At Floow.ai we think it's important to make real stories from care visible. In a series of short interviews we talk to people who work in care or have made the switch. What drives them? What surprises them? And what do they want to pass on to others?
This time the spotlight is on Jessica (51). After twenty years in the financial sector, following a reorganisation, Jessica decided to take a new path and choose a career in disability care. Her first application didn't immediately lead to a place in a work-study programme, and she faced the challenges of the COVID period — but she wasn't discouraged. Through volunteering in a library she confirmed for herself that her passion lay in supporting clients. That was the start of a journey in which, over five years, she developed into a personal support worker in disability care.
You worked in finance for 20 years before switching. Did you notice a culture difference between the two sectors?
“In the financial sector everything is about efficiency, quick decisions and commercial results. In care, the client's needs are always central and there's no commercial interest. At the call centre I sometimes had to send people to the internet and was bound by time; you couldn't help them from A to Z. In care you are literally there for someone and can really make a difference.”
After several reorganisations you decided to choose for yourself and move into care. What did choosing for yourself mean here?
“The world at my previous employer changed so much, and because of what we'd been through personally, I became aware of where I stood and what I was missing. I missed being able to mean something to someone, literally and figuratively, and getting satisfaction from that. So choosing for myself meant listening to the feeling that I wanted to work with my heart.”
When you first applied for a level-4 work-study place, you were told you wouldn't make it. How did you deal with that?
“At first I froze because I hadn't expected it; my previous work was at university level. I was disappointed they didn't even listen to my story, but that made me all the more determined to succeed. I thought: then I'll apply at the call centre again and take a separate course alongside it, but I'm going to get there. In the end I seized a level-3 vacancy at the same organisation.”
You started as a volunteer in a library supporting clients. What happened in that reading café that made you think: I couldn't imagine doing anything else?
“The reading café is a kind of lunchroom in a library where I supported clients with a mild intellectual disability in baking cake, making soup and serving. It was the confirmation I needed: I got so much satisfaction from it and loved having real contact with people and listening to their stories. You can't compare that to working in finance.”
In five years you completed level 3, then your level-4 diploma, and now work as a Personal Support Worker. Which skills from your 'previous life' in finance serve you well now?
“Above all I bring the conversation techniques from my previous job: really listening to people, not immediately forming your own opinion, and showing empathy. Doing what you say and saying what you do is very important. The moment clients notice you're rushed or not really listening, they shut the door in your face. Because of my experience I often build a bond of trust faster and can sometimes achieve more.”
Can you describe a specific moment with a client where you thought: this is why I took the plunge back then?
“The most beautiful moment that has always stayed with me was a residents' holiday during COVID. We went to a holiday park in Schoorl, and the faces of those lads when they sat in the bus and realised we were going out… how happy they were! I went swimming one-on-one with a client who hadn't done it for years. The trust he had in me as we stepped into the water little by little, and seeing his fear disappear… yes, that's what you do it for.”
We warmly thank Jessica for her openness and inspiration. Her story shows how valuable working in care can be — for yourself and for the people you help along the way.