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Apr. 1st, 2003 11:13 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
jawnbcWanderlust
I’ve long held the opinion that expecting anyone to discern their life’s ambitions by age 18 is stoopid. And wholly unrealistic. Maybe because I was such a nutter at that age--though I thought I had my sh*& quite nicely bundled, thanks very much.
But I wrote the SATs and prepped essays and filled out applications and went to a uni. And flunked out. So went to another and didn’t and graduated with a BA in BS (aka Communications) from here. Go Great Lakers! But during senior year I was pretty panicked--most of my pals had a good sense of what they wanted to do for a job.
Me, I had no clue. I spent more time in the tavern than the library. Did I say that out loud?
One day a thought occurred to me: What if I didn’t figure it out until I was 30--I’d still do whatever “it” was for 35 years. Clear evidence of the sort of critical thinking skills one acquires doing a BA in Communications.
Whew!
So after grad I did the Europe backpacking thing, and decided that travelling was fun. So I sought a job that would allow me to travel, and worked in the travel industry for the next 10 years. Saw so much, did so much, really really milked it for everything I could. Fabulous. I owned a dresser a futon and a set of luggage.
And like clockwork, shortly after my 30th birfday I began to loathe it. I got very crabby, as did my employer. Ended up in court, ugly stuff. I also ended up in one of those “how to sort out your career issues in 3 weeks” courses. I went in with two demands:
+no more school
+no self-employment
And they told me to go back to school to become self-employed as an adult educator. Then the universe dropped a adult ed/vocational ed gig in my lap, teaching the travel agents of the future. I loved--and love--teaching, but what I gave up in the interim was my travel benefits. Wah!
So now....I still travel, but pay for it. And max out on the frequent flyer points to make some trips cheaper. Last year I went to Toronto, Ottawa, New York (thrice), Spain, France and San Francisco. This year’s plans include Cook Islands, Brisbane, Canberra, Perth (this weekend), Adelaide (to meet distant relations), San Francisco, Vancouver, New York and perhaps the UK. Plus moving to Sydney. I’d hoped to get to Vanuatu or New Caledonia too, but doesn’t seem likely now.
My life does not suck.
I’ve long held the opinion that expecting anyone to discern their life’s ambitions by age 18 is stoopid. And wholly unrealistic. Maybe because I was such a nutter at that age--though I thought I had my sh*& quite nicely bundled, thanks very much.
But I wrote the SATs and prepped essays and filled out applications and went to a uni. And flunked out. So went to another and didn’t and graduated with a BA in BS (aka Communications) from here. Go Great Lakers! But during senior year I was pretty panicked--most of my pals had a good sense of what they wanted to do for a job.
Me, I had no clue. I spent more time in the tavern than the library. Did I say that out loud?
One day a thought occurred to me: What if I didn’t figure it out until I was 30--I’d still do whatever “it” was for 35 years. Clear evidence of the sort of critical thinking skills one acquires doing a BA in Communications.
Whew!
So after grad I did the Europe backpacking thing, and decided that travelling was fun. So I sought a job that would allow me to travel, and worked in the travel industry for the next 10 years. Saw so much, did so much, really really milked it for everything I could. Fabulous. I owned a dresser a futon and a set of luggage.
And like clockwork, shortly after my 30th birfday I began to loathe it. I got very crabby, as did my employer. Ended up in court, ugly stuff. I also ended up in one of those “how to sort out your career issues in 3 weeks” courses. I went in with two demands:
+no more school
+no self-employment
And they told me to go back to school to become self-employed as an adult educator. Then the universe dropped a adult ed/vocational ed gig in my lap, teaching the travel agents of the future. I loved--and love--teaching, but what I gave up in the interim was my travel benefits. Wah!
So now....I still travel, but pay for it. And max out on the frequent flyer points to make some trips cheaper. Last year I went to Toronto, Ottawa, New York (thrice), Spain, France and San Francisco. This year’s plans include Cook Islands, Brisbane, Canberra, Perth (this weekend), Adelaide (to meet distant relations), San Francisco, Vancouver, New York and perhaps the UK. Plus moving to Sydney. I’d hoped to get to Vanuatu or New Caledonia too, but doesn’t seem likely now.
My life does not suck.
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Wanderlust
Date: 2003-04-01 09:12 am (UTC)I got into bicycle racing which I did for 9 yrs. After a 12 yr hiatus from art because of racism (which still exists) I went back to finish my BFA and MFA.
I got into teaching by accident because several K12 teachers said they thought I would be great at it. Well, I've been doing it parttime since 1994 and I'm not so sure about being great. I have had some good experiences but there is frustration as well.
My art these days, well... I had some good shows in the 90s but since I got my MFA, locals (gallerists) look at my work and say nothing. Without a way to recoop the expenses of large-scale expensive works I haven't done much art. ($800 for 2 digital photos, h40xw60 in.) My last few exhibitions were of drawings. A donated one was purchased for the anti-gay ordinance law that was on the ballot in Miami that was purchased.
I still call myself an artist and am working on an ongoing project along the St. Lucie River. Been using that term since 1966.