Twenty-Something Dream Jobs
What's your dream job? I have asked this question many times among twenty-somethings, and love the responses. Sometimes saddened by the lack of response, but when pushed just a tad usually twenty-somethings open up to perfect strangers about what their dream job is better than to their own parents.
We just got home from the American Heart Association Capital Area Heart Ball, raising money for research in heart and stroke care. We sat around a table with doctors and bankers and enjoyed everyone's company and stories. My radar went to the sad eyes of the banker parents of their twenty-something year old children, where two out of the four children are heading to California to "find their life." Not bad, just different from the college-job-live track, and it is obviously bothering the parents. The college-job-live track is a hot topic in our household and breathes insight to flaws in mainstream American education.
But it is just funny to me, because I picked up a book in the library this week, "Should I Do What I Love? (or do what I do-so I can do what I love on the side)". I haven't read it yet so I cannot defend or deny its integrity, but I was intrigued with the title and outline. I actually grabbed the book so I would know how to respond when the twenty-somethings tell me their dream job, perhaps lend a story or hand them a copy of the book if it turns out to be an inspiring read. To my surprise, chapters named "The Aspiring Gamer" and "The Aspiring Rock Star" hit our home!
One of the bankers said he just met Walter Scheib, executive chef from the Clinton administration. That he basically worked as a cook and worked his way to executive chef, and Hilary Clinton found him at a resort and was so impressed with his work that she brought him to the white house. Working your way up to the top on your own, along with the sacrifices held within the work, is a far thought from many American college students. Sucked into a trap of needing to name and claim a major and get trained does not always come with gold-star job in the end. So we went in and out of the typical stories of how after two degrees, someone goes to bartender school and makes more money than what the degrees trained for. Nothing wrong with being a bartender, but you certainly don't need a college degree to do so!
I can say the conversations were very timely, and the best speaker was the heart attack survivor who gave his story after having a VF arrest while jogging with his 7 month old son. Now his 7 year old son and family have their dad and husband back, and he is counting his days with gratefulness rather than his years in success.
What is your definition of success? And what is your dream job?
We just got home from the American Heart Association Capital Area Heart Ball, raising money for research in heart and stroke care. We sat around a table with doctors and bankers and enjoyed everyone's company and stories. My radar went to the sad eyes of the banker parents of their twenty-something year old children, where two out of the four children are heading to California to "find their life." Not bad, just different from the college-job-live track, and it is obviously bothering the parents. The college-job-live track is a hot topic in our household and breathes insight to flaws in mainstream American education.
But it is just funny to me, because I picked up a book in the library this week, "Should I Do What I Love? (or do what I do-so I can do what I love on the side)". I haven't read it yet so I cannot defend or deny its integrity, but I was intrigued with the title and outline. I actually grabbed the book so I would know how to respond when the twenty-somethings tell me their dream job, perhaps lend a story or hand them a copy of the book if it turns out to be an inspiring read. To my surprise, chapters named "The Aspiring Gamer" and "The Aspiring Rock Star" hit our home!
One of the bankers said he just met Walter Scheib, executive chef from the Clinton administration. That he basically worked as a cook and worked his way to executive chef, and Hilary Clinton found him at a resort and was so impressed with his work that she brought him to the white house. Working your way up to the top on your own, along with the sacrifices held within the work, is a far thought from many American college students. Sucked into a trap of needing to name and claim a major and get trained does not always come with gold-star job in the end. So we went in and out of the typical stories of how after two degrees, someone goes to bartender school and makes more money than what the degrees trained for. Nothing wrong with being a bartender, but you certainly don't need a college degree to do so!
I can say the conversations were very timely, and the best speaker was the heart attack survivor who gave his story after having a VF arrest while jogging with his 7 month old son. Now his 7 year old son and family have their dad and husband back, and he is counting his days with gratefulness rather than his years in success.
What is your definition of success? And what is your dream job?
Comments
Post a Comment