The
Wake Up Call
A few weeks ago while chatting with a dear friend;
the subject of employment eventually came up. We discovered, neither one of us
is working in our chosen field (nutrition) and neither one of us was too
bothered by it. Que será, será was the sentiment we shared. My friend then doubled
down on her ‘devil may care’ attitude and boldly proclaimed, if she is not gainfully
employed as a nutrition professional by the time she hits 60 (she was 55 at the
time of this writing) she would not renew her registration and licensure. My
first reaction was, “Are you crazy?! You
busted your ass for that, why would you throw it away?”
She explained she didn’t see any value in spending
her energies and money to maintain her certification when she would be so close
to retirement age. I began to understand her point of view but still thought to
myself, “Well that’s fine and dandy for
her, I will never give up my creds!”
As days passed, her words weighed on my mind. The
more I thought about it, the more I started to think maybe I was the crazy one. I gave up my search for a paying job a few
years ago, why on earth was I still maintaining my professional credentials?
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| Photo: Pixabay |
When
We Do What We’ve Always Done
My status as a Dietetic Technician, Registered (DTR)
has been a part of me for almost half of my existence. I have attended
seminars/conferences, taken college courses, and taken part in webinars. All in
pursuit of the 50 continuing education credits I need to accrue every five
years in order to stay in good standing with my credentialing board. Oh, and
it’s not enough to participate; I must also keep detailed records of my
activities and document everything in a Professional Development Portfolio
(PDP).
It’s a substantial investment of time and money but
I always felt it to be worth the effort if it meant retaining my status as a credible
nutrition professional. I guess after 25 years, it became a habit, one I never
thought to question; until now.
A
False Sense of Security
Another reason for keeping up my registration is a
case of the “what ifs.” What if something happened to my husband, what if I had
to get a job? I always took some comfort in having a professional title in my
back pocket. But as the old saying goes, “Use it or lose it.” I haven’t been employed
for over six years. Sure, I’ve kept up on current events and trends but I have
no recent field experience. “Who wants to hire the old rusty diet tech? Anyone…
Anyone… Bueller?”
A
Sense of Purpose
Maintaining my DTR designation means I can remain
a member of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics (AND) and enjoy all the
honors, rights, and privileges that come with said membership. I recently wrote
a blog (sense-of-purpose) about how entering the Academy’s Food and Nutrition magazine
recipe contest provides me a sense of belonging, community, and purpose, one
that transcends my everyday responsibilities.
Cut the Cord
Over the years, I have convinced myself I can’t do anything else, be anything else. I am a DTR. My credentials give me, well credibility. Without them, what would I have going for me? I always felt letting my credentials expire would limit my options. As I reflect on the conversation with my friend, I realize the limiting factor is the fear of letting go.
I must remember this important fact: There is more to me than my professional self.
