What I Want To Be When I Grow Up

How many times were you asked a a child, "what do you want to be when you grow up?'

In Elementary School, I always gave the same answer "I wanted to be a teacher".

In high school, I thought about being a Physical Therapist.  But you have to be good in Science so that idea fell by the wayside,  plus the University that had a great physical therapy program was way out of my price range (or student loan range).

By the time I started college, reality had set in. I knew I loved writing.  Well, how about being a journalism major?  YES, first major.

Was I ever going to make a decent salary as a journalist?  Probably not.

Next, back to the ides of being a teacher.  Loved the classes.  But as I looked toward student teaching, I knew I could not afford to give up my day job in order complete that part of the curriculum.

I finally met with an Academic Advisor.

My question, what can I get a degree in with all the credit I have earned?

I could earn a B.A. in Behavioral Sciences (combination of Psych and Sociology).  OK that works for me. Give me my diploma and I can move on.

So what kind of employment can I seek with that degree?  I had no idea.

I got my first real job as a bank teller.  I have to say it was fun. But the salary was pathetic plus I now had student loan payments added to my budget. I stayed at that job a year.

Next, it was a job in New York City.  One block from the World Trade Center right on Broadway. Working in the Big Apple.

I worked as a trading assistant on the Government Trading Desk. 

A long way from my degree and teaching.

After becoming a Mom, I needed to work closer to home so I entered the world of branch banking again.

People would come in and ask for help filling out their mortgage applications (yes, back then you filled out a paper application).  We were also buying our first house and going through the mortgage process ourselves.

It seemed kind of fun.

Fast forward a zillion years and I am still working in the mortgage industry.

I have done in-house originations, processing, underwriting, and relocation closing.

I have been a Processing Manager, Underwriting Manager, Closing Manager and a Lending Partnership Manager.

I doubt anyone as a child said, "I would like to work in the mortgage industry".

But here I am all these years later.  It has it's challenges and rewards.

Right now, it is insanely busy and exhausting and that is normal for this time of the year.

My degree in Behavioral Sciences has come in handy as I try to figure people out - customers, loan officers, counter-parts, management and my team members.

In the last few years, I have started working again at my first love- writing.

As many of you know, I have two books in process, I have been writing profiles for a local magazine, I am working on an article or two that hopefully will end up in a national magazine and yes of course, this weekly blog.

I wish I more time and the energy to devote to my writing.  Right now my full time job is a job and a half so the down time is precious.  I am very fortunate to have my friend, Mary, open her house to Jenn and I a few nights each week which saves us 300 miles and 6 hours in the car any given day. 

What would we do without friends?  Although, I think Mary may get a little worried at times when at the end of the day I say, "what time do you want to go home?'  Yes, LOL I call her house home!!

See you next week.

Does Anyone Still Use?

While watching a TV show yesterday, I saw something I hadn't thought of in a long time.

A blue book used for exam's.  I posted about it on FB and received a variety of responses.  From they are still used in Catholic Schools to everything is done online.

Does anyone still use their night rear view mirror?  I do but am not sure if that is because of the way I was taught to drive.

I do not have to look over my shoulder anymore when backing up. My car has a backup camera.

I don't even have to hold my foot on the break at a traffic light.  I have something called break hold that keeps the car in place once I press on the brakes.  I can take my foot off the brake and the car doesn't move.

Does anyone still learn how to drive standard shift?  I have heard it costs more to get a standard shift car vs automatic.  It used to be the reverse.  I loved driving standard, although I never mastered standard on the column.

Who has a house phone anymore?  I wouldn't have one except that I need it for the security system in my house.

I don't have to go to a library any more. I can borrower books through app's on my IPAD.

I don't need the research section of the library or the encyclopedia's my Dad paid on monthly for a long time until paid off. After that we would get the annual update book that arrived once a year. Now, we have the internet.

Super 8 movie camera's to video camera's to taking video's on my phone, my how the world has changed.

From my childhood where we had one TV and it received 7 channels with rabbit ear antenna's or an antenna on the roof.  Then, we all discovered the joys of cable TV (and the ever growing bills). Now, I have app's such as Netflix, Hulu and Sling and more options from those 3 app's that anyone could have imagined.

Yet, I still use my wooden rolling pin when baking.  I still prefer using a hand chopper for ingredients when baking. And an egg beater still does it's job just as well as a hand blender or emulsifier. I still own a potato masher which I use a few times a year when I make "real" mashed potato's.

Getting a variety of vegetables out to the table hot is not as big an accomplishment with stove that includes a double oven with 4 burners and a heating section in the middle of the burners. Mom did it with one oven and 4 gas burners.

I prefer to hand wash and hand dry my dishes vs the dishwasher. Once I can figure out how to not have water remnants on the items in the top rack of the dish washer, I might use it more often.

While I couldn't imagine life without my dryer, I do miss the smell of laundry fresh off the clotheline.

I remember waiting for a favorite song on the radio and trying to record it on my stereo, ancient.  And now ITunes might appear antiquated.

Life changes so fast I can barely keep up with it.  Many times, I have to ask Jenn how to do or use something.

My brain still works like a card catalog in a library not like google.

And I am sure I am not alone in that thought process.

Am I ?

See you next week.