- My parents told me to study something that would pay enough to support myself.
- No one told me to choose a job I couldn’t live without.
- I appreciate the advice they gave me, but I want to encourage my children to follow their passions.
Recently, my 13-year-old creative told me he wanted to be a screenwriter and television director. When he was younger, he entertained the idea of becoming a doctor like his father or doing in finances and working with actions.
“These ideas looked great for a while, but I can’t stop thinking about it,” he said with a glitter in his eyes. He has mentioned this and out for some time, but after watching the “office” – a favorite show of mine and my husband I willingly let go despite the raw humor – he was sure that he is what he It was meant to do.
And who am I to tell him he can’t?
I am giving my children different career tips than what I have received
As we talked about his aspirations, he asked, “Do you think I have what I need?” Suddenly, I heard the voices of every adult since my childhood: “Write is a hobby, not a career. He won’t pay bills.”
I told him he was very creative and I believed he had what he had to succeed. That was the truth. But there was more for my answer than just to convince him to make all his efforts in that dream.
When it came time for me to apply to college, my parents gave me two tips: Choose a career that pays enough to support yourself and what will always have vacancies.
It was constructive guidance – and I will pass this wisdom to my children – but maybe they lost a small detail.
At that time, I knew that English and science were the two subjects I interested in the most. I also liked to work with kids and the idea of working in a school appealed to me. So, when my mother suggested pathology in the language of speech as a possible career, it seemed like the perfect adaptation. There was an increase in jobs for pathologists in speech language (SLP) in 2001, when I started the college and enrolled in the course that introduced the major.
I liked to write, but no one told me, “Choose the job you can’t live for.” that Was it the advice I never received. And so, let me write in the dust of my childhood.
I had to parent as I lived with a chronic illness
After winning my master’s degree, I worked in the field like SLP at an elementary school for several years until my son was born. It was not difficult to say goodbye to a case filled with a full case and endless documents, but I eventually missed feeling like a professional.
Instead of Kakakis and a blouse, I wore pajamas or leggings on a good day. I was Mom -and a woman who sought a diagnosis I finally discovered was multiple sclerosis-and life was now full of the first, both the wonderful mother, and the scary first of the disease.
I intended to return to work when my little boy was in full school, but between mother and orphan with a chronic illness, my inner creativity won.
I started writing again
I started slowly. At first, I just wanted to connect with others who also lived with an undiagnosed disease. When I finally got my diagnosis, then I was hoping to be a lawyer for those who remained unashamed as well as the MS community, so I continued to write with these goals in mind. But later, as my publications expanded, I wanted to branch – write about my parents, the policy that influenced my family’s life, and what I thought about the latest episode of my favorite television show. I wanted to write it all.
Without a degree in journalism, I had many homework to do. I joined the writer groups on social media and read how to send the rhythms of the notable. Over time, I was taught to remain silent on the radio and the refusals by the editors. A lot of back-tone research eventually enabled me to get my foot at the door. But it was not easy.
With a wonder, I email an editor in an edition that I aspire to see my name. Like any enthusiastic creator with a purpose, I sent a draft of an essay I would work for. Was rejected. All on the same day.
Five years later I landed my first essay in that publication. Often, I wonder how I found success in an industry that little do it. Then I remember the writing gives me the glitter I see in my son’s eyes when he talks about screenwriting – that’s why I believe he also has what he needs.
I am grateful to have a degree to return if necessary
My parents gave me good advice before leaving for college. I’m not breaking the bank as an independent writer. But because of their instruction, I have a degree to return if I need it, and I will never regret having that security network.
I believe there is more to convey to children than to choose a career based solely on pay and availability of work. Like any parent, I want my children to live quietly and with safety at work, but I also want them to pursue a career they cannot live with – because this is what has to do with life. If my children’s eyes are lit when talking about a career with a low degree of success, I will encourage them to pursue their dreams with an alternative plan in the country.
I am honest with my son how many few screenwriters are successful, but I am also advising him to follow what he cannot live without because I want him to wake up every day knowing how to love him that does. Having a plan B is essential.
“A hobby I have Be a career. “And with those words, I gave my son the hope I would never have received.