Joy and Austin: Switzerland to the Backwoods of Arkansas

[NotQuiteMotY]

All of this, so much. I majored in English, worked as a proofreader for several years, then left to be a SAHM. I've always wanted to either write or edit, if not be a librarian, but I've never liked anything enough to submit it for publishing and both the library and editorial fields are shrinking. I always wanted to be a mom, but doing that now I'm not enjoying it as much as I thought I would.

So... Now what?

[Audrey2]

I'm really enjoying this thread drift, so I want to incorporate it with a different thread- the Dillard Thread.

I know several on that thread have insisted that Derrick must go back to work an use his accounting degree. As several of you on this thread have mentioned, you tried using your degree and were miserable. This makes me wonder about Derrick's degree. Did he always want to do mission work but was talked into an Accounting degree to fall back on (I know of parents who do this- if I'm helping to pay for college, you need a degree you can use)? Did he declare his major as a First Year, then later decide he wanted to be a missionary, but was close enough to his degree that he didn't want to waste his time? Or, after he came back from Nepal, did he decide to use his accounting degree and then discover how much he actually hates doing accounting professionally? I agree he needs to do something that will support his family, but I'm less convinced it needs to be accounting.

[cascarones]

1 minute ago, NotQuiteMotY said:

I've always wanted to either write or edit, if not be a librarian, but I've never liked anything enough to submit it for publishing and both the library and editorial fields are shrinking. I always wanted to be a mom, but doing that now I'm not enjoying it as much as I thought I would.

So... Now what?

That's one of the things that drifts across my mind in the wee hours of the night. I had a novel under option and was so, so thrilled, over the moon, happy dance thrilled. The publishing company went out of business and I just...stopped.

Stopped writing, stopped imagining, just shut that part off for awhile. It took time, but I write again now, but am even more hesitant about sharing it with others than I was before. 

Embrace the in between stages, the time in the tunnel that never looks like the light is getting closer. It's where the magic happens.

[rainbowbabycakes]

On 6/14/2017 at 4:04 AM, WhatWouldJohnCrichtonDo? said:

In my childhood, some stores had signs that said, "No shirt, no shoes, no service". A reaction to "hippie culture" I suppose?

Now it makes me think of Mickey Mouse!

  Reveal hidden contents

 

 

they did in my area too, but I still went plenty of places with bare feet, lol, even as a teenager/adult... It was especially easy when wide leg pants (think JNCOs) were in style

[Daisy0322]

I understand the whole not knowing what you want to do when you grow up. I know I want to do something that helps people and I just really want to make people feel special and cared for while in a job that challenges me to keep learning. I recently graduated with a degree in respiratory therapy and I think I'm close to what I want but that's not it. I have so many patients I don't get a real true connection with many of them. 

[rainbowbabycakes]

18 hours ago, lolo3300 said:

Live in Texas and you need to have at least flip flops on when you go in public places

As an adult, my feet aren't what they used to be, but I spent my childhood running around Houston in bare feet- when it was so hot we were scraping asphalt off of the road with sticks and throwing it at each other, lol

Sticks, rocks, stickers, not a big deal... glass sucked, but I've certainly stepped on my fair share

[missaudrey]

I feel really lucky in that I've know what I wanted to do since I was 7! Didn't stop me from having a mid teen crisis. I had decided to go to go abroad to study Viking History, but the fear of moving away combined with other things completely knocked me off balance. Its 5 years later now and I'm starting to get back on my feet. I'm actually leaving to study abroad (only an hour by plane) in September (Medieval History!). I still alternate between extreme terror and utter excitement when I think of it, but at least I now know how to cope with the negative thoughts.

Through all of this, one of the worst things has been seeing everyone else move on with their lives while I've been stuck at home. Most of the people I went to school with are graduating this year, and I haven't even been to college. I'm really finding comfort in the stories you are all sharing - makes me feel like I'm not alone in not really being where I want to be yet. We'll get there!

[sansan]

2 hours ago, rainbowbabycakes said:

As an adult, my feet aren't what they used to be, but I spent my childhood running around Houston in bare feet- when it was so hot we were scraping asphalt off of the road with sticks and throwing it at each other, lol

Sticks, rocks, stickers, not a big deal... glass sucked, but I've certainly stepped on my fair share

Oh wow bringing back memories, ran everywhere in the summer as a kid in Houston. If you stood still your feet would almost stick, not kidding. As soon as I started caring about how I looked, shoes! Never let my kids leave the house without shoes 

[FundieCentral]

This is incredible. 

