Originally Posted by
miamifella 
I think the reason this thread keeps coming up is that this issue matters, but is so rarely discussed.
I have rarely met professionals at meetings. So my sponsors were a retail clerk, a construction worker, and office workers.
They were intelligent and caring people. But I found it hard to follow their direction on my career because they just did not understand how things go in my line of work. They became frustrated with me and I became frustrated with them.
I think I would have done better in the program if I had been able to get a sponsor whose experience was more like mine. I would certainly been able to trust his direction on career stuff more.
our primary purpose is to stay sober and help other alcoholics achieve sobriety.
I find it hard to believe that in Miami you haven't met many professionals. members that have recovered and have been restored to sanity don't go to meetings and tell everyone their profession-they are there to help other alcoholics to achieve sobriety and not talk about their profession.
little Podunk town I got sober in, I sat at a meeting with a pharmacist for some time without knowing he was a pharmacist,sat with a surgeon without knowing she was a surgeon, sat with an attorney without knowing he was an attorney, sat with a sheriff without knowing he was a sheriff, sat with an RN without knowing she was an RN......
why didn't I know they had those professions? because they were there to stay sober and help other alcoholics achieve sobriety. they preferred to look across at other alcoholics no matter how far down the scale they went. the only way I learned of their profession was it coming up in conversation before or after a meeting at some time.
and something that was awesome?
they didn't give a crap if I was a nail banger. they were willing to help me when I needed some help and I had even been thanked for something I shared.
i have absolutely no clue where in any AA literature it says a sponsor should be there for career advise. a sponsor doesn't have to know a dam thing about a persons career. that is not one of our duties as sponsors.
however, beings how career advise is an outside issue, advise can be found outside of AA.