Anyway. My branch president when I was still in the Single's Branch used to ask "what do you want to be when you grow up". It took getting that question several times before I understood what he was talking about. A job is what you do to pay the bills. A career is what you do the rest of your life to support your family and maybe even find a little fulfilment. See, what I do now pays well. In fact, if I started teaching at a public school tomorrow, I'd have to take a severe pay cut. There is an insurance plan (though starting July 1, it will really suck) and a 401K. So, this could be a career. But not for me. I know enough about myself that I couldn't do this job forever. In fact, I'll be lucky if I make it the next two years. It's a job that is pretty easy (for me, anyway) but doesn't receive any kind of respect. Anyone on the medical side of things (doctors, nurses, care assistants, etc) have nothing but contempt for the people in admissions. They think we're terrible, lazy, stupid people; until they need us to do something they can't. It doesn't matter how hard you work or how much you help out or how nice you are, you will never get respect from most people.
So, eventually I'll move on.
A couple of years ago my wife and I were talking about career options and going back to school, and we decided to send her back first. Going from a Patient Care Tech (think nurse assistant) to a full RN would double her salary. And she could do it in two years or less. For me, I would have to go to school for four years, and, if I became a teacher, get paid substantially less money. I'm glad we made that decision for quite a few reasons. We will get out of debt much faster than we would have, and with entering a traveling nurse program, she would make double the starting nurse salary AND our housing would be covered the whole time. So, lots of money to save towards a future house.
My plans are to do online classes during the two years of traveling so I'd be ready to enter a elementary education program at whatever university we end up near.
That all sounds good, but right now, I'm so freaking bored. I go to work for five days, get two off, go back, and on and on. It's boring the snot out of me, and I know it's not going to get better anytime soon. I feel like I'm stagnating in many ways.
So, this is my tentative game plan, feel free to comment or make suggestions:
- One of the things I have been interested in is learning to draw, paint, sketch, whatever. I figured the cheapest and easiest way to get a start on that and figure out if I like art is to try to learn to draw. Next month is my birthday and I asked my parents for a gift card to Half-Priced Books (aka Half-Priced HEAVEN!) and will pick up a book to teach me to draw.
- I also wanted to see if I could learn the guitar. I played the trombone throughout school, and really enjoyed the experience, but the trombone is just not one of those things you can sit at home and do alone. You need a band, and I'm just not into that. The guitar you can do alone, and I think it would be fun. So I might see if my mom still has her old guitar she hasn't touched in years and get one of those guitar playing for dummies things and take a crack at it.
- I need to start writing again. I feel now that I don't know enough to spend my time writing novels, so I want to work on short stories again.
- I really need to do my home teaching.
- At church I'm a membership clerk, but with my work schedule I haven't really done much with it this year. The guy that does most the work has taken ill lately so I've been asked to step it up a little. So I'll work on that.
That's it right now. Comments below :)
4 comments:
I am glad you are finding some things you are interested in and are going to persue them. I think you should go with the piano since we have a keyboard at your moms that belongs to me and Meghann has claimed the guitar. Good luck getting it from her.
I suggest you help your wife weed the yard and mow the grass. That would keep you less bored and help your wife immensely. I'm all for you writing more, doing your home teaching, and working on your calling. I love you.
Okay, here's my advice...take it or leave it. I don't like to make arbitrary goals such as learn to do something or do a certain task more often. I find that if I do that, I never feel fulfilled and I never feel like I've accomplished anything. I've got to have something concrete to work towards. And I've got to give myself time limits too or I'll never get it done. Like right now, I'm just learning to play the piano. I've been in the same beginners book for the past year and a half. I mean, I'm learning but it's just at the slowest pace known to man.
So anyways, go you! Find something you love to do and go at it with a vengeance! Arrrggg!!!
Em, if I learn the piano, they'll expect me to play at church.
Rhia, good advice, I'll try to give myself some concrete and specific goals once I get started and resport my success/failure on the blog.
I have to agree, we really don't have a lot of respect for the folks in admitting. It must be universal. It's not reflection on you as a person, I suspect it's just universal thing that I've observed in every single hospital. My hat's off to you for working in that position. I'd never do it. Not in a million years.
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