Saturday, April 7, 2012

Dreams

In the course of my life I have dreamed up many, many careers for myself.  They have all been so vivid that my mind has conjured up entire lives surrounding these potential futures.  Among these are/were:

-Teacher:  The first career most children are exposed to is that of teacher.  Like many others have surely done, I would create my own worksheets and reuse my workbooks to pretend to be a schoolteacher.  I carried this dream for a good, long, and while many would like to see me choose it as my vocation, I am so uncomfortable in front of groups—even groups of young people.  I’d have to endure some type of immersion therapy.

-Doctor:  This one was pretty brief.  I had a toy doctor’s kit and created patient records for a whole lot of stuffed animals.  It was fun while it lasted, but I would never want to be anything other than a pediatrician.  Cutting on people and being expected to put them back together is a responsibility best left to those with steady hands.

-Architect:  This is the one I still dream the most about, secretly, and don’t tell anyone about it.  Those who have known me for years know that I spent many, many hours drawing, erasing, and creating my own home plans.  I read so, so many books about famous architecture, I memorized all the most important American styles, and I still have so much love for Frank Lloyd Wright that I did a project about him in graduate school.   My love for HGTV is rooted partly in my quest for knowledge.  When you consider that I am the son of a carpenter and have been watching “This Old House” for my entire life, none of this is surprising.  That doesn’t even begin to take into account my Lego obsession.  I actually invented an entire life for myself, an architect/Mr. Mom who had the flexibility to raise his son in a mansion of my own creation while my wife took business trips.  Like I said, I have a vivid imagination.  When an architect visited for career day, I soaked up every word.  While other kids were playing video games, I was drawing homes in my Art Club sketchpad.  In high school, I simultaneously held onto and let go of the dream.  My drafting class went somewhat miserably; it was here that I first found I had no ability to render things in three-dimensions.  Blueprints also lost some of their appeal, but I also managed to create a house that was equal to or better than most of my peers.  I continued drawing and creating house plans, barely stopping until I got deep into college admission essays and honors coursework.  So why didn’t I pursue architecture as a major?  Reality set in—architects must attend school for literally years to even get that title, and after all of that schooling they still aren’t paid that much as an average salary.  When I got to college, I realized I had made the right decision; there was so much to be learned outside of architecture, so many other things that I enjoyed studying.  Still, in the back of my mind, I imagine what it would be like to design houses and have people live in them.  Maybe someday, I’ll design my own house and bring things full circle.

Psychologist:  Most people know that my BA is in psychology.  Many people know that my goal for many years was to become a licensed psychologist and provide counseling.  So what was the hang up?  In a word—or two—graduate school was the ultimate stumbling block.  I admittedly didn’t apply to many schools, but when my first choice devastated me, I was crushed.  I had put so much effort into my admissions essay and gathering letters of recommendation.  I performed above their expectations on the GRE.  A lot of people may not know or care, but college was very difficult for me.  I did not fit into any type of party scene or social group outside of my Peer Mentor job with Student Support Services.  So much of my time was spent in classes that bored me, and I begged for each day and week to reach its end so I could either get home or to the end of the semester.  I would take notes, study, and then exams would just not go well.  My best grades were in History and French—completely and totally unrelated to my major.  I did have some wonderful friends who helped in the process, but ultimately I was the one taking the tests and performing below my expectations.  I would spend hours alone in my dorm room, trying to do homework and finding that none of it interested me.  If we discussed a topic of interest in a psychology course, it was never for a long enough period of time for me to excel or gain any attention.  I don’t think most of the professors even remembered me after the semester came to an end.  I must have seemed like a pathetic case when I visited their office hours.  While psychology and related subjects ultimately became miserable, and I was so lonesome so much of the time, I stuck with it.  My senior year was so difficult but it was also one of my best years.  I got pretty darned good grades in most classes and much of my free time was spent with two wonderful friends, one of whom is now an attorney and the other one is now my own personal motivational speaker.  I also got so much wonderful advice from my work supervisor and my final psychology professor was a warm and welcome surprise, a person who gave me great advice and made me feel like I fit into the study of psychology.  I was so grateful for the A that I earned in that class.  Even though 2006 was ultimately the best and worst year ever, I found a lot of courage.  I continued to research and apply to programs even though it never worked out.  I still feel, in some ways, as though my chance to be a psychologist was blunted by those who couldn’t see my potential.  It put me on a two-and-a-half year path in which I struggled to find my identity.  Ultimately, it led me to my goal:  graduate school, major bedamned.

