What is my Career Plan

What is your career plan?

By SodakArtist

I’m a 33-year-old living in Spearfish, South Dakota, with a birthday on January 17, 1991. I spent 15 years in construction, handling everything from running power and sewer lines underground for new homes to framing, siding, and roofing. But I had to stop that career path, which I had dedicated almost half my life to, due to a life-changing injury in December 2023, and then again in January 2024.

I’ve faced my share of painful moments over the years—like when I worked for three days pouring concrete in ventilated shoes. Not the smartest move, I know, but we were six hours away from any decent stop or hospital, and I didn’t realize we’d be pouring concrete that week. As I worked, my feet suffered from third-degree chemical burns, with small pebbles grinding the damage deeper and deeper. Eventually, I couldn’t take it anymore, so I told my boss I had to get to a hospital, then drove myself the six hours home. At the emergency room, they cleaned my feet with soapy water and a sponge. Even so, I returned to work the following week, walking like a penguin for a while.

But that wasn’t my only close call. Once, I almost sliced my fingers off while ripping down siding, and another time, I fell 80 feet during a free climbing incident in Spearfish Canyon. Luckily, I only ended up with a cracked sternum and a sprained ankle, but it still wasn’t as painful as those concrete burns. Despite all the injuries and setbacks, this recent back injury forced me to give up my 15-year construction career. The pain was so intense that it left me bedridden for nearly a week. I knew I had to find a new path or risk permanent damage that would prevent me from doing basic things like picking up future grandchildren.

This injury, though, was different. It was so intense that I had to give up my construction career. I threw out my lower back, which left me almost bedridden for a week at a time. And still can’t fully move or pick up as much as I use to. I tried going back to construction, but every time, I’d overdo it and just hurt more. I realized that if I wanted to be able to pick up any grandchildren my kids might have one day, I’d have to stop construction to avoid permanently damaging my back.

I was out of work until mid-April 2024. During that time, I started selling my art, enough to pay bills, which was amazing. I had only been pursuing art for 2.5 years at that point, so I was shocked that I could make a living from it. But it reached a point where I needed a steady job, and construction was no longer an option. Living in a small town, there weren’t many other choices. So, I turned to Indeed.com, searching for artistic jobs. That’s when I found a new path that I hadn’t even considered: photography.

I started working at Woody’s Wild West Photography in Deadwood, South Dakota. It’s pretty awesome, to be honest. Once I build up my confidence in directing people on how to pose, everything will be fantastic. I’ve already learned tricks to make short people look taller, bigger-boned people look slimmer, and very skinny people look bigger. By my fourth day, I was already taking and selling photos on my own. I feel like my highest power gave me the creative talent gene, from drawing and painting to tattooing, woodworking, and now photography. I absolutely love my artistic journey and evolution and can’t believe I lived without it for so long.

I don’t know where I’m going or what my career will be, but I know it will be artistic. If I become a legendary artist one day, I’ll look back at my career shift and thank everyone who believed in me after a dramatic career shift in my early 30s.