Decisions, Decisions...

After I was accepted to the University of Illinois, each graduation party I went to was a continuous question and answer session wherein I responded to the age old query "What do you want to be when you grow up?" Once I graduated, it was "What do you want to do with the rest of your life?"

I started thinking up clever jobs, such as "Madame of a brothel for famous politicians", "Falafel maker on the corner of 50th and 7th" and "Human stain on the dress pants of society". The more I created occupations, the greater my desire to be hired no matter what I did or how I did it.

I was thinking about this last night during the most recent episode of Mad Men. A minor character, Bobbie Barrett, said something that really intrigued me:

"This is America. Pick a job and then become the person that does it."

When I thought about it, the job I truly want in life would be a professional eater, but to be honest I highly doubt I'd fare well against those nice Japanese kids at hot dog eating contests. Not to mention that since I learned the contents of hot dogs I haven't really touched one. Now a cupcake eating contest on the other hand...

...but I digress. When I thought long and hard about what I wanted to do, it came down to what I was qualified to do. I could answer phones like a pro, twirl around in a swivel chair, stick post-its to myself and write enough to satisfy even the hungriest of word hounds. In the business world, I'm just like every other recent college graduate to apply for their copy/paste jobs.

Maybe I should take Bobbie Barrett's (or the writers at Mad Men) advice and find my niche in society.

I'll have to find my shovel to dig out a piece for myself.