Looking back...and Ahead... - Page 2

from early on a mother, then an archeologist, missionary and by the time I was 11 a chef....well, that went over like a lead balloon, so I got a scholarship in diatetics at a college in New Orleans instead of going to the CIA....I followed my future husband who was at Tulane law school at the time.....well, after one semester I moved back to Memphis and started taking back packing and music ed....which then progressed on to early childhood ed....Sp I worked at an ad agency and French restaurant and went to school......got married moved to a small town in the middle of no where....took cake decorating classes, taught myself chinese cooking, made bread, made jam, made pickles, made 3 sons and .....15 years later started personal cheffing, culinary classes, catering, events...wonder where I would have been if I'd have made my own way and gone to the Cia instead.....probably would not have been a good fit in the long run...

As a youth I realy wanted two professions , to be an Astronomer in the winter time and an Archeologist the rest of the year . Problems with my parents drove me into the army on my 17th birthday and as a young rebel in there I was punished by being transfered to the mess hall . Some punishment I loved to cook and this was a blast for me . Now I do food for a living and am an amateur Astronomer and Archeologist . For the future who knows?

Can someone please count these up for me?

Growing up, I wanted to be: a ballerina; a locksmith; a (medical) forensic investigator, a teacher, an interpreter/translator, a writer, an archaeologist (does anyone else see a trend here for CTers?) -- most of them based on books that I read and loved.

In high school, I had no idea anymore, except maybe the translator bit.

In college, I started along that route (comparative literature major) and got side-tracked into theater. First I thought I'd be a costume designer. Until I realized that you have to be able to draw. Oh well. Then I mainly stayed a techie -- building sets, props, etc. and a stage manager.

Would have stayed a SM after graduation, but I had to earn a living, so ... Became a typist in a really innovative NYC government office (for you skeptics, that is not an oxymoron!). My boss sent me to programming school, so I became a computer programmer (ANSI COBOL, for those of you who want to know a dinosaur). Stuck with that for several years, adding systems analysis, all for government agencies. After about 7 years, moved to Washington, DC and soon gave up computers for theater: still techie and SM. Three years later, moved back to NYC to run the box office for a concert hall. Did that for 6 1/2 years, until I got tired of the s.o.s. all the time.

Around this time, my partner -- wait, by then he was my husband -- left his NYC govt. job and struck out on his own as a Management Consultant. I joined him. Have worked with him for 16 years now. During that time, went back to school for an MBA in Management/Organizational Behavior, and started the "what shall I be if I grow up?" cycle again. Arts Administrator? Nah, been there, done that. Also actually worked as a researcher on an organizational/industrial psychology field research project, so maybe a college professor of OB? No, I had too many friends in academia and knew how crazy the politics there can be.

Eventually I decided that of all the things I liked doing, cooking was it. So I went back to school, again. Graduated 5 1/2 years ago, and since then have been: line cook, several times, interspersed with: catering manager, pastry chef, and kitchen manager. What's next? ....... Line cook, sous chef, or foodservice management consultant, if I can figure out a way to get clients.

It really is fascinating to me how many of us aspired to the same careers. There's got to be meaning in that. Especially since some of those careers have elements of investigation, constant learning and discovery, just like cooking! Nancy, Zorba, Bond -- what do you make of this??

Anyway, my chef-instructor at school always said to us, "Follow your bliss." Maybe not very original, but good advice!

I wanted to be an astronaut. But alas, I discovered frying pans and garlic!