Occupations

All right, so I'm unemployed, and have been for a while now. I'm being picky, I tell myself (and my family, for that matter). Naturally, a lot of time is spent thinking about jobs and paths for the future and I've come to realize at least one very important thing in the process:

I do not want an occupation.

Now, don't get confused and think that I plan to stay unemployed. There is a significant distinction to be made between what I want and what "occupation" describes. Think about that word for a minute.....There. See what I mean?

I'm starting to feel like "occupation" isn't just another way of saying "job." Now it means something different for me, something more specific. The job my uncle has is an occupation. He works because it makes money and his ultimate goal is to retire. High hopes, people. High hopes. I know my uncle isn't the only one with this attitude, he might even be part of a majority.

You and I can aim higher, of course, and this is what I've chosen. Months of unemployment and stress and parental-questioning-deflection are the price, but I know the final reward will be more than worth handling my mother's worries.

Peter Berger--a boring sociologist--desribed the process of maturing as at least patly terrible. According to Berger, to be mature requires that we become more realistic in our goals, that we lower our sights. Obviously we can't be NBA players or a space-camp counselors like we wanted to be when we were kids, but that doesn't mean we can't aim high, aim for more than just something to occupy days and cover the rent.

I want a job where I'm proud and excited when I answer the question "What do you do?"