In today’s world there are many careers to choose from, yet the choices grow slimmer in a dwindling economy. We often get stuck at dead end jobs or unfulfilling career paths. The fact of the matter is that there is a profound difference between a career and a job. Today we live in a world where the job comes first and the career comes second. For me at least my career is a dream, and my job is a means by which to survive. When I graduated from the Job Corps Training program to learn the facility maintenance trade I was sure I had finally escaped from the retail world, which my fate has placed me in. Unfortunately building maintenance like many careers is an extremely competitive field. I learned quickly that no matter what education I had, unless I had friends in the business I wasn’t going to get anywhere without five or more years of experience. I then hit the dilemma of how to obtain experience when no opportunity would present itself. I decided to transition from building maintenance into a military career.
I began to watch cop shows and check out police training programs. I loved the idea of pursuing this as a career choice because I can’t think of anything I’d rather do than to protect and serve the people of my community. I knew the military would be my best bet. Security Forces is probably the job in the U.S Air Force that is in highest demand. I could easily obtain such a position. Unfortunately while I am intelligent and proficient in everything I do my motor skills and ability to cope with stress were lacking severely. I couldn’t fold clothes or make beds to the standards demanded of me. With two left feet my marching skills were also coming into question. Beyond that I just couldn’t deal with the stress of being screamed at and given impossible tasks to meet by impossible deadlines. I also couldn’t hold still. While I have no diagnosis to prove it, I believe I may have some level of attention deficit. These factors worked against me and ultimately I “washed out” of or failed Basic Training.
When I returned with no direction I joined the Yahoo Contributors Network and received two paid writing assignments to write about political events, and excelled in the field. I also accepted a retail job at a local grocery store. I needed a second job to pay the bills, but could find nothing. I then signed up for Odesk as relevant assignments at Yahoo! were rare. There I am receiving assignments that don’t pay well, but strongly suit my skills. I realize it will be an uphill battle but the more I write the more quickly I will rise. I will have to start small, but ultimately I love writing and derive more fulfillment from it than anything else. It may take a long time, but eventually I want to make this my career. In heart and mind I am a born writer. It is my destiny. Right now it is only a dream and may require more practice and education, but someday I hope to find a career in freelance writing.