-Librarian:  I’m still trying to work on this one.  A close friend suggested I apply for UK’s library science program and I worked, worked, and worked on my application until it was just right.  I asked for letters of recommendation from some individuals who hadn’t forgotten my good work.  Less than two months after submitting my stuff, I got the most wonderful email—the program would admit me on a deferred status since I’d applied so late.  I gladly accepted their offer, and didn’t think twice about it.  It certainly wasn’t psychology, and it definitely wasn’t architecture, but it brought me back to one of my first loves—the library and the wealth of knowledge that came from reading.  My mother made me a reader from an early age and I never lost the want-to when it came to books.  In many ways graduate school was vastly easier than undergrad—the studying was specialized and it was about things I wanted to study!  It was also very difficult at times; I had a professor who clearly had a screw loose and tried to fail me on nearly every assignment.  I gritted it out and tried to “cowboy up” as my dad is fond of saying.  It was so hard to get into grad school and no way in hell was I getting tossed out.  I did make some wonderful friends but ultimately my goals to garner a huge friendship went unmet; I just don’t fit in with most people.  I took a calculated risk in the second summer, taking a course that could have been my undoing; a bad grade would have removed me from the program.  Instead, though, I got an A in the course and my faith was restored.  I spent most of grad school working at the library in the university medical center; my co-workers were so wonderful and always made me feel like I was a valuable part of their office.  I will be forever grateful to them.  I finished graduate school quietly, an ice storm providing the only major drama of that final week.  I began to look for jobs, and I still am at the present time.  I’m not sure what people see in interviews, but they clearly aren’t seeing the real me who had worked very hard to earn two degrees; the first-generation college student who bucked cultural trends and statistics and made my own path through education; the creative person who can come with a promotional flyer in all of three seconds.  People look at my resume and my face and quickly reject me; sometimes they don’t even bother to call or write and tell me that I’m worthless to them.  For now it looks like I may never become a librarian; my dreams to utilize my education have unfortunately been dashed left and right.  Through it all, I have tried to stay ME—I have only the education and job experience I have.  I am an introvert but I generally try very hard to be outgoing, friendly, and accommodating.  If I don’t fit into people’s stereotypes or preconceived notions, then so be it.  I’m not going to be something I’m not just to please someone who isn’t worth my time.  I’ll keep reading, I’ll keep applying, and I’ll keep trying.

-Writer:  This brings us full circle, readers.  Creating stories about me in my mind is fun, but creating stories about others can be profitable.  In theory, that is.  Most people complained about it but 95% of the time in college, I loved writing papers.   I may be a lousy public speaker but in my works teachers get such a good idea of what is in my mind, my ability to lay out ideas and reason and research.   Reading their compliments and comments would always give me hope. Even though most of the writing was technical I learned a lot about being concise; a five-page papers means write five pages and no more.  I may never become a professional writer or best-selling author, but the ability to write is one thing I am proud to have learned.  

And just for fun:

-Blonde:  Not a really a career, per se, but I always wanted to know what it was like to have blonde hair.  While I regularly receive compliments on my dark, almost obsidian hair, I still wonder what it would be like to look different.   Blondes have more fun and seem to tan way better than pale old me.

-Athlete: Seriously, just once I would love to have an athletic talent.  Instead I have long gawky arms and poor coordination.  At least I’m tall.



Okay, I went a little to in-depth on my dreams but if you feel inspired or have any of your own to share, please feel free to do so!

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