I have been in a depressed mood ever since I saw the career counselor and took the aptitude test. Let's just say that like many Aspies, my interests and likes are directly inversely proportional to their marketability. In other words, if it's a high-paying, high-demand career, I am not likely to be interested in it. But let it be something that nobody wants to pay you to do, and my scores are off the chart.
The test consisted of a list of careers and the choices strongly like, like, neutral, dislike, and strongly dislike. The problem is, it doesn't ask you if you are capable of doing such jobs. There are lots of things I might be interested in, but I don't have the physical ability to do them. There are other things I might be interested in, but I don't have the opportunity to pursue them. This test was clearly geared to young people out of high school, not traditional students like me who are older and wiser and have been knocked about by life. Who have a strong sense of what is possible and what is not possible at their age.
Not surprisingly, I scored very high in the artistic/creative category. The trouble is, there isn't much demand for that sort of thing, not for someone my age with only an associates' degree. If I want to pursue a second career in art, I need to go back to school and get a bachelor's. With tuition running around $400 an hour at the nearest four-year university, I don't think that is going to happen. Whatever talent I have in art is like my talent for acting--it's a hobby talent. So why don't I take a painting class? Well, here's the thing. Art supplies are expensive. And then what do I do with the finished paintings? If I want to sell them, I have to invest money in frames. I have to invest money in shows. And what kind of return on investment would I get? This is something I have to consider very carefully. I hate it that so many things in my life revolve around money but there you go. I don't have a lot of money to just throw around. I'm not saying I won't ever take an art class, but I am primarily interested in things that have the potential to bring in enough money to supplement my income in a meaningful way.
The sad fact of life, as the counselor gently pointed out (he was very kind) is that I have gone as far as I can go in life. I am in my peak earning years. There are practically no jobs out there where I can expect to make as much as I am making now, not at my age and education level. Anywhere I go, it will be a step downward as far as pay goes. I can't begin to tell you the kinds of feelings that arouses. It is hard enough for me now.
Well, he said, you could work in a bookstore or a library (except that librarians need a degree in library science). I know someone who has a used bookstore, and while I think it a neat place, she cannot afford to hire any new help even at the current minimum wage let alone what people want it raised to. She's like me, just scraping by. And remember, we are talking about what I want to do when I retire, which is at least 15 to 20 years from now. Will there still be small independent bookstores and libraries? One thing I noticed when I was in school was how many times it was mentioned that such and such textbook was available on Kindle. It's very possible the traditional printed and bound book is going to go the way of the vinyl LP record and the 8-track tape. On the other hand, if James Howard Kunsler and the other Peak Oil writers are correct that we are going to have to drastically scale down our lifestyles in terms of energy consumption--meaning we will not have a choice, circumstances will force it on us, some of these obsolete things may make a comeback. Recently I was without both phone and internet again for several days (this has happened for the fourth time this year and I had a lengthy conversation with my ISP that this is not acceptable and I will be looking elsewhere for service when my contract expires). It is times like this that the old-fashioned book has a big advantage over twenty-first century technological wizardry. And can anyone tell me why, when I was growing up in the land-line dark ages, we NEVER lost phone connection for days at time for no discernible reason, while nowadays it seems periodic outages are quite common, requiring backup phones.
So forget about a second career where I pursue my dreams, where I can use my talents to the fullest. There's always volunteer work, he suggested. I already do plenty of that. And again, it's not something that brings money in, but takes money out. Am I going to be able to afford to give my time and skills away? I don't think so.
Once again, that sound I hear in the background is the sound of a door closing.
The test consisted of a list of careers and the choices strongly like, like, neutral, dislike, and strongly dislike. The problem is, it doesn't ask you if you are capable of doing such jobs. There are lots of things I might be interested in, but I don't have the physical ability to do them. There are other things I might be interested in, but I don't have the opportunity to pursue them. This test was clearly geared to young people out of high school, not traditional students like me who are older and wiser and have been knocked about by life. Who have a strong sense of what is possible and what is not possible at their age.
Not surprisingly, I scored very high in the artistic/creative category. The trouble is, there isn't much demand for that sort of thing, not for someone my age with only an associates' degree. If I want to pursue a second career in art, I need to go back to school and get a bachelor's. With tuition running around $400 an hour at the nearest four-year university, I don't think that is going to happen. Whatever talent I have in art is like my talent for acting--it's a hobby talent. So why don't I take a painting class? Well, here's the thing. Art supplies are expensive. And then what do I do with the finished paintings? If I want to sell them, I have to invest money in frames. I have to invest money in shows. And what kind of return on investment would I get? This is something I have to consider very carefully. I hate it that so many things in my life revolve around money but there you go. I don't have a lot of money to just throw around. I'm not saying I won't ever take an art class, but I am primarily interested in things that have the potential to bring in enough money to supplement my income in a meaningful way.
The sad fact of life, as the counselor gently pointed out (he was very kind) is that I have gone as far as I can go in life. I am in my peak earning years. There are practically no jobs out there where I can expect to make as much as I am making now, not at my age and education level. Anywhere I go, it will be a step downward as far as pay goes. I can't begin to tell you the kinds of feelings that arouses. It is hard enough for me now.
Well, he said, you could work in a bookstore or a library (except that librarians need a degree in library science). I know someone who has a used bookstore, and while I think it a neat place, she cannot afford to hire any new help even at the current minimum wage let alone what people want it raised to. She's like me, just scraping by. And remember, we are talking about what I want to do when I retire, which is at least 15 to 20 years from now. Will there still be small independent bookstores and libraries? One thing I noticed when I was in school was how many times it was mentioned that such and such textbook was available on Kindle. It's very possible the traditional printed and bound book is going to go the way of the vinyl LP record and the 8-track tape. On the other hand, if James Howard Kunsler and the other Peak Oil writers are correct that we are going to have to drastically scale down our lifestyles in terms of energy consumption--meaning we will not have a choice, circumstances will force it on us, some of these obsolete things may make a comeback. Recently I was without both phone and internet again for several days (this has happened for the fourth time this year and I had a lengthy conversation with my ISP that this is not acceptable and I will be looking elsewhere for service when my contract expires). It is times like this that the old-fashioned book has a big advantage over twenty-first century technological wizardry. And can anyone tell me why, when I was growing up in the land-line dark ages, we NEVER lost phone connection for days at time for no discernible reason, while nowadays it seems periodic outages are quite common, requiring backup phones.
So forget about a second career where I pursue my dreams, where I can use my talents to the fullest. There's always volunteer work, he suggested. I already do plenty of that. And again, it's not something that brings money in, but takes money out. Am I going to be able to afford to give my time and skills away? I don't think so.
Once again, that sound I hear in the background is the sound of a door closing.
