I often think or blog about jobs I would rather be doing. I also really enjoy reading the the employment classifieds in the newspaper and searching online job boards. Let it be noted: I enjoy my current occupation. It’s a hobby to look for other jobs, rather than an actual motivation to find a different salaried livelihood. Discovering interesting job roles is an everyday thought trail for me. It’s an addiction to learning ”Someone does that for a living?!?”
For instance, our community library has a program called Paws to Read, which is described as, “Children who may be reluctant readers are invited to read to Marley, a trained therapy poodle. The activity can help young ones improve their reading skills and self-confidence.” Reading about this program leads me to thinking about the person who trains Marley the therapy poodle to sit and listen to “Goodnight Moon” or “If you give a Mouse a Cookie” twenty times a day. This is someone’s job, maybe not their full-time job, but part of their occupation includes creating a useful poodle (which is actually a pretty difficult task when I think about).
Or consider Felix Batista, an employee highlighted on NPR this morning who makes a living as a kidnapping consultant. How does one get into this field? (Although, apprently he didn’t perform his job very well, today’s CNN article about this fellow headlined: Anti-kidnapping consultant kidnapped in Mexico). Or Nathan Sawaya, who earns six figures annually as a lego brick artist. For an excellent read, check out this McSweeney’s article featuring interviews with people who have interesting and unusual jobs. It ranges from a cruise ship pianist, a snowmaker, a marijuana lobbyist, a crayon pigment factory worker, a movie extra, a sperm bank donor worker, a bingo caller, a research coordinator studying how people fall in order to prevent falls in older people, (daily job consisting of: recruiting subjects, and then knocking people over), and many more colorful career choices.
I believe my consistent job searching displays my curiosity, rather than a lack of satisfaction in my current setting (the nagging ”the grass is always greener” syndrome). I have a variety of interests and skills, and because of this I’m inquisivitive about the different job settings where these skills could be used. In high school our senior class participated in the SAT job assessment survey, to evaluate what occupation best fit our abilities and interests. After the individual appraisal each student received a numbered outcome that correlated to a specific profession. I received the number “999″, this number matched to the livelihood “Other”. Other?? The test proctor informed me my job interests and skills were so varied that I was relegated to a lifetime of employment in the world of “other”. I didn’t receive much direction from my guidance counselor either. Since I was valedictorian of my class it was assumed I would do well in whatever field I chose to occupy myself. I had interests in several disciplines, and without clear direction, my “other” classification led to the ambiguous land feared by all parents called “undeclared major.”
During that same time in high school, a television program aired on NBC titled “The Pretender”. It featured Jarod, a child prodigy, who was abducted and raised by a think tank called The Centre. Jarod’s abductors trained him to be a “Pretender”, someone who could integrate himself into any walk of life. As an adult, Jarod escaped The Center and disguised himself in each new episode by taking on a different occupation. One week he was a doctor, the next he was a coffee barista, and during sweeps week he worked as a magician while also tracking down a vampire serial killer (I never said the show was practical). From my unconstructive vocational vantage point, I watched with jealousy as Jarod unrealistically lived out the ideal lifestyle to an “999-Other” like myself . As an adult, I’ve carved out a somewhat similar professional lifestyle. Since graduating, I’ve occupied myself as a wilderness trip leader, a case manager in social services, a nanny, and now a marketing coordinator at a digital ad agency.
After graduating from Taylor University I was frustrated that I didn’t know what I wanted “to do”– as in, pick an occupation and devote myself to it for life. There’s only one thing more sinful than leaving TU without an MRS degree, and that’s not specifying your God-given “calling”. I was a psychology major, but I would love to be anything from a cake decorator (seriously) to a police officer. My frustration led to sincere panic that I was the only 21-year-old college graduate with no specified job path and confusion about my future. From my now oh-so-knowledgable 26-year-old viewpoint, my predicament was not so surprising or unusual. I represent one of many Agent 999s, the “Others” of my generation, the misunderstood job seekers to all Baby Boomers who have devoted their entire lives to one profession.
I enjoy learning the niche skills that are required with career changes. With emerging technologies and ever-changing employment industries, new skill sets will constantly need to be acquired by future job-seekers. As to what I should take on next: hmmm, maybe a professional shoe throwing bodyguard??
