Piggyback

I've had a thought based on a conversation with my brother that I have been dwelling on recently. The thought piggy-backs on a realization that I had about a year ago at this time...

Post-Special Olympics I was riding high on a feeling that I had just done something incredibly great. I was proud. For the rest of the year, I had to compare the high points I was experiencing to that feeling and while there were many great moments, nothing compared.

The reason it was so exciting and so novel was that I had never put that much work into something and gotten such a return. In schooling years, the most I had focused and worked toward was an 18 page paper for a few days (or a short collection of hours). This project I had put weeks into, and for two weeks I had worked harder than I ever had.

As a result, I could stop and say, "Look! I did that!"

Where I am getting back to the present is that my brother has recently been asking a lot of questions of my grandpas (on both sides) about their careers. One was a civil engineer and helped build many of the roads and bridges of Indiana. I remember my mom telling me stories of when she would be riding around and he would point out with pride some of the things he had worked on.

Reflecting on this on our way back home from Knightstown this week, my brother and I came to the consensus that a career is the line of work that you choose for having those moments of pride. Everything else is a job.

This is a very important concept for people his and my age, who are looking for their place in the world. I've been looking for grad schools that will eventually lead to a job in the world of biochemistry. Up until recently that has only been because I've been told is a great place to find a job.

Much of the spare time I spent last year I devoted to thinking and talking about direction. In other words I was looking for a career-- something to be proud of what I am doing. After picking up scraps of information from books and conversations with friends, I've recently been mulling over the idea of having a career as a microbiologist/immunologist. I got the idea from the book Mountains Beyond Mountains by Tracy Kidder. Much of the book deals with one doctor's work with AIDS and TB in the poor places in the word: Haiti, Peru, Mexico, Russia. Working on research for these diseases would be something to be proud of, though for now it is still mostly a vague pipe dream.

With hope, my grad school applications will come through for me, and I might be able to pursue this possible career (mainly at UNC, the best fit for this idea). I know how tenuous making plans can be, though, so here's to hoping.