Reflections on my Career Path

Last night, a 2003 St. Mark's alumnus challenged the student body to let their career paths meander and wander. He encouraged them not to be too quick to climb the corporate ladder or take the "right" internship. As he listed his unusual list of employment over the last several years, I mused about what a winding stream my working life has become--sometimes a raging river, sometimes a trickle, but always flowing. I'm nowhere near ready to say I've hit my Gulf of Mexico, but I do think it's been an interesting ride. Here are some things people have paid me to do:
Landscape and grounds crew
Cheerleading coach
Golf instructor
Farmer's Market Vendor selling focaccia and breadsticks
Painter, Holden Village, Washington
Pastry chef at St. Mary's Resort, Glacier Park, Montana
Barista, New French Bakery, Minneapolis
Costume shop seamstress
Quilt designer
Quilt shop sales clerk
Editorial assistant
Website manager
Knitting instructor
Writing tutor
Research assistant for Scandinavian Studies professor
Teaching assistant in English and Classics departments
AFS Intercultural Programs Lead Phone Family Recruiter
ESL teacher
Community organizer for early childhood initiatives
Freelance editor and writer
English teacher
Dormhead

A lot of words, food, fabric, and children. A little dirt and paint. Actually, it does describe me.

I've never had a job that I didn't learn something valuable. It's definitely not a logical path, but it does actually make some good sense. I wonder what my list will be like in another decade or two. Hopefully some international locales, some more of the same elements, and some turns that I cannot fathom yet. I'm certainly not an expert in anything. But, yesterday, I helped mend costumes for the theater department, and I had nearly forgotten that I worked in the Gustavus costume shop. I wonder what wacky jobs I've left off my list. Hmmm...