I’ve been thinking about all the kids graduating college right about now and starting their new careers. They have such hopes and dreams—probably none as delusional as mine were—but it will be interesting to see where they land.
It seems like yesterday I was one of them—and couldn’t find a job to launch those hopes and dreams. Much to my chagrin, I had to keep working at the retail job I had before I got my degree. It took me an entire year to land a ‘real job,’ one in the field I had trained for. The retail job couldn’t be considered real, even though it required standing on my feet at least nine hours a day, in heels and a smile. And as you all know, with my RBF (resting bitch face), that was the hardest job I ever had.
Now here’s where the delusion starts. I always thought I would be famous. I am not sure why, but well into my 30s, I thought I would be on the cover of Time magazine for doing something amazing: discovering an unknown planet, curing a disease, writing a bestseller or starring in a sitcom that was a breakout hit. I know that may seem odd, considering I was in the financial services industry and not toiling away in a lab. When I turned 50, I realized I was unlikely to be ‘discovered.’ But I still could picture myself on a talk show (not Jerry Springer, more like Ellen).
I thought I had a chance last year when Raschelle, my former writing partner from the Backtalk column, and I did a few radio broadcasts. We thought we were amazing. Of course, no listeners called in, so we just talked to each other like we were sitting in her living room. But I could picture us having a future in the radio business. Then Raschelle moved to Boston. No radio station ever called anyway to ask us to be an on-air talent. That bubble was burst.
This group of graduates will change jobs more than I did, start companies and take chances I would not have thought to take. Many will struggle to find their first job, be laid off, under-employed, hate their boss, be convinced they are the smartest/dumbest person in their office, quote lines from Office Space and wonder when that old guy, who is 55, is going to retire. Some will return home and live with their parents in the finished basement. (Hopefully, none will live in a van down by the river.) Some might even live my dream and end up on the cover of Time or sitting around chatting with Ellen. I do hope some will change the world and make a difference just like they want to. And if not, perhaps they will be like me, pausing their career mid-life to take care of a couple of kids, then falling into their next career doing something the complete opposite of what they used to do. As for me, stay tuned, because I still haven’t given up on Ellen.
Contact Patty at phannum@townandstyle.com.
