Changing Career Paths And An Award!

When I was in elementary school, I had all kinds of ideas of what I wanted to be when I grew up. I wanted to be an author, an archaeologist, a teacher, a fashion designer and a few dozen other things. By the time I got to high school, I was far less inspired. While many of my classmates had decided on specific career paths, I was clueless. Being an author was still something that interested me, but I knew I could spend years writing books and never make a dime, so I needed to choose something with a more solid income potential.

I'm not sure where the idea came from, but I thought I might like to be an x-ray technician. Our family doctor had an x-ray center in his office and employed a technician several days a week so his patients didn't have to go to the hospital for x-rays. I got some information about training and job opportunities from her (the tech). She worked at several different offices and loved the variety it offered.

I lived close to a hospital that offered a prestigious training program for x-ray technicians. There were very strict criteria you had to meet just to qualify to apply to the program and they only took 25 students per year. Their job placement rate was 100%, so I was anxious to be accepted.

Several weeks after applying to the program, I was called for an interview. I agonized over what to say and what to wear. I wondered what questions I would be asked and whether I would have to take any sort of test. It's a huge hospital, so I also worried about being able to find my way to the program director's office.

The interview went very well. The director was pleasant and conversational and I felt fairly at ease. We talked about why I was interested in the program and what my ultimate career goals were. He asked about my GPA and the classes I was taking in school. And then he asked me an unexpected question, one I had never even considered. He asked me if I would find any of the work distasteful. When I asked him to elaborate, he told me that, in the hospital, x-ray technicians are often faced with blood, urine, and feces as well as other bodily fluids. He also said patients are frequently agitated and disoriented, and can be difficult to deal with. In my mind I had only pictured the scenario you would see in a family doctor's office. I was thinking sprained ankles, broken arms and chest x-rays and he was talking about car crashes and severe trauma. I confidently told him I had no problem with any of it, but inside I was reeling at the notion.

He called me the next day to thank me for the interview and to tell me that my GPA had put me at number 26 on the list of applicants by 1/4 of a point. But, he said had been very impressed with me and wanted to offer me the option of being added to the alternate list (in case someone backed out of the program) or giving me the number one spot