When I was younger I had a lot of dreams of what I wanted to do when I grew up. I came up with many different ideas ranging from Veterinarian to Astronaut, Doctor to Lawyer. While I didn't have the typical girl dreams of growing up to have the perfect wedding or to find the perfect man, I still figured some of that would happen for me. I also never dreamed of being a princess. I was way to tomboyish to be thinking junk like that. What is the practical application of pretending to be a princess anyhow? So few women in the world ever even become a princess let alone are born into the opportunity that it just seems silly to this day.
Anyhow, as I got older and went to college I still had no idea what I wanted to be when I grew up. I couldn't wait to be all grown up, but what to do was completely a mystery to me. I started college thinking I would be an aerospace engineer, then I switched gears towards being a doctor. I realized quickly that I didn't try very hard at school so these options weren't really feasible. I finally picked a degree in History and a second degree in Spanish. It seemed like a good fit since I love telling stories and I could speak Spanish pretty well already. I started asking around at the career center about what I could do with these different vocations. Turns out the person working that day believed I would be best suited for teaching.
I thought about this for a while and I guess I wanted more. Why? Was I above teaching? (the answer is quite simply absolutely not) Was I not ready for the commitment of my days and nights to a bunch of kids I didn't even know? The answer was that I wanted to get away from home. So I found another avenue, the military and the ROTC program. I did two years and I was given a career by Uncle Sam as a Navigator. I moved to Texas and started training a month after graduating college and began thinking that I might want to do something else with my life. What?!?!?! Really, I began asking what else I could do both for the Air Force and in general.
After a year of training I moved to Omaha, Ne and spent six years working as a Navigator. I deployed a few times to different locations and made a home with my husband. We were fortunate enough to get pregnant and now have our two little crazy people which completely changed my world. So I again began to ask, what do I want to do when I grow up? Finally it hit me... I have no clue, but whatever it is I can do it. I considered all the above mentioned items (well minus aerospace engineer and astronaut) again and still couldn't come up with anything. Then I thought about the fact that in the military the part I liked the most was when I was teaching. I instructed younger members in the AF in the exact job I was in at the time. I loved it. I enjoyed watching people get different concepts and figure out how to do their job better or just differently. I was passionate about my job and about doing it well so it came easily. I could really do this... maybe.
Anyhow, as some of you know I left my "career" in the Air Force and became a stay at home mom. I am still not 100% sure what I want to be when I grow up, but I am hoping to become a teacher at some point. The plan is to wait until the kids are in school so I can spend as much time with them as possible during their younger years. I don't know if my chances are better or worse living in a small town, but I am staying optimistic. I also decided I want to get a post baccalaureate in Math and work on getting certified as well. Who knows what will happen, but I have my entire life to decide what I want to do so I better keep asking.
