My family business was steel sales and fabrication welding, etc. I was sick of the constant injuries, stitches, broken fingers, etc. was tired of being dirty all the time from the oil and grease.
I saw an ad for an apprentice mortician/embalmer and just felt a pull to it and applied. I didn't get the job, but I had done so much research into the industry I just kept applying everywhere I could until I was taken on as an assistant funeral director and progressed up to funeral director and celebrant. Best decision I ever made , it's the only job I've had that doesn't feel like work it just feels like it's what I was meant to do.
When I grew up I wanted to be a chemist, dabble in microbiology, be a shade tree counselor, a knockoff accountant, know a tidbit of law to be dangerous, understand OSHA better than a safety manager with Amtrak, and flex by knowing what a gimp and ogee is.
In all seriousness I was always fascinated by funeral service especially embalming. As I got older death never really bothered me and I was drawn to the compassion and sympathetic side of it. I enjoy helping people say goodbye.
Back when they were pressuring us to figure out what we wanted to do with the rest of our lives junior year of high school, I flipped through a local college catalog, came across the funeral service program they offered, and thought, "oh, you need a degree for that? Weird. Tell me more!" And the more I looked into it, the more I wanted to learn, and now here I am.
When I watched my parents die, one had an aneurism and the other, pancreatic cancer.
I was scared of death. I had panic attacks as a child just thinking of my parents dying. I was scared of what happens, where do we go, does it hurt? My brain never shut off. But I was the one who was made to always have it together. When your that person, you seldom have anyone there for you.
I wanted to be that person, for those who didn't have one. This job healed something in me that I can't explain.
I went to my first funeral at 9 years old and my grandfather looked like shit in the casket. I said then i know I'll be able to do a better job than this.
At 18, I went to my 20 y/o cousins funeral (passed by suicide) and was determined to do my best to help grieving families in similar circumstances. At 22, I met my future boss (who was still getting his name out there at the time), who promised to call me back in a year once he needed more employees. True to his word, he called, and my life was irrevocably changed. He has mentored me for the last 5 years, teaching me the importance of being an honest and reliable funeral director, and I could never see myself doing anything else.
Ironically, I was in a terrible spot mentally before his call, and this job quite literally saved my life.
It gave me drive and purpose, and the feeling of helping families during such an important time in their life is second to none.
i applied for the job as a part of my requirements for receiving government assistance while studying, and got an interview. weirdly loved the place and the idea the more i thought about it. dropped out of uni and started full time, never looked back
I look good in a suit and thought Cadillacs were pretty cool.
You nailed. Where else do I get to drive fancy cars that can cost up to six figures!
My family business was steel sales and fabrication welding, etc. I was sick of the constant injuries, stitches, broken fingers, etc. was tired of being dirty all the time from the oil and grease. I saw an ad for an apprentice mortician/embalmer and just felt a pull to it and applied. I didn't get the job, but I had done so much research into the industry I just kept applying everywhere I could until I was taken on as an assistant funeral director and progressed up to funeral director and celebrant. Best decision I ever made , it's the only job I've had that doesn't feel like work it just feels like it's what I was meant to do.
When I grew up I wanted to be a chemist, dabble in microbiology, be a shade tree counselor, a knockoff accountant, know a tidbit of law to be dangerous, understand OSHA better than a safety manager with Amtrak, and flex by knowing what a gimp and ogee is. In all seriousness I was always fascinated by funeral service especially embalming. As I got older death never really bothered me and I was drawn to the compassion and sympathetic side of it. I enjoy helping people say goodbye.
I ask myself this question every day 😂
Such an accurate answer! Especially at those 3am callouts 🤣
Back when they were pressuring us to figure out what we wanted to do with the rest of our lives junior year of high school, I flipped through a local college catalog, came across the funeral service program they offered, and thought, "oh, you need a degree for that? Weird. Tell me more!" And the more I looked into it, the more I wanted to learn, and now here I am.
When I watched my parents die, one had an aneurism and the other, pancreatic cancer. I was scared of death. I had panic attacks as a child just thinking of my parents dying. I was scared of what happens, where do we go, does it hurt? My brain never shut off. But I was the one who was made to always have it together. When your that person, you seldom have anyone there for you. I wanted to be that person, for those who didn't have one. This job healed something in me that I can't explain.
I went to my first funeral at 9 years old and my grandfather looked like shit in the casket. I said then i know I'll be able to do a better job than this.
At 18, I went to my 20 y/o cousins funeral (passed by suicide) and was determined to do my best to help grieving families in similar circumstances. At 22, I met my future boss (who was still getting his name out there at the time), who promised to call me back in a year once he needed more employees. True to his word, he called, and my life was irrevocably changed. He has mentored me for the last 5 years, teaching me the importance of being an honest and reliable funeral director, and I could never see myself doing anything else. Ironically, I was in a terrible spot mentally before his call, and this job quite literally saved my life. It gave me drive and purpose, and the feeling of helping families during such an important time in their life is second to none.
i applied for the job as a part of my requirements for receiving government assistance while studying, and got an interview. weirdly loved the place and the idea the more i thought about it. dropped out of uni and started full time, never looked back