LIBERAL ARTS

Today I ran across a guy's MySpace blurb worth blogging about:

"I went to school. I studied Political Science and Languages and Cultures of Asia. And now I am doing what any good liberal arts major does when confronted by the outside world: avoiding it. I work as an AmeriCorps Member with Habitat for Humanity in North Carolina. I will be going back to school this fall, for which I am very excited. I feel that I straddle the realms of maturity and immaturity very nicely. I like to read and make good conversation. Pretending that I am a responsible citizen is a lot of fun. At the same time, I enjoy the luxuries and the simplicity of acting like a ten-year-old."

I think Johnson's blurb represents the feelings of many young adults. And more times than I'd like to admit, I find myself sharing similar sentiments. Go back and read some of my old blogs. If you replace "Habitat for Humanity" with "private school," this sounds like something I could have written.

For the last few years, I've been wondering about a new career path - dreaming of a higher paying job that's as emotionally satisfying as teaching. While visiting Dallas with Pauline, I spoke to my friend Kevin about his Computer Science degree. His job requires some qualities of mine - fastidious, detail oriented, analytical, a problem-solver...That's me. And I'd be learning languages - granted, they'd be computer languages, but languages just the same. If I did web design, that would tie in art/design. But I wouldn't be limited to just making web pages. I could use the degree in several different ways, and because it's so versatile, I wouldn't have to worry about my job being outsourced.

It looks like I'll be teaching again before I get another degree, but at least I have a goal now. I imagine that eventually I'll be doing a number of things, photography and eBay included. And maybe even teaching a night class. But I do think the Computer Science thing is a real option that I need to explore. I like the idea better than an MBA, although both sound promising. If I had it to do over again, I would still choose Liberal Arts for my undergrad and masters, but I understand now why so many people tried to encourage me to choose a different career path.

Do you ever dream about having a different job?