49erdweet started me thinking about how our jobs define us, as he outlined his career path or phases of life in a blog article. I thought it might be interesting to followup his article with one that outlined my career path, if you can call it that.
The unfortunate thing about my life is there have been so many small jobs and times when I have done more than one thing at a time it is hard to define what really defines me at any time in my life. I was not even sure that my jobs related to the definition of me, and I am still not sure. Then I came up with the best way to describe my life / career path that did not portray me as self serving, although I admit to a large degree in choosing my life path I was being self serving.
My life up to a point could be best described as the accidental life.
The semi goal oriented phase
In my early years I wanted to go into youth ministries (a surprise to some I am sure) To that end I worked as a camp counsellor for 3 summers as a teen. I worked part time at a daycare run by the Methodist church in Barrie Then in my last year of highschool I did a short placement at the Barrie Banner newspaper as I entered the “I want to be a journalist phase” In this journalist phase I even went to Loyalist Community College for just over a year and dropped out for several reasons the main one being I was getting so bored that I wasn’t bothering to do the work. (And I had one of my first serious failed relationships) I have always been interested in photography so I went on to try Advertising at Georgian College again that did not interest me. I became so disillusioned with education that I decided screw this I will just take things as they come.
The no goal or floating years phase
So I got into cleaning (buildings) which sounds boring but enabled me to earn money so that I could travel one month out of every year . Basically started to float between vacations saving every nickel so I could take that all important trip to Europe or Egypt or Israel.(14 years - 10 or more trips overseas)
The epiphany !
I woke up ! I noticed I was travelling but really going no where. I didn’t have a life, life had me. I had been telling everyone that one day I was going to go back to school and finish a program maybe even university. However I was almost 34 and the likelihood of going to university was getting slimmer and slimmer. So with the money I saved for my next big trip and having developed a loathing for my life I decided just for the hell of it to apply to university. I chose something I thought would be interesting and that was to work toward a career as a history teacher starting with a history BA. I sent out applications to four universities and was accepted at all of them I chose the one farthest from home and applied for student loans,
I spent 4.5 years studying history in the coop program at the university of Ottawa and graduated Cum Laude with an honours degree and some how acquired a wife along the rout.
I was out of work for two months and then was picked up by a the Canadian government full time as a policy analyst and have been here ever since. (4 years)
Conclusion
Did any of these Jobs define me, does my current job do so, not really, and I have left out all the part time stuff I have done on rout. (Cadet instructor, construction worker, carpet layer, carpet cleaner, printing press operator, part time photography instructor, Fridge delivery person, mover etc.... and a million volunteer things) What defines me is me. If I have any real goals It is to be the best I can be in any situation I find myself and since I headed back to school in the nineties I think I have done that.
Welcome to my accidental life.
1 comment:
An interesting and gut-checking post, Bill. In my view none of your 'career path' was truly "accidental", but then I could be wrong - couldn't I?
My favorite thing about government work in Cali was how easy it was to change jobs by "promoting" or "transferring". I almost had as many different jobs with the state as I had in private life, beforehand, except that now it was with the same "employer" (but not boss). I pray you (and Q) are also able to utilize that perquisite within the CA gov't. if you choose to do so.
It is interesting to me that we share another common trait - we are both easily bored! I, too, suffered fools and stupidity poorly, and often began looking to 'move on' quite early in the game once I realized the dead-endnesses of a given situation or position. I always kept my word and left all jobs (exept one impossible situation) with good recommendations, but it often took quite a bit of grit to do so.
My only advise (as I slowly stroke my chin whiskers) is to strive to keep your communication channels with supervisors and bosses open when you decide to move on or up, no matter how hard that is to do - or how much you have to 'swallow'. Some of my most interesting opportunities afterwards came via former employers or supervisors who remembered me favorably after an absence.
Cheers.
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