Thank you, thank you, thank you for all of you who gave me kind advice. I truly appreciate it <3 And for everyone else who's shared their heart. Reading this as a young person gives me some hope that I'm not sub-par in not really knowing what life is all about. Which is reassuring. And y'all are a really great bunch. 

 

[Gobsmacked]

3 hours ago, Daisy0322 said:

I understand the whole not knowing what you want to do when you grow up. I know I want to do something that helps people and I just really want to make people feel special and cared for while in a job that challenges me to keep learning. I recently graduated with a degree in respiratory therapy and I think I'm close to what I want but that's not it. I have so many patients I don't get a real true connection with many of them. 

What is respiratory therapy?

[Four is Enough]

34 minutes ago, Gobsmacked said:

What is respiratory therapy?

Respiratory therapists deal with breathing. People on ventilators, they check, maintain, oxygen levels, etc. They also do breathing treatments for patients, to help them expand the lungs and breathe more fully on their own. They work with oxygen, various pieces of equipment, such as CPAP machines and ventilators, even spirometers. Very valuable members of the health care team.

[louisa05]

9 hours ago, flycat said:

I have a degree in Accounting and people constantly tell me that they are bad at math. I don't do anything harder than adding, subtracting, and dividing and most of the time I do it on a spreadsheet. Mostly I talk to people and ask them questions.

Try telling people you are an English teacher: 
"I hated my English teacher"

"I'm terrible at grammar"

"I hated reading (fill in some terrible novel that most schools don't teach anymore anyway)". 

"You aren't old and ugly, though" (yes, a dude at a church singles event really said that to me once). 

Sometimes, you get the first three all from one person. I tried "I teach drama and some other subjects" for awhile. Then the response is "Oh, you're one of those theatre people", a statement that sometime comes with an eye roll. 

History teacher gets "I could never remember names and dates" and/or "I hated history". 

Just saying teacher usually gets responses about how much free time you must have (yeah...right). And now that I am a sub, I get stuff like, "oh, that's just babysitting, isn't it?" and sometimes (I kid you not): "do you even get paid for that?" or "Oh, so you don't actually have a job". 

And I guarantee you that if subbing were volunteer work, there would be no subs. 

 

 

 

[hollywood]

I have my degree in medical information technology. People talked about how easy it will be to find a job. Well apparently everyone found out about this because there are no jobs. Also it just didn't interest me anymore. So I am back in school to become a teacher, which I have discovered a passion for. 

I think we are forced to spend a lot of money to go to school too early when we just left high school where we previously had to be babysat. 

[Gobsmacked]

17 minutes ago, Four is Enough said:

Respiratory therapists deal with breathing. People on ventilators, they check, maintain, oxygen levels, etc. They also do breathing treatments for patients, to help them expand the lungs and breathe more fully on their own. They work with oxygen, various pieces of equipment, such as CPAP machines and ventilators, even spirometers. Very valuable members of the health care team.

Thank you. In the UK physiotherapists do this. Same thing, different title.

[missegeno]

l
And I guarantee you that if subbing were volunteer work, there would be no subs.

Subbing is terrible but there are tons of roles that are terrible but people have to volunteer anyway just to get experience/a reference for a job in the field.

[HarryPotterFan]

11 minutes ago, hollywood said:

I think we are forced to spend a lot of money to go to school too early when we just left high school where we previously had to be babysat. 

It's really ridiculous. No wonder I'm having a quarter-life crisis (again).

3 minutes ago, missegeno said:

Subbing is terrible but there are tons of roles that are terrible but people have to volunteer anyway just to get experience/a reference for a job in the field.

 

So if subbing were a volunteer job desperate millennials would take it 

Based on stories I've heard from my aunt (and @louisa05) subs should be paid way more for the shit they have to put up with. The school district also keeps my aunt one class short of working full time to get out of giving her health insurance. Assholes.

