________ (insert your name),
he's a ____________."
Obviously the last one is your occupation.
Why does it matter?
Does it really define who you are?
Does it state what you contribute to society?
Or is it simply another way to sort, file and label.
To determine where you or I fit in the predetermined
ranks of society?
This last year has been alot of discovery.
The discovery of mom and dad type relationships.
What defines me (your actions, words are cheap).
Self appointed titles, and the society ranking
of your worth according to the importance of your job.
I have a job.
Actually I have alot of jobs. Is there a priority?
If so, I don't think the job/career comes before alot
of other things. And people often change careers, well
I guess some insensitive people can change families too.
I'm a father, and not the one that is always gone except
for one day on the weekend. A husband. The MacGyver-ish
home repair guy. Self landscaper. Interior decorator.
Novice home remodeler. Bicycle advocate. Co-op nonprofit
artist. Photographer. Bicycle commuter. Active community
citizen. Friend. Crappy advice giver. Beginner cook. There's
alot of titles to own up to. But my job truely does not
define who I am, or what I'm about.
The job fills an income void, since I don't make money
riding a bike or taking photos. And I don't want to make
money on a bike because it's a selfish stress reliever that
I enjoy. And it keeps me balanced and alive. The job pays the
mortgage and bills, and for now, allows enough time to spend
with the little ones as they grow up. The reassurance is knowing
there's alot of us out there that don't feel our jobs define us.
Society as a whole continues to push a higher education, while
marginalizing trade schools. When the economy completely tanks,
that BA in management is worthless. The guy who's a licensed
electrician? He'll always have a job. Day trader? Middle management?
When you walk out the door, what's your skill? What abilities,
not pieces of paper, do you have?
One highlight during the holidays is the get together with family.
Add a fire and drinks and the conversations go everywhere.
A good one was the fall of education over the last three
decades and the thought that in the 60's most teachers were
women. But as women entered the other parts of the work force
in the 70's, the smartest women went into corporate careers
leaving a vacuum in the education field. While you cannot dismiss
teachers as a whole, there are alot of great teachers being
pulled back by mediocre ones.
Add to that the push for higher education. High schools reporting
how many students go onto college - but not how many actually
complete and graduate. And when you do graduate, with a ridiculous
debt load, a degree and no job. That's no way to start your new
and independant life. Alot of graduates end up back home for a while.
I have no poignant conclusion. Just an observation.
I'm just a father, husband, bicyclist, and guy who tries
to define his life with actions.
What is the title you choose?
And what is the title you seem to be given?
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