The Toughest Job You’ll Ever Love

Brad Crosier

Brad Crosier has worked in the field of Direct care for over 26 years. He has worked at three other residential campuses during his career. In his experience he noted that “SLC fosters an atmosphere where the residents thrive due to the preventative methods used to help guide them, encouraging them to be more independent and achieve their own personal goals.” Brad says it is a rewarding career. 

“The best part of my job is the fact that every day I get to see familiar faces. But like all of us, they’re constantly changing so you never know what you’re going to walk  into every day. That makes it kind of exciting, every day is a new day. It’s like a new challenge.”  

But as with any other job, it does have difficulties. Of all the things that could happen on the job Brad said, “The most difficult thing for me is not always getting as much  accomplished as I would like to in a day’s time. I need to make sure that the ladies and gentlemen that I serve have everything they need and that they can be as active as possible. Sometimes, due to the constraints of time, we are not always able to do as much.” 

A Bit of Advice for Potential Staff

To anyone considering this type of work he says, “You can expect to be challenged. If you’re doing your job to the best of your ability, you’ll sense a real intrinsic good feeling about what you’re able to accomplish and how you’re able to help the residents live their best lives.”

“I think that in my past experiences when people have heard residential settings or residential center they have one thought in mind of what the residents must be like. But when the public comes in or new staff is hired, they get a sense of the residents that we work with, I think they go, ‘Wow!’ because I think they have these ideas that the residents are all low functioning. Then they meet our residents and realize that they do have the ability to function, but with certain things they just need different assistance to accomplish their goals. They just need more guidance than the average person.”

“The thing I thought about the phrase ‘The Toughest Job You’ll ever Love,’ it reminds me that years ago the Army used that as their slogan. This is not the Army, but the concepts of being disciplined and also having in establish routine … help the residents be their most successful selves. When they know that ‘after dinner we do this; after breakfast I had to get this because I have to get ready to go to school, to my job’ or whatever the case is. I think that really helps them. Of course it’s our job, when on days their schedules are all thrown off, to help them turn it around and still have a great day.”

Be All That You Can Be

staff and resident out for a walk

This might be another old Army slogan, but it is helpful too. Brad gives an example, “Today there was no school for Nick. It would’ve been his choice to sleep in. But I also know he likes van rides, and I was scheduled to be a part of the Meals on Wheels team today. So instead of him just sleeping through the morning, he had a chance to get out. One of his favorite things to do is taking a walk. He doesn’t usually have a chance to take a walk because he’s usually at school. Sometimes an interruption of the routine, allows them the chance to do some fun things.”


If you or anyone you know might like to take up the challenge of ‘Being all that You can Be,’ or finding the ‘Toughest Job you’ll Ever Love,’ click here https://stlouiscenter.org/work-here/ to learn more.

This article appears in the Winter 2022 issue of St. Louis Spirit newsletter. You can read online or download the issue in its entirety here.


Already know that you would like to be part of the family of St. Louis Center staff? Apply below!