It’s the Friday Five.
1. What is your current occupation? Is this what you chose to be doing at this point in your life? Why or why not?
I am the manager of Documentation Services (actual definition TBD) for the IT group of a large engineering firm.
Which isn’t what I actually envisioned myself doing at any point along the road, but is largely a matter of decisions I’ve made (or declined to make) over that time.
2. If time/talent/money were no object, what would your dream occupation be?
Writer. Unfortunately, time is an object, money is a huge object, and talent is … well, as big an object as willpower is.
3. What did/do your parents do for a living? Has this had any influence on your career choices?
My Dad worked for a number of banks in his career, both in branches, as a manager, and in HR.
My Mom was a teacher, quit in order to raise my brother and me, went back as a sub when we were older, and then eventually, after a couple of moves made the credentialing thing an annoyance, worked as a bank teller.
They had an influence on me primarily as follows:
a. Work to live, don’t live to work.
b. Take care of your kids, both in terms of making a living to support them and in terms of being there for them even if it cuts into the family income.
4. Have you ever had to choose between having a career and having a family?
No. Though I was willing to be the “at home” parent, if Margie had been pulling in more bucks than I was. And I was willing to pass on coming to Colorado if it was going to mess up Margie and my relationship (it didn’t).
5. In your opinion, what is the easiest job in the world? What is the hardest? Why?
No idea on the former. Hardest is probably — strike that, certainly — “homemaker.” Underpaid, underappreciated, hugely important.