Career Goals?

What did your parents want for you? What do you want for the next generation? Let’s think for a minute.

It seems to me that the push in recent years is for young people to specialize. An interest in sports turns into a commitment to a travel team. High school course loads pile high with the “right” courses for competitive college admission. College students hone in on the majors that will get you recruited by the Fortune 500 companies, or over the hurdles into law or medical school. 

And then one day none of that makes any sense. 

I am currently furloughed, i.e. am a government employee who is not working or getting paid due to a lapse in funding for the federal government. And since it is week 3, doesn't look like it is going to end any time soon, and there are talks that we may not get paid - I figured I would offer my services in the meantime. 

Here’s the kicker:

My current job that I can't work right now is an Aerospace Engineer at NASA where I design and build instrumentation for spacecraft. I am not supposed to work with any company that does work with NASA if I keep my job. 

You’ve spent I-don’t-know-how-long-preparing for a specialized career, got the job, looked forward to career advancement, job security and…

Now what?

You have no work, a diminishing sense of job security, and you are prohibited from doing the specialized work you have trained to do.

This is not a hypothetical situation. These words were written by a real person who lives in our community and I am certain that this situation is not an isolated one. 

What would you do if this happened to you? (If it has happened to you - - I’m sorry.)

The next part of his post is where I get knocked for a loop. 

I fix EVERYTHING - I have experience in most things house related including multiple kitchen and bathroom remodels (framing, plumbing, electrical, drywall, cabinetry ect.) , wood working, metal work/ welding, fix vehicles/cars/ machines, electronic repair, appliance repair, computer repair, and probably most other things you can think of.

I also get hired for all types of photography including portraits and event photography. 

In addition I was trained at Arthur Murray as a full time ballroom dance instructor and teach occasionally. My specialty is west coast swing. 

If you have any questions, want photos, my resume, or my portfolio please reach out to me! Thanks for your consideration!

Perhaps I had assumed that an Aerospace Engineer was strictly a specialist. I was wrong. Do you have such a fascinating assortment of marketable skills? Honestly, it brought a smile in the midst of such truly disheartening news.

The young man who penned this appeal may be innately curious, the kind of person who loves to get his hands into new things. Or perhaps he had parental guidance along the way, encouraging him to develop a variety of interests. But his story reminded me that putting all your eggs in one basket may not be, as they say, “career goals.”

I don’t know this fellow in real life. He does not know me. He could not possibly have known that my grandfather, out of work during the Great Depression, taught Ballroom Dancing just to get by. (He later became a Special Agent for the IRS.)

That old saw about doing a bunch of activities because college admissions offices want to see a “well- rounded applicant” misses the point, I think. Encouraging young people to engage in more than one thing because they truly enjoy it fosters self esteem, supports mental health, and one day it just might pay the rent. 

If you think you might have some work for a furloughed neighbor, reach out to me and I’ll connect you. I have a feeling that we need to be on the lookout for other neighbors who are similarly in need but may find it difficult to ask for help. 

Village Green/Town² Comments