New Career Paths

Yesterday I couldn't seem to remember what day it was. For this reason my daughter had her piano lesson two hours later than usual and I forgot about book club. I hadn't had time to read the book, Stargirl, but I still wanted to go.

A friend on her blog said they discussed how to stay true to yourself, and that one way to always stay true to yourself would be to pick 5 careers you would have done if you had not picked what you are currently doing, gotten married, had kids, etc. Your choices don't need to be realistic or practical. Then take these career choices a step further and incorporate them into your life somehow.

She mentioned that these alternate careers are part of your personality and should be embraced no matter where you are in your life. She listed her five and why and then tagged everyone.

I probably would have done it even if she hadn't turned it into a tag, so here goes.

1. Stage Actress. I loved doing plays and musicals in junior high and high school. I don't know that I was any good (I only had the lead in one play) but it was a lot of fun. When my goal was Hollywood I used to say that I would be happy bringing Steven Spielberg his coffee.

2. Teacher. I have always loved to read and learn and I always wanted to make a difference in our school systems. I always wanted to help kids who don't like English and history to love them. I had some terrible teachers that really made me hate being there and because of them, I wanted to make a change. Have you seen the movie Stand and Deliver? I wanted to be that teacher, just with English and History instead of math. I don't like math.

3. Published Author. While I have been published, so far it's only been in newspapers and collections. My manuscripts have not been published (for obvious reasons--they aren't finished). I would be the next J.K. or Brandon Sanderson (I know, I aim high).

4. Social Worker or counselor. I studied social work and psychology for three years before deciding it wouldn't work out for me. I did a ton of volunteer work in Rexburg at the Family Crisis Center and at the Child Rehabilitation Center. I tried to continue it when I lived in Logan, though opportunities for such activity was less.

5. Politician. This is a rather new development. It's not something I really thought about as a kid, but is something I think a lot about now. I am increasingly unhappy with the way the country is going and I want to help. (The link is not because I want to be like her or think a lot of her, but that if I was to go into politics, our situations would be similar in that I started small and knowing nothing.)

So there you go. My five. It was harder than I thought it would be, but now I'm tagging you! So ha! You get to see just how hard (or easy) it is. Leave me a message and let me know if you're going to play along so I can check yours out.