Career Roadmap
Don's work combines: Writing, Education, and Communicating / Sharing Stories
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Day In The Life
Skills &
Education
Here's the path I took:
High School
Vocational
Computer Programming/Programmer, General
Durham's Business College
Vocational
Computer Programming/Programmer, General
Bryan Institute
Here's the path I recommend for someone who wants to be a Poets, Lyricists & Creative Writers:
High School
Vocational: Writing
Learn more about different paths to this career
Life & Career Milestones
My path in life took a while to figure out
1.
First I wrote a poem to express myself and had an epiphany that I was able to be a good writer.
2.
Next I continued to write poetry and eventually children's rhyming picture books.
3.
Then I pursued publishing my first children's picture book, "The Tortoise and the Hairpiece."
4.
Finally, I started a publishing company and continued writing picture books and even chapter books.
Defining Moments
How I responded to discouragement
THE NOISE
Messages from Society in general:
As a child I was often told that I would end up doing manual labor as I was not smart enough to do anything else. As an adult I would frequently hear, 'Oh, everyone wants to write. You're not going to be able to make anything from writing.'
How I responded:
When I became aware in the first grade that I was not learning like other kids, I felt ashamed and broken, like I could never be good enough for anything. My learning struggles were worsened by an abusive, mentally ill parent and later a broken home. But there was a tiny spark inside me that said "Make something of yourself. You can do it." I persevered & discovered that I could learn if I worked hard enough and used my strengths to compensate for my dyslexia.
Experiences and challenges that shaped me
I started working in IT as a computer programmer 35 years ago and this is how I supported myself, my family, and my writing until I was eventually able to start a publishing business.
I am dyslexic. As a child I would have thought it impossible for me to be an author because writing was so hard for me. I later discovered that writing was possible for me and that with hard work and the right tools I could achieve anything.