So my wife Jenny will be graduating from MATC's Sign Language Interpreter program next Thursday, and I'm so proud of her. I really hope our kids inherit her love of school, I certainly don't want them taking after their deadbeat father. What amazes me is her desire to make a difference in people's lives, to provide a service that is sorely needed and frequently overlooked in our society.
I never once considered that in my choice of career, even in the childhood dreams of Fighter Pilot or whatever, not once did I consider what effect my job would have on other people. I wanted to fly planes (ironic now, considering my ever-increasing fear of flying), not because it would benefit my country or anything, but because it would be cool and make me lots of money. My thoughts were typical, how much will I make, and how much will I enjoy it. Usually the one being proportional to the other, (I.E. the more I get paid, the more crap I'll put up with).
I'm hoping that Jenny will also find herself one of those people who truly love what they do for a living, unlike the vast majority of us. Don't get me wrong, I have no one to blame but myself if I don't like my career choice, the power is in my hands to change it. I feel that power diminishes every year I get older, but there's no saying I can't up and change my life at thirty-four.
This sucks, I'm trying to write about my awesome wife, and I keep digressing into my own career pitfalls. Anyway, I really can't wait to see how well she does in her chosen profession, and I wish for her all the happiness and success of doing a job as rewarding as interpreting for the deaf. I know I'm extremely proud of the person she is, and I'll be cheering the loudest next week when she's walking across the stage. Although I may just yell "TAKE IT OFF!" and get kicked out.
Happy Birthday, Antonio Bay
1 day ago
Congrats to Jenny. I too finish at MATC (again) next week. I wish I could say my chosen field was as altruistic as Jenny's, but of course it isn't. I'm not doing the two-plus hour uncomfortable sit downtown though. We did that with Vicki a few years ago, and having to make the kids suffer through that was not worth it, even she agreed.
ReplyDeleteDon't beat your self up too much about where you are. You have had a more or less stable job for the last 15+ years. You know that a lot of people can't handle that? My advice, for as much as it is worth, is to find something you want to learn about, not necessarily for the benefit of an increased paycheck. You will find you are far more motivated to keep going back to school.
On a side note, can you believe, Amber graduated from college this year! Holy crap, I feel old. BS in Chemistry-Criminal / Criminal Justice.
I hope you DID yell "take it off!"-Kara
ReplyDeleteBig talk coming from someone who couldn't even bother to show up, Mrs. K.
ReplyDelete