What alternative career paths have you considered or are interested in?
There are moments in life when you stop, look around, and realize the path you’re on might not be the only one meant for you. I’ve spent years working in Environmental Services — learning, leading, cleaning, managing — rising from the bottom rung all the way into leadership. It taught me discipline, patience, and pride. But lately, as life has slowed me down and forced me to look deeper, I’ve started asking myself: what else am I capable of?
I’ve thought about writing full-time — because words have always been my therapy. I’ve imagined standing behind a camera, capturing the world as I see it, turning pain and faith into something visual. I’ve dreamed of mentoring, of building a business that lifts up the forgotten workers — the ones who clean, who grind, who never get the spotlight but make the world function.
But these aren’t just ideas. They’re reflections of my spirit evolving. I’m learning that careers aren’t just jobs; they’re extensions of who you are becoming. Every late night, every heartbreak, every time I hit rock bottom — it’s been shaping me for something larger. I don’t know the exact form yet, but I feel it pulling me forward like gravity.
The climb isn’t just about titles or paychecks. It’s about purpose. And purpose changes as you do. Maybe my next path will be in storytelling, maybe business, maybe leadership — or maybe it’ll be something that doesn’t even have a name yet. Whatever it is, I want it to make people feel something. I want it to heal and build.
So when I think about alternative paths, I’m really thinking about legacy. I’m thinking about my mother’s faith, my cousin Ben’s wisdom, my wife’s support, and my own resilience. I’m thinking about what I’ll leave behind — not in things, but in lives touched.
Because no matter what path I take next, one thing remains true:
I’m still climbing.
The Climb 