, both have a great deal in common. I was trained to analyze people's needs and wants and to work towards meeting those needs and wants. I was trained to case manage people's situations, to assist people with return to work, to assist with return to health. The majority of a person's daily occupations occur in their own house...it's this house that I sell people into and out of, depending on their needs.
Every day I work with people dealing with one of their most stressful situations in their lives - moving...relocating...divorce...death...I connect people to a community, a neighbourhood, and then to a home that they can function in as a family. I manage all their affairs such as lawyer, insurance, services, schools, health care facilities, daycare, etc. Some of my clients even have special needs such as mobility problems, accessibility, risk of falling (elderly), or mental health issues. Taking all of these things into account is paramount when picking an appropriate place to live. I work as a transparent, honest, and dedicated professional that will assist her clients with making one of the biggest decisions of their lives.
It's these non-traditional careers that OTs are now working in that need to be embraced and recognized as working to help people function in their day to day living.
Paulette Upshall, BScOT, OT Reg, (NS)
Associate Broker with Century 21 Team One Realty Inc. In Halifax. NS
pupshall@gmail.com; 902-877-8851