“Choose a job you love and you will never have to work a day in your life.” – Confucius

The year was 1985. Little Jefferson was just a grade schooler with the world resting squarely on his shoulders. Actually, it was resting more on his agile thumbs, and thus solely dependent on his exceptionally advanced hand-eye coordination.

“Time for bed, Jeffrey!” His mother called him Jeffrey only when he was in trouble, or so I’m told.

“But Mom! I’m saving the world from the evil space invaders!” I’m positive his adorable overbite made the term ‘space invaders’ that much more charming.

His mother, less charmed than me, doled out her final warning. He would have to save as many innocent civilians as possible in the 5 minutes she allowed, then he would be forced to abort the mission and head to bed. Even in his sleep, his thumbs would twitch as he dreamt of saving the world, or being chased by hungry, legless blobs, or firing missiles at ominous asteroids, or even just trying to get his frog avatar across a busy intersection. The Atari would be his favorite toy for the next several years.

In the late 80’s, he was introduced to a new Love; Nintendo. From that moment on, every sleepover would be spent playing Nintendo with friends. Then, in the 90’s, fueled to buy the newest gaming system, a Sega Genesis, he started working for a local pizza joint. It was around that time that Jefferson’s family had purchased a personal Computer, and not-so-little Jefferson discovered a natural talent.

Today, after having majored in I.T. and working in the field for 15+ years, it’s safe to say that working on computers and computing systems comes naturally to my Husband. What’s weird is that he still loves doing it. Sure, he gets frustrated when he can’t figure out a complex issue like anyone else, but the difference between a computer whisperer and a normal person like myself is that he doesn’t give up. In fact, I’m not sure it’s possible for my husband to quit working on an issue until it’s rectified. It’s like his brain is wired differently than mine. He simply speaks and understands computers better than most. Because of this, it’s no surprise that he still works with computers, solving the world’s problems with clicks, java, and binary code.

In all honesty, I’m kind of jealous of how easily my husband’s path in life was chosen. It wasn’t a choice really; he just continued doing what made him happy. Luckily, he just happens to be good at what makes him happy, and that happens to afford him a decent salary. That’s not how it always works. I like playing volleyball a lot. It’s fun and it makes me happy. Unfortunately though, it won’t ever pay my bills. Now in my 30’s, and after taking a few years off here and there from working outside of the home to raise kids, I still feel like I’m trying to find my place in the world.

A few months ago, I started feeling like I wanted more for me. As a kid, I didn’t have the same undeniable talents and interests as my husband. I liked playing with Barbie dolls, reading, writing, experimenting with clothing and makeup, and daydreaming about boys of course. I did babysit some, worked as a waitress, and even worked at the Y for a bit. All I needed was a push, a compliment, someone to tell me they believed in me, and that’s exactly what happened. A friend of mine told me that I would fit in perfectly in the beauty industry and that I should give it a try. Now, 2 months into my leap back into the workforce, I can confidently say that I think she was right.

Still, unlike my husband, I don’t yet know where this will take me. For now, I’m happy to be back working outside of the home, helping with my family’s bottom line, and meeting some new people. So far, I really like my coworkers and my job, so we’ll see.

How did you choose your career? Or did one choose you?

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Photo courtesy of See El Photo (flickr)