Theo LeSieg

When Tanner was young and still listening to his parents, one of the books we used to read together was called "Maybe You Should Fly a Jet -- Maybe You Should Be a Vet". While not quite up to "Cat in the Hat" standards, it presents a charmingly-rhymed overview of potential career options. Most of the choices are presented in pairs, thus helping the youngsters narrow down their preferences. Here's an example I remember fondly:

Would you sooner be a ballooner...or a grand piano tuner?

Unfortunately, there are no reference materials to help the kid understand the education/training needed to excel in these professions, nor a chart showing the relative payscales. While balloners and tuners each get to travel and have a really cool set of occupational tools, I somehow doubt that they typically wind up in the same tax bracket as jet pilots and veterinarians.

I wonder if it's time to make an updated version of the book, with a few occupations that might have more appeal for today's youth. Maybe I'll take a shot at it...

Perhaps you'll be the Dalai Lama,

Or join the Seals to whack Osama.
Or star in films with Kevin Bacon?

Perhaps you'll be the next Clay Aiken.
Can you throw your voice, like Señor Wences?

Or would you rather be a princess?
Or Lady Gaga, rude and skanky?

Or run the Fed, like Ben Bernanke?

OK, there probably is a reason I don't get paid the same as Dr. Seuss. But you may not know that the good doctor had some demons in his head that were even more sinister than the Grinch. Check out the link in the poetic line below.

Would it be greater to be Darth Vader...or an elevator operator?

Anyway, when I started writing this post, I was intending it to be a discussion of options I might choose if I were to seek a new career. But at this point, I'm kinda freaked out, so I think I'll leave that for a future date. For now, I'll just ask you to take a moment to remember your favorite childhood reading material. Let me know what you liked best from those carefree times. And if you have small children now, well...go find something fun to read with them. And have a great day!