This document discusses the author's occupational identity through various roles they have held or envisioned for the future. Some of the author's past occupations included rowing, traveling with family, and organizing family celebrations. Current occupations include nannying, partying with friends, cooking, and tramping. Future occupations that contribute to the author's identity include gardening and becoming an occupational therapist. For each occupation, the author discusses what they do, how they feel, how the occupation helps them grow, and how it provides a sense of belonging.

1. Occupational Identity
All these images contribute to my
occupational identity.
Kate Findlay

2. Rowing
This is a past occupation.
Do – training in boats on the water, training on the erg machines and gym, attending regattas, following the same routines
every week by using the training schedule as a guide, getting advice from coaches and being part of the rowing club and
community.
Be – Rowing gave me great satisfaction when completing trainings and regattas, I got a lot of enjoyment out of it.
Become – I did rowing to become a better individual, I learnt a lot about values, roles, responsibilities, commitment and
dedication.
Belong – Being a member of the rowing club and being involved in all the club trainings and activities as a group, gave me a
sense of belonging.

3. Travel to different countries with my family
This is a past, present and future occupation.
Do – packing my bag, print tickets, collect itinerary, getting on the plane, site-seeing, shopping, tour guides.
Be – I enjoy travelling as I get to spend quality time with my family, and feel so satisfied when I have.
Become – I spend time with my family as I value their support, encouragement and advice so much, which makes me
become a happier individual and I would like to become a parent like mine in the future.
Belong – I am one of three siblings in the family, with great support and encouragement from my parents and siblings,
gaining a sense of belonging by being part of my family.

4. Family celebrations
This is a past, present and future occupation.
Do – prepare food, organize a venue, travel, email and make phone calls, prepare activities.
Be – I enjoy all the preparation of family celebrations and get great satisfaction once we are all together.
Become – I like to be a part of the organization of family celebrations as I like to see all the family together.
Belong – I am a grandchild, niece, god-daughter, and daughter to relatives in my family.

5. Nannying
This is a past, present and future occupation.
Do – Liaise with children’s parents, transport via car, prepare food, organize their day with activities.
Be – I get great satisfaction after getting the kids active and preparing food for them. I enjoy looking after them.
Become – Nannying is an occupation of mine to earn money and become more active and busy.
Belong – Social interaction with the children and parents, I’m very valued by their parents now which I have gained a
friendship and sense of inclusion through.

6. Partying with friends
This is a past, present and future occupation.
Do – get ready – do make up and hair, text friends, organize a place to meet, go to town, dance, drink.
Be - I get great gratitude out of spending time with friends, I enjoy being able to really express myself.
Become – a person my friends can rely on and have fun with and creating new friendships.
Belong - I have gained good, close friendships and a sense of inclusion through social interaction with my friends.

7. Cooking
This is a present and future occupation.
Do – research recipes, made a recipe book of my favorite recipes and of new ones I have tried and liked, eat out to get ideas,
prepare food.
Be - I get great gratitude from cooking from scratch, I enjoy being able to really express myself through cooking.
Become – to become a good cook through trial and error
Belong – valued by others when a meal of mine is appreciated.

8. Tramping
This is a present occupation.
Do – organize the route you want to take on the tramp, book online a camping site or hut for each night, organize what
food, equipment and clothing is needed.
Be - I enjoy the anticipation I get from organizing and planning the tramp.
Become - I am tramping to become fit, to explore new untouched parts of the country and for new experiences.
Belong – I have some tramping friends that like to include each other on tramps that we should go on together.

9. Studying to become an Occupational Therapist
This is a present occupation.
Do - Study at the library, complete assignments and provided readings, research further for other applicable resources, get
educated by the teachers and be present at classes.
Be – I enjoy the course material and am grateful to be able to study it. I feel satisfied studying at Otago Polytechnic as I will
get a degree at the end of it.
Become – I am studying to become an Occupational Therapist.
Belong – I am a part of the year two group of OT students, I gain a sense of belonging through being apart of this group.

10. Gardening
This is a future occupation.
Do – Settle in to a house with a large garden, arrange an area for a vegetable garden and citrus trees, read about
gardening and the tips and traps, ask my grandma about the best ways to go about it.
Be – I enjoy healthy eating and eating fresh produce from the garden.
Become – I am learning and getting advice about gardening now, so that when I have graduated I can have and eat from a
garden of my own.
Belong - eating fresh produce from my garden and giving other people some of my produce by cooking for them or giving
it to them, gaining a sense of belonging through being valued by others.

11. Third year Occupational Therapy Student
This is a future occupation.
Do – work hard and pass as a year two occupational therapy student, plan ahead and see what the expectations are for
third year.
Be – I enjoy the challenge of what is going to be ahead, I also like the fact that it will be the last year of study before
becoming an Occupational Therapist.
Become – I am working hard as a second year student to pass and get through to becoming a third year student of
occupational therapy.
Belong – I gain a sense of belonging from the teachers as we have mutual support, they will teach us and help us if we
work hard and want to do well.