Career
What is involved in a career?
I would dare say that it is more than simply having a job. A career implies some form of progression or coherence. I cannot say that I have necessarily progressed, nor been coherent. Life has interrupted far too many times.
As a teenager, I worked in food service in the US, whether at a sub or pizza shop, or in the cafeteria. At the tender age of 18, I left to go to Finland. By 19 I found myself using my skills to teach English to businessmen on a freelance basis.
Having been a hobby coder and IT nerd since 10, I parleyed my skills first into computer consulting, and later into web design. I got to relearn how to code HTML, coding it by hand every day. I waffled back and forth, going back into IT support and planning, and then web design again when I returned to the U.S.
My level of dealing with customers and planning projects eventually landed me a job in Switzerland, when I worked as a project manager. I got to travel extensively, and I loved the work. But, life changes, I fell in love, and I went back to the U.S.
I got exposure to a lot of different things upon my return. I worked at a car dealership for a stint, then went on to be a bookseller, and a gameseller. Retail only covered so much, so I took a day job handling benefits at an HMO.
Lots of hours, not lots of money, I again returned to Finland, taking on a job that started as an information architect, morphed into content management design, and on into project and product management. My sweetie was supposed to move there and be with me. But, officials didn’t grant her permit, and I smelled money going down the drain in China. I resigned and moved back to the U.S.
Transitioning back was harder. Christine had a degree and I didn’t. We had one car, which she drove to work. I started in groceries, but the store was too poorly run. It was frustrating and mind-numbing. I went back to gameselling, but then was alone in a honey pot of a store, and got held up, tied up, and robbed. I freaked.
Talking to some friends, I went to Minnesota. Yeah, I left Christine behind, with the plan she’d join later, and in hindsight, that probably wasn’t the greatest idea. I worked taking orders for ice cream products and doing inventory in downtown office buildings. That’s when I actually had work. After Christine arrived, I’d spent a full month on ice cream orders, and soon got a great contracting job. Fantastic!
But leukaemia hit. So I lost the contracting job, working as a project manager. I had no income. Fortunately, by January, I’d established residency again, so I was able to resume my studies at the University of Minnesota. We lived off of that, to a large degree. Still, it did not prevent me from ending up declaring bankruptcy in 2004.
While finishing my last term I worked again with web design for non-profit that deals with housing. That didn’t pay much, and Christine was frustrated with how her work was. She joined the Navy in 2005, and shortly after I got a job with Fidelity National Foreclosure Solution. I have a great boss and a great supervisor. When I relapsed in the beginning of 2006, I was able to telecommute, as my wife got stationed in California.
My current role is technically that of business analyst. But I spend a lot of time doing things from workflow planning to XML schema. I still find that one of my chief gifts is being able to bring disparate groups together to get projects done.
So, you might say I’ve had an IT career. But maybe it’s more a human career. I mean, I got degrees in History and Nordic Studies. I’m now working on a Master’s in Strategic Intelligence. I like working with finances, and giving out advice. I just completed a course on tax preparation with H&R Block. I’m a green junkie, so saving the environment in a capitalist manner rocks.
Future? Who knows? Long-term I plan to get my Ph.D. in History. I may teach part-time. I may write books. I may volunteer help for the indigent. Career? Only if you work one industry all your life.