[WiseGirl]

I went back to school in my late 30's to become a history teacher. So of course I found my passion teaching special education (which hopefully will still be around with this administration.) Do I love all parts of my job? No,but thank goodness for the kids. They make the job. Still, I keep wondering what my next career will be and I'm in my mid 50's now.....  

[HermioneSparrow]

10 hours ago, eveandadam said:

I have a degree in French language and literature and general linguistics. I also was asked constantly what I wanted to do with it in the future  as job opportunities are really rare, except if you want to become a high school teacher. Later, I added a degree in Biotechnology because everyone told me that chances to get a job will be very high. Turns out chances are only high if you are male, 25 and have a CV free from bumps, and not female, 32 and severeal degrees from very different fields. Now, I am working in a field that is not related to anything I have a degree in, marketing..., which I hate btw, but which was the only thing I could get. So I get what you are saying @HermioneSparrow.

Marketing sucks, you understand me lol!

Life will take us somewhere I guess, I'm just impatient to do something that I at least like not a job I plain hate.

[HarryPotterFan]

3 minutes ago, HermioneSparrow said:

Life will take us somewhere I guess, I'm just impatient to do something that I at least I like not a job I plain hate.

This times  I want to know what I want to do with my life NOW. I want out of my job NOW. And if I have to go back to school I wanna start NOW. Blahhhh 

[Jinder Roles]

I have no idea what I want to do. I've always had this idea that I wanted to do something in theatre, so that's my major. But now I'm not sure if I did it because that's what I always said, or if it's actually what I'd enjoy doing. I actually haven't been involved much in theatre while in college due to crippling anxiety. I spend so much of my time trying to get through the day that don't even know what I like doing.

I have one more semester in college and my anxiety/depression have gotten a lot worse because I'm scared for the future. I'm really questioning my ability to function as a person, much less have a job (not that I know what that would even be) Plus, my lack of experience in basically everything means I'm not qualified for most jobs. I really need to find experience opportunities but I spend most of my time panicking/avoiding. And I go to a competitive school where everyone is so impressive and accomplished. 

I hope I figure out what to do. If there is actually something I'd like to do. Cause college is hella expensive and me not finding a job/knowing how to start my life would be a massive waste of money. And I would disappoint my parents. 

[SapphireSlytherin]

Pre-med major working in marketing. Yeah. It pays the bills (very well, I might add) and has decent hours - rarely after hours work or weekends.

As for teachers - my dad's a retired band director. He gets nothing but "ooooohs and aahhhhhs" from people he mentions that to, followed by "Mr. So and So was my band director and I loved him!" or "Ms. NameHere was my band director and she changed my life." It's far different than science/language/math/history teachers' responses. lol

[2manyKidzzz]

@Jinder Roles Sounds like this is a challenging time for you. How about some administrative work in Theater or the Arts? As in a lower level type job until you feel comfortable. Or be a stage hand. Don't think you have to start at the top or do something high level. Life is challenging and I wish you the best. 

[HarryPotterFan]

10 minutes ago, Jinder Roles said:

I'm really questioning my ability to function as a person, much less have a job (not that I know what that would even be) Plus, my lack of experience in basically everything means I'm not qualified for most jobs. I really need to find experience opportunities but I spend most of my time panicking/avoiding. And I go to a competitive school where everyone is so impressive and accomplished. 

I feel this so hard. And I somehow end up working at places that underutilize my skills and knowledge, and don't build any skills, so then I don't have the experience to move up the ladder or get a job somewhere else. 

[Daisy0322]

@Four is Enough  you just made me so happy! So many people don't know what we do and just think we are breathing treatment jockies. You're my favorite person right now 

[louisa05]

26 minutes ago, SapphireSlytherin said:

Pre-med major working in marketing. Yeah. It pays the bills (very well, I might add) and has decent hours - rarely after hours work or weekends.

As for teachers - my dad's a retired band director. He gets nothing but "ooooohs and aahhhhhs" from people he mentions that to, followed by "Mr. So and So was my band director and I loved him!" or "Ms. NameHere was my band director and she changed my life." It's far different than science/language/math/history teachers' responses. lol

Because band is an elective. I'm sure that is the reason for the difference. I know most high school music teachers I know rarely have much in the way of discipline problems, either. They do have to sometimes put up with stage parents, though. So there is that to make their lives hell.