I wanna talk about someone, and I don't think that someone reads this blog, and I also don't think I'll be running into this someone since it's this someone's last day here.

I delivered some paperwork for "Rita" for her new job as a receptionist (she said "assistant" so that means receptionist / administrative assistant, she said the job duties will be similiar to here, so basically, receptionist) and because I'm a nosy little fart, I took a peek at her paperwork. The reason she took this job was because she'd be getting paid a lot more than she was here. Well, it seemed so, since it'd be in the low 40's. Anyway, also saw her birthdate, and I didn't realize she's older than she looks. She's in the early 30's... barely. I asked her how'd she feel about working at a boring finance company, and she shrugged and said she wanted to save up money so she could go do what she really wanted to do. I asked her what she wanted to do. She said something in the creative field, preferrably fashion. But to get in the fashion world, especially as a non-designer, would require moving up the ranks from grunt-work (much like what I'm doing now) . So I was thinking in the car, I don't know how long she's been a receptionist, but she's been at it for about ten years since graduating college (I assume). And I'm thinking, even if she works at this new place for just a few years to save up money, she'd be near forty before she could begin as a lowly fashion assistant! I don't know how the fashion industry works, but I know age makes a bigger perception in fashion than most other industries, and I would think starting in your late 30's would be a really big drawback. (Unless she saved up every penny and only worked for two more years as a receptionist, and then she'd be in her mid-30's.)

Anyway, I was thinking, it's not like she's trying to start a second career (well, technically, I guess she is, but it's not like she doesn't know what she wants to do, or else she's tried one path and is going to try another). It's more like, she settled for whatever job would pay her the most and put her "passion" on hold. And there's nothing wrong with that. I told an SAT student once that a lot of the career advice out there is: find what you like to do and get someone to pay you for it. But that only works sometimes. I mean, how many people will pay you to play WoW? Well, I suppose you could be a gold farmer, but that's not really playing, it's still work, and besides, it's not honest work. I don't know if it's officially illegal, but you get the idea.

Anyway, the advice I gave him was: Find out what you like to do, and figure out the best way to do as much of it as you can. If you can get paid to do it, great. Otherwise, you'll have to find a job that will let you have enough time and money and energy to do the thing you like to do.

I was making this observation because in terms of Rita, it seems like she would rather have money and comfort than pursuing her "dream." And there's nothing wrong with that, except that if this dream was important enough to her, then instead of spending the last ten years (and the next five) being a receptionist, she should just go and try to be a fashion assistant, while she's still young enough to endure the lack of money and grunt work. I look at my fellow interns here, and we're all young (actually, I think I am the oldest... bleh) and we're all hoping that by the time we're 30, we'll be doing what we want to be doing.

But I'm talking out of my ass, so if anyone has anything to chime in, please do so. I'm sure the gnome will get on my case about how my "pursuit of my dream" is putting us in the poorhouse. Yes, it's been hard, it's been a tough sacrifice, but having worked "a real job" that I hated, I have to keep trying. And I've been fortunate that I've had the chance to "not get a real job" because there are so many out there where that is not an option.