From Driving Instructor to Occupational Therapist: My Unexpected Career Journey

Meet Jenni, Herts Ability's new OccupationalTherapist in Leatherhead. Here's her Herts Ability journey so far, in her own words...

Sometimes the career you are meant to have is one you didn't even know existed.

My journey into Occupational Therapy began long before I had ever heard of the profession.

Looking back now, however, each step - from becoming an Approved Driving Instructor to working in driving assessments and supporting people with disabilities - was quietly leading me towards where I am today.

This August, more than 30 years after leaving education, I graduated as a newly qualified Occupational Therapist. And perhaps fittingly, I am now working at Herts Ability in Leatherhead, supporting people with their mobility and independence.

But the journey started almost two decades earlier.

Where it all began: becoming a driving instructor

I qualified as an Approved Driving Instructor (ADI) in 2007 and quickly discovered how rewarding the job could be.

Learning to drive is about much more than mastering gears, mirrors and manoeuvres. You are part of someone's journey from being a nervous learner sitting behind the wheel for the first time to becoming a confident, independent driver.

I loved being part of that transformation.

Then, in 2011, I happened to come across an article about teaching deaf people to drive. I found the subject fascinating and wanted to learn more.

That curiosity would ultimately change the direction of my entire career.

Discovering driving and disability

My research led me to Queen Elizabeth Foundation Mobility Services (QEF), which happened to be only ten minutes from where I lived.

As luck would have it, QEF was running a course on teaching deaf people to drive just a couple of weeks later. I signed up.

Ironically, I have never actually taught a deaf person to drive. But attending that course opened the door to an entirely new world.

I loved the environment at QEF and the opportunity to learn more about the relationship between driving, mobility and disability.

I initially started volunteering there every Friday afternoon. When one of the driving instructors later left, I was asked whether I would take over. Gradually, I reduced my private driving instruction and began spending more and more of my working week at QEF.

What had started with a single article and a little curiosity was becoming a completely new career path.

My introduction to Occupational Therapy

Another opportunity arrived in 2017.

I was asked whether I would be interested in training to work alongside Occupational Therapists to carry out driving assessments. I completed the necessary training and was soon working alongside OTs as part of the assessment process.

This was where I really began to understand what Occupational Therapists do - and the enormous difference they can make.

I developed a real appreciation for the contribution OTs brought to driving assessments. I particularly valued their insight, their person-centred approach and the fact that no two assessments were ever quite the same.

Every person brought their own circumstances, challenges, abilities and goals.

For me, that variety was one of the most rewarding parts of the work.

Then COVID changed everything

Like so many people's stories, mine took another turn during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The two Occupational Therapists I had worked closely with eventually retired, and around this time my daughter suggested something that I had never seriously considered before:

Why didn't I become an Occupational Therapist myself?

It was a big decision.

I had left school and had not studied for more than 30 years. I had never attended university. The idea of returning to education after all that time - and starting a university degree - was daunting.

There were plenty of reasons I could have given myself not to do it.

But one thought kept coming back to me: four years will pass surprisingly quickly anyway.

I asked myself a simple question:

If I don't do it, will I look back in four years and wish that I had?

The answer was yes.

So, I took the leap.

Returning to university after more than 30 years

Going back into education after such a long break was certainly a challenge, but it turned out to be one of the best experiences I have ever had.

Four years later, I am incredibly proud - and grateful - to say that I graduated this August as a newly qualified Occupational Therapist.

And my career has almost come full circle.

Today, I work at Herts Ability in Leatherhead, bringing together the experience I gained as a driving instructor, my years working within driving assessments and my new Occupational Therapy qualification.

It certainly wasn't the career path I imagined when I first qualified as a driving instructor in 2007.

But looking back, every stage makes sense.

Sometimes the unexpected route is the right one

From teaching nervous learners to drive, to discovering the world of driving and disability, working alongside Occupational Therapists and eventually becoming an OT myself, my career has taken a route I could never have predicted.

It has also taught me something important: it is never too late to change direction, learn something new or pursue a career that inspires you.

If I had allowed the fact that I had been away from education for more than 30 years to stop me, I would not be where I am today.

Sometimes all it takes is curiosity, an unexpected opportunity and the courage to ask yourself: If I don't do this now, will I wish I had?

For me, the answer changed everything.

And looking back on the journey from Approved Driving Instructor to Occupational Therapist, I wouldn't have it any other way!

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