[Note from the Proprietor: My good friend Joanna Young invited me to guest post this month over at Confident Writing on the topic of Experimentation, specifically with regards to writing. Well, color me intrigued! So I decided to respond by trying an experiment of my own.
You know what a progressive dinner is, don't you? It's where every course is served at a different house, and you have to go from place to place to get the whole meal. Got the picture? Well, this post is a similar experiment. Except, of course, with y'know, words instead of munchies. Hey, at least it's guaranteed low-calorie!
The theme is Dead Ends, and this is, as it says right up there in the title, Part 1 of a 3 part series. Part 2 will be posted over at Scrambled Toast, the other place I write on occasion. Then, I'll wrap up the set with Part 3 over at Confident Writing. So although each post is more-or-less a standalone article, you won't get confused irritated the full benefit of my wisdom astuteness aimless ramblings unless you stop by all three places.
OK; ya got it? When you finish this post, don't forget to follow the links to get, as Paul Harvey would've said, "the rest of the story".]
______________________________
Many moons ago, I sorta fell into my chosen profession. (Actually, tripped into it is more like it – but let’s not go there; at least, not today.) In truth, it wasn’t where I was heading. At least, not at the time. In fact, it really was almost an accident.
In a Quandary
As a second-year student at Texas A&M University, I was doing somewhat, er, “less than stellar” (e.g. terrible). I mean, Chemistry class was ridiculous, the math courses were eating my lunch, and I had no idea what my English professor wanted (I’ll have to tell you that story some other time; it’s a corker).
By this time, I was in a general funk about the whole school thing anyway. Finally, in frustration I decided to withdraw from school for a semester or so and regroup, if you know what I mean. But I didn’t want to go back home; I mean, I had absolutely no desire to go back to living in my parents’ house. I’d had my taste of freedom, so to speak, and wanted to stay in the town of College Station (where A&M is) and remain on my own.
So the real question was how to manage it? There I was, with virtually no marketable job skills that I could think of, and yet still somehow had to figure out a way to make a living. Unfortunately, up until then I pretty much had nothing but an odd-jobs kinda background: minor jobs in fast food joints, a short run as a Fuller brush salesman (it involved selling door to door), a few months in a movie house concession stand – y’know; stuff like that.
Sheesh; talk about reality rearing up its ugly head – and biting you in the butt!
Reality Bites
Nevertheless, I was determined to make it on my own somehow. So with nearly the last of my miniscule bank account, I rented an affordable (as in cheap!) apartment in College Station, then tried to come up with a way to pay for it.
First thing, of course, was to find a roommate. Luckily, that turned out to be easier than I thought. See, in a college town, there’s pretty much no shortage of hopefuls looking to share living expenses. So as I said, no problem there.
Next, I had to find a job that paid as much more than minimum wage as I could find. Unfortunately, in a college town, this is the real problem. Texas A&M University had at the time nearly 25,000 students, and it seemed like every one of them was competing with me for any possible job in town, no matter what it might happen to be. Needless to say, pickings were somewhat slim.
A Call From Out of the Blue
One day, though, I got a call from the brother of a friend of mine. It seemed that he owned a home-building company right there in College Station. He’d heard from my parents that I was looking for work, and so he offered me a job as a carpenter’s helper.
Wow, talk about a miracle! How many times have you ever had someone look you up with the specific intent to offer you a job?
Naturally, I jumped at it. I mean, there I was with virtually no job skills, and had the chance to get started in what could be a great career as a carpenter. After all, my grandfather had been a carpenter, so it was sorta in the family tradition, right?
Well, I went to work, and spent most of that winter doing all sorts of things. Installing fireplaces in existing homes, installing trim molding in new homes, and various and other sundry things. Along the way, though, I came to a very important conclusion: In spite of the opportunity that had been offered me, this job was nothing more than a dead-end.
A Dead Ended Job
Now, don’t get me wrong; I’m not saying being a carpenter, nor even a carpenter’s helper, is a dead end. No, what I’m saying is, it was a dead end for me.
I don’t even know if I can explain it. All I knew is that there was something… well, for want of a better term, different, “out there” me. I had no idea what it might be; I just knew that if I stayed where I was, I would never reach my full potential, whatever that might be. Like I said, it wasn’t something I could actually put into words. I just sorta knew.
So I finally came to a difficult decision, swallowed my pride and moved back home for a few months (sound of terrified scream). My dad and I had a little “talk”, and among other things, let me know that there were several engineering firms in Houston that were hiring entry level drafters.
Well, since I had no better ideas, I figured what the heck; might as well give it a try. Besides, it paid quite a bit more than minimum wage. Kinda hard to argue with that one, if you know what I mean. I mean, a fella’s gotta eat, you know!
An Open Ended Job
Anyway, I went to the firm and applied for a job, and to my everlasting amazement, they hired me! Go figure! Well, I started work, and the rest, as they say, is history. That was 1974, and 34 years later, I’m still in the engineering field.
The difference was, this particular job had a path of growth that truly fit me, with lots of different directions I could choose along the way, too. In fact, even now, there is still even greater potential for me out there. I just know it.
Again, please don’t get me wrong. I’m not regaling you with this story as a way to brag. I’m just sayin’ that if I hadn’t been willing to reconsider – to stop and seriously think about where I wanted to go in life – well Bubba, I’m fairly certain that I would probably have been pretty unhappy, I’ll tell ya!
So What About You?
Have you ever looked around and found yourself in a dead end? Someplace you just knew led pretty much nowhere – for you? (Please note; I’m not just talking about jobs here. It could be other things too.) What was it? What was it like? How did you find your way out? (I’m gonna go out on a limb and assume you did find your way out somehow.)
And now for the $64,498,210 question: Are you in one now?
___________________________
This is part 1 of a 3 part writing experiment inspired by my friend Joanna Young of Confident Writing. Looking for the rest of this experimental blog series? Just follow these links:
Dead Ends, Part 1 (You’re already here, Silly!)
Dead Ends, Part 2 (at Scrambled Toast)
Dead Ends, Part 3 (at Confident Writing)
___________________________
Photo credits:
Easy to see why it’s a “Dead End”, by ~Sage~
moving out of the blue, by zen
___________________________
Hey, I’ve got a question I’d like to ask you.
Middle Zone Musings is a comfortable place to stop, have a cup of coffee, swap a few stories and share practical ideas for the real world. I don't ask for much, just a bit of your brain every now and then. Have a seat, take a load off, and relax...
