On the note of coaching, and jobs in general, Dad is pretty unhappy about my lack of a "real job." He's been dogging me about this since freshman year, after which I lifeguarded for a summer. My work history since then has been as follows:
Sophomore: TA with the CSC department (unemployed for summer)
Junior: Co-op with Sony Ericsson, TA with CSC dept., Community Assistant @ Lee Hall (unemployed for summer)
Senior: Co-op with Sony Ericsson (swim coach during summer)
I've wanted his approval for so long, and I haven't really gotten it at any point...at least not visibly. I didn't hear a word when I worked the "realest" job of the above, the one with Sony Ericsson. Not until my term was over, when he (almost) immediately started pressing me to get another job, with a different company just to get a feel for the field, and, to him, I was closed-minded for going back to Sony Ericsson to work a second term. Overall, I had a pretty good experience at Sony Ericsson, but something tells me that I'm going to hate working in a cubicle farm environment for a more extended period of time.
For awhile, I've aspired to be a teacher, but I put that on the back burner (probably for approval reasons) after Dad decided that it wasn't good enough (more on that later). Same reason why I majored in Aerospace Engineering and then in Computer Science (although I'm actually enjoying the CSC curriculum). I've been a lab instructor for several semesters (and will be again this coming fall), and a community assistant for two semesters. I've enjoyed both of those jobs, and I enjoy the coaching job I have right now. Interacting with people is something that I really love, and, for me, it's important that I have a positive impact on them, which, along with the example set for me by the extraordinary math teacher Bud Stuart, who made me better at something at which I was already pretty good and enjoyed; swim coaches Rusty, Chris, and Eric, who caused me to become good at and enjoy something that I initially hated; and my first Ultimate coach, Herndon, who made me good at something at which I sucked but still enjoyed, was what drew me to teaching and, more recently, coaching.
Dad says that he knows that I hate him every time he talks about wanting me to get a "real job," and that's not exactly the truth...I don't hate him for saying it...I know he means well, but I just hate being in the situation where my choices are
- to silently listen to it and know that I'm not going to actually follow through and do what he says and eventually end up hearing it again,
- to listen to him and get a job that I won't enjoy, or
- to tell him what I really want to do and weather the violent reaction.
So I'll end the victim rant there. It's my future and I appreciate advice, but I shouldn't have to follow all of it for the sake of approval.
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