Density, continued...

As I mentioned yesterday, I have always been jealous of people who achieve career-path certainty at an early age.

Clark Kent knew that he needed to leave the farm to become a crusading reporter for a great metropolitan newspaper -- so that he could wear his fedora at a jaunty angle. Oliver Wendell Douglas knew that he needed to leave the city and find fertile land in which he could plant seeds that could shoost up to the sky.

Those fellows were born with dreams, and were compelled to follow them. My best friend Mickey knew that he wanted to be an oilman from the moment he became aware of J.D. Clampet...and then pursued the dream until he ended up with his own petroleum company. Dave Thomas was drawn to the restaurant business, and was learning all he could about it before he reached his teens. (Fun fact: Before he started Wendy's, Dave Thomas was a key player in the success of KFC. If it weren't for him, it's unlikely that anyone would know who Colonel Sanders was.) Identifying your career goal early in life seems to be a key factor in achieving high levels of success.

On the other hand, those of us who grow up without that focus may possess talent and may acquire a high level of skill, but typically end up with a more modest set of accomplishments. As I mentioned yesterday, the wide range of my career aspirations (chopper pilot, matinee idol, professional athlete, Blue Oyster Cult roadie, etc.) made it difficult for me to target one particular set of professional goals.

While Mickey dreamed of becoming Jed, I found that I related more to Jethro. His career range included such diversity as Fry Cook, Brain Surgeon, Double-Naught Spy, Bodine-o-phonist, and Sophistycated International Playboy.

Tomorrow, I will share a list of all the jobs I've had, and how I stumbled across them. The reason I'm thinking about this topic is that my current employer is downsizing, and my hours are going to be cut back (or perhaps eliminated.) Therefore, I need to procure other sources of income, as well as appropriate insurance coverage. This means updating my resume, touching base with networking contacts, and giving some thought to what employment opportunities would represent a good match for my current skill set. Any ideas you might have would be welcome. (NOTE: I'm probably not actually qualified to be a brain surgeon or a double-naught spy. Underwear model? Sure. National Security Advisor? No problem. The next Dash Riprock? Well, obviously that would work.)

Anyway, while I'm waiting to find out whether I need to get a cardboard sign and a tin cup, I shall continue to ponder the Great Questions of the Universe...such as whether or not Clark Kent's glasses had lenses, and whether it's better to disguise yourself in secret identity mode (a la Superman) or disguising your hero self (like Batman.) In either case, the key ingredient is to have an absolutely impenetrable disguise, which both fellows obviously did. (Hmm, I wonder what would happen if Millionaire Bruce Wayne were to don his own set of image-altering spectacles?)

More tomorrow. Until then, have a great day!