♦Welcome to another edition of the Open Book Blog Hop!♦
Topic #218
What did you want to be when you grew up vs. what you are today?
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Growing up, I had many ideas about who I would be when I grew up. Most I never shared with others. Some are marked in those half album-half journal log books, where you keep your school photos and write something about yourself from that year. I mulled cheerleader, nun, teacher, doctor, nurse, soldier, thespian, musician, dancer, and so on.
When it came time to choose I started to lean more directly: medicine–either animal or people. But, then, in the green of high school, I started to write, not just read books. At first, I had no idea if I wanted to write scripts or short stories, or books–perhaps something else entirely. Regardless, writing overcame me and I was always caught writing my stories. The majority of that material has disappeared with the dump truck (thankfully). However, I have persevered.
In college, I still focused on the biology career. I had evolved from veterinarian or obstetrician to Zoologist. I could sort of do something like both of those things without having to perform surgery. Surgery takes extreme skill and patience, plus a lack of most fears. Doctors certainly do worry, but they have science and skill and training and cajones. I was too afraid to be a surgeon. What if I couldn’t put things back right? Too much is riding on the procedure to be haunted by such doubt.
While my studies progressed, I found that calculus and organic chemistry were quite difficult. In addition, when I sought help from the professor of my math course, who had flat out stated how much he hated biology students–especially female ones–I was refused. I still remember the face of the other student standing there in shock of him. I dropped the course. Then I had to sit through OC listening to the professor talk about how he deserved to teach at better schools, and was wasting his time with us, basically because he felt we were stupid. Although I carried a B+ in the lab, I was carrying a low C in the course. I was barely cutting it and I already felt that there was no help to obtain from these men.
Long story short, it was only a two-year school, and I was transferring anyway. I changed my major to English. I toyed with the idea of a bio minor or a double minor in bio and history, but went with history only. I never looked back. Not even when I went back for my Master’s years later.
Is there a difference? On the surface there is a big difference. But if you think about what I do, you’ll see the echoes of everything in my career path coming together. It all informed and assisted me on the way. For instance, one of my early jobs was data entry. I learned to type fast and accurate, a plus for writing (yes, I still make typos because everyone does!). The eclectic choices I was running through in my youth look like book characters. I was probably more or less exploring characterization, rather than just a life goal. As for surgery, you see how plots are stitched together. Zoology or Obstetrics, the care and feeding of an author’s cast of characters–who will be housed with who, what are their cycles, feedings, development, enrichment, creation….
I sure would love to be a zoo mom still. If my work ever afforded me the pleasure, opening a sanctuary for North American Wildlife is a top priority. For now, I just have my daughter, my dog, and my writing. That’s Zoo enough for me!
Calculus and organic/inorganic chemistry has always been totally beyond me as well. I wish I could have studied English at University, but hey, it was not to be. When we’re about 14 it’s difficult to choose a career and pick out subjects to study at school, as we really don’t know our own minds at that age.
Especially because schools don’t try to show us our strengths or introduce us to various possibilities. It’s all about standardized testing and THEIR numbers.
I tried to teach myself to type back in the days of typewriters. Turns out my little fingers are too short to reach the keys properly! On modern keyboards I could probably get the hang of it, but I haven’t tried. But I’m a fast hunt-and peck typist!
Best thing I ever did. I have small hands, too. I’m only 5/2.
I was never academic, I failed all my exams and barely scraped enough passes through re-sits to go to sea. Because of that, I hated writing for most of my life, doing the bare minimum, as long as there was a number in every box in my official reports I was happy. I still don’t know how I have written over a million connected words that make sense, and that people seem to enjoy.
Everyone’s path is different. It’s going to be what works best for you.
There are two serious truisms in this post. one is tragic – I was barely cutting it and I already felt that there was no help to obtain from these men.
The other hilarious – I just have my daughter, my dog, and my writing. That’s Zoo enough for me!
Yeah, that was tough, when I was treated quite fairly growing, or so it seemed. To come up to the wall of sexism like that…it was pretty jarring. I couldn’t get around it at the time–at their mercy. They should have been fired. Honestly. I should have reported it.
It is such a zoo with a two-two year olds. LOL
Life, generally, is what happens while we’re making other plans, in my experience. And sometimes that’s a better way to do it than trying to force ourselves into following a plan we made (or someone else made for us) years before. My mom thought I should be a lawyer. Although I would love doing the research involved in some legal fields, I really don’t think I would enjoy being a lawyer.
I agree. I think we should still fight if we have that sense to do so, though. Sometimes, in that fight, we find the best lessons that teach us a great deal about what we need to know.
Gosh, your tertiary education experiences were shocking. I had a science teacher like that. He was an older man and didn’t like the four girls in his class. He didn’t think girls should be studying science. He put us in a row at the back of his class and ignored us for the year. I managed to pass but loss interest in this subject.
It is awful. I’m sorry you had to go through that too. I was lucky to grow up with progressive enough teachers, but you’d think college in the 90s would have been even more advanced than my rural town school. It was horrible to face.
Everything you did made you the writer you are. Great post.
It’s amazing how our journeys have prepared us for exactly what we need, if we just take a moment to see it.