I never asked my first T but, based on what I know about him, he had a lot of therapy himself starting when he was in college and claims that people are his passion. I also think he is the classic example of the T who loves client attention and adoration. The guy is also very insecure and clearly has many issues, so perhaps he feels in good company with clients who struggle.

Second T did a few other things before becoming a T. Started in more corporate type business - first in his family's industry, then in management for other companies. A few years in research, which he originally planned to be his longer term career. Then back in sales for a couple years. But then he found that he was much more driven by his interests and interactions with people even in a corporate or research setting, dropped out of the research-oriented PhD program and did a masters in social work. He considers communication and relating as one of his main strength and likes the freedom coming with a private practice. Also the income as his fee is on the high end of a generally very expensive area. He is a very interactive therapist, even outside of session, so I believe he enjoys interactions with people about stuff that is not trivia.