Do As I Say, Not As I Did

I had to go back to my first posting to kind of get my bearings back on the ol' blog.  That being said, a little bit of advice to my younger friends....

A long long time ago I was in high school.  I was just an average student, maybe a little above.  As they do in high school, they eventually got around to asking me what I thought I wanted to do with my life.  I told them I wanted to teach high school history.  To this day I remember what Dale Hayman, my high school guidance councilor told me.  "Take it from a history teacher, you'll never find a job".  I'm sure he thought he was doing the right thing, but what a pompous little man.  And I was a fool for listening to him.  I ended up drifting through college, graduated with my history degree, but not my else.  Should have gotten the teaching degree.

I am a mailman.  I got very lucky finding a job that enabled me to help support my family.  The benefits and schedule and vacation time has enabled me to enjoy my children, see America and to be able to see a pretty good retirement on the horizon.  But it is just a job.  It is boring.  There is really not much thinking involved, basically just the same thing day after day.  At least I don't hate it.  I get to interact with different customers (for good or bad) everyday, and I am outside quite a bit, so there are some things to be said for it.  And as for being something that was just temporary for me, it's too late to change now.

Which leads me to the points I want to make.  Everyday I see people trudging to their jobs in various offices and stores.  I talk to people that really hate what they are doing.  They don't want to be there.   Now I understand that sometimes you need to do what you need to do.  Good jobs are hard to come by.  That being said, I would suggest that you had better find something to do that you enjoy doing.  If you are indeed lucky, you will be doing it for 35 or 40 years--or more!  It is a long time.  Your life will most likely be happier earning a living doing something you like. 

So do some research, then listen to yourself.  If you want to teach, teach.  Be a banker, a chef, a salesman, a doctor, a plumber or soldier.  Do whatever YOU want to do.  Work at it, stay with it--you will be successful.  But try to do something you'll be happy doing.  May be one of the secrets of life......