This title refers to my second and last regret, that I did not go away to college. My parents wanted me to but (my mother), disapproved of anything I was interested in. I had a friend, Brenda, that was going to the technical school (BOCES) associated with our high school, Hendrick Hudson. She was studying nursing and during one of my running away ventures, I stayed with her and helped her study. When she graduated high school she would be a licensed Practical Nurse. When I came home I stated that I wanted to do the same thing, My mother said I couldn’t do it that way. She was under the impression that BOCES was an alternative school for people who couldn’t make it in regular school. My next career choice was to be a teacher. Again my mother knocked it down, telling me to check with my cousin, (Carol), that there were too many teachers. That was the end of that. Instead I left home after graduation, ran away to Florida with my first husband, Bryan, and got pregnant.
Fast foward 11 years, two kids and a divorce, I decided to go to college. It was a local adjunct for Mercy College, that I could attend at night. During registration I was given a Myers Briggs Test. This was significant for me. It opened my eyes and was so relevant in deciding on which career choice to make. I couldn’t believe and questioned why this test wasn’t given in high school. That would have made a huge difference for me, Although my mother probably would have nixed any ideas I had.
My first unrealistic choice was to become a Marine Biologist. I looked into the courses offered and I could have taken them except part of the curriculum would be to go out on a boat and intern with scientists. It appealed to me but with having to support two young children, it wouldn’t work. I next thought of majoring in Communications. With that career choice I would be able to go in different directions. I wouldn’t be tied down to one choice. This is all before being diagnosed with ADHD. In the end I didn’t choose a major. There were so many required courses that I had plenty of time to decide. I attended Mercy College part time for two years with no degree.
My career aspirations for the most part were over. As previously posted, I’ve always been a Jack of all Trades and Master of None. Again, not only ADHD, but having to work around my kids schedules and child care. This is not to say that I didn’t excel in all of my jobs, because I did. I’ve learned a great deal besides being versatile. When I get to the “Biography” part of this blog, (which I will), there will be an entire chapter on all the jobs I’ve held throughout my lifetime.
Anyhow, in retrospect and my many years in and out of retail, I think I would have made a great Buyer, for home and fashion. I have a talent for seeing trends before they become trends. This worked well when I had my store, Again, in retrospect, my next career move should have been a Professional Disc Jockey, (DJ). Not the kind that gets hired for weddings or works in clubs, (I would hate that). I’m talking about working for a major radio station, (rock ‘n roll). That is a dream job for me. I have followed Carol Miller and Maria Melito for years. They’re still at it.
With my great love of music and knowledge , it would be a career that I could be still working, MS and all. My friends have always put me in charge of the music at parties. Besides my great love of The Beatles, I am not that biased. (I would make a great DJ on The Beatles Channel on SirusXM}. There is so much music out there, I would be very diversified. I’ve been listening to SirusXM, Classic Rock, and I’m so bored. It sounds like oldtime AM radio. If I had majored in Communications, that coud have helped me with this career choice.
I didn’t mention my desire to become an actress because acting was not part of my mindset at that time. I would have been laughed at by my moher and when I was 18 New York City was nothing like it is now. Times Square was a place of prostitutes and peep shows. I was not allowed to go into the city, although I did. I went to a couple of plays and once toured NBC with a class and I ws mesmorized. I remember going to see The Beatles, on Broadway with Bryan, walking down the street smoking a joint.
Here I am, I’m going to be 67 in two weeks. I’m happy volunteering but I would love to have a job. My sights are set on checking out a movie studio, 10 minutes from our house in Wilmington. They film a lot of movies there and I decided that I would walk in and check it out.