Careers....

There's some statistic (or "expert" out there somewhere) that says the average adult will have 7 careers in his or her lifetime. Not jobs...careers.

I guess I'm below average. I haven't really had that many careers.

I worked as a sort-of secretary while I was in college.

When I graduated, I stayed on at the same job. For about $4.08 an hour. With a college degree. Gimme a large personal break.

Then I became a medical transcriptionist at the vet school. Not much more money, but I learned to type like a fiend. And when I got all the day's transcriptions done (they came in on a machine in our office......there were two of us, and we really didn't have to interact with the outside world at all), I could sit and read or cross stitch or talk on the phone.

Then I moved upstairs to become a senior secretary (which was actually the lowest position in the office, go figure) in large animal medicine. There were two of us for a faculty of about 22. The other girl in the office was a bee-atch, and I hope she reads this. (Forgive me, but she really was not nice. I went home with a migraine one time, and she told a freakin' FACULTY MEMBER that I had Alzheimer's.......I had forgotten I had a job. Funny, I haven't had migraines since I left that job.)

I had always said I wouldn't be a teacher because they didn't make enough money. Helllllllllllloooooooooo? I was making $5.00 an hour WITH a college degree? And I didn't get to take the summer off? I didn't even DO drugs! What could have happened to my brain?

That was when I decided to go to graduate school (another thing I said I wouldn't do) and get my teaching certificate. My daughter was 6 months old, so working and going to school wasn't easy. I went to work for my mother (sigh) as a secretary/envelope stuffer/receptionist. But she paid me full-time even when I didn't work full-time, and for that I'm grateful. I think she even paid me when I was doing my student teaching in another county. AND she took my daughter to daycare. AND she kept her on the occasional weekend. Thanks, Mom, just in case I haven't told you lately how much you helped me out when I decided to grow up and get a real job.

I've been teaching for 23 years now, and I really don't know how that's possible.

But I'm guessing there won't be any additional careers for me. Except retiree.