it's over. move to somnia.

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But What About Meee?

I recently realized that manymany of my friends are becoming teachers or lawyers. It was nice when I graduated college and a big chunk of them headed off to med school, because I could say to myself, "That's nice for them. I prefer sleep." Others went into computer careers. Also not for me. I don't know what kind of processor my system has. I don't know how much RAM, ROM, or rum it has (but I'll have a double of the latter, m-hm-ha). I don't know if it has a USB port, and I don't care.

But now. I know people teaching kindergarten, fifth grade, eighth grade, ninth grade, and community college, plus a general elementary teacher, two school-based AmeriCorps members, and I'm sure I'm missing some others. This wouldn't be so troubling if I didn't keep hearing the refrain from various directions: "Mike, you'd be a great/awesome/really good teacher!" I take it as flattery. On the surface, it's easy to say no: I've never felt drawn to working with kids, I don't like getting in front of people and lecturing (much less handing out discipline), the pay is insulting, the work takes over your life, you start to think like your charges...ugh. But deeper, there's that What If that anyone who knows me is familiar with. It's eerie, it's scary, and...I don't know.

Four of my friends are starting law school this year. Two have just graduated (one of whom is getting married, and I'm not getting into that), and a few more are somewhere in the mix. (Hi, Grace!) Good. Great. I only briefly flirted with the idea of a law degree a couple of years back, but that was over before it started. I really have no interest in memorizing legal arcana and frankly I don't think all that quickly on my feet. Yet there's something about seeing all these people entering a program that will prepare them (intellectually and perhaps practically) for a professional career they feel passionate about that makes my own attempts at just picking a course of study feel somewhat feeble by comparison.

So I'm...stuck. And while I'm wishing to high heaven that self-absorption could be the answer- -it doesn't seem likely.

Rats.
peachy as always, Mike at 3:30 PM