What I Want To Be When I Grow Up

Someday soon and sooner than I want, my son will be grown up and going away to college or the military or will be a bum. Even though at 33 I am not old, my good child-bearing years are slipping away and the older Nate gets, the less likely I am to start all over again. I also have no viable prospects for a spouse and I don’t really feel like wasting away waiting on grandchildren I hope are slow in coming. So, what will I do when Nate leaves the nest? Well, here’s a few things I had in mind: 1. I could become a TEFL teacher, that is Teaching English as a Foreign Language. I always wanted to be a teacher and this would just encompass my love of travel and teaching all in one. > 2. I could finally sit down and finish those novels and screenplays I’ve been writing for the past year. Maybe I’ll finish one before then but it would be nice to be able to sit in the evenings and write... all night if I want. > 3. I could become a forensic anthropologist or a medical examiner. Although forensics is a hobby of mine, I wouldn’t mind at least taking some courses to see if its something I’d like to do as a second career. > 4. I could become a photo-journalist. As a child, I always wanted to work for Life magazine. The college I graduated from offers journalism classes and I thought of taking some night courses to get another degree. > 5. I could become a mountaineer, as in, giving guided tours in the Cascades and on Denali. I’m not much interested in risking my life on K2 or Everest but a life on the mountain wouldn’t be a bad thing. > Hey, maybe I can incorporate all of those things into one. I’ll move to Russia, right across the Bering Strait where I’ll teach English during the day, work in forensics during the summer, take a boat to Alaska every weekend and do tours and naturally, write, write, write and take photographs. LOL!!! .... damn, that doesn’t sound too bad. I wrote this last night and put in my other post instead but did spend time looking up my alma mater's class listings and realized by the classes and course descriptions that I could get away with a degree in Communications emphasis on photography and journalism in 58 hours, if they accept all my previous courses. Which they should, after all, I got them there! Some of the classes looked downright interesting like: Photography I and II, Advanced Photography, Animation Production, Broadcast Announcing, Scriptwriting for Film, Theatre Studies, Journalism and Copy Editing/Makeup. Some of the classes look to be a downright snoozefest, like: Regulations of American Broadcasting (more legalese shite), Introduction to Mass Communications (anything intro in college normally bores the hair off my arms) and I'm not too crazy about Television Production and Direction. I can do this with only 56 hours but I would only need Radio and Television Broadcasting to get the emphasis in Journalism to go along with the Photography. Why not? Only one small, itsy, bitsy problem... less than half of the classes I need are offered in the evening. None of the photography classes are offered. How horrible could that be???? My boss loves me, but I'm not sure he loves me that much. They also only offer 2 hour 45 minute classes, twice a week. Maybe he could handle an hour class three times a week but that's a lot of time to spend away from my desk and still expect to have a job. This all of course hinges on whether or not I get a big fat bonus in November or December. College courses are not in the budget. Its a little over $700 for 6 hours plus the ID card, parking and then books and of course, a camera and film etc., time off work, and a babysitter for Nate. Its simple. I get a big fat bonus to pay for my first three semesters. I ask for a camera of my choice for Christmas plus film etc. and nothing else. Nate's dad is underworked so he can take the child and as for the time off work, I'll work it out. In five years, I'll have another degree and Nate will be 13 years old. That is of course assuming I don't marry a much better off dude who will let me attend college full-time whilst spitting out another child or two. Yeah, fat chance. The best news is, with my already hefty college classes, I may qualify as a junior and get the better pickings of classes and times. Ahhh.. tis sweet to be older at times. Class of 2010, here I come!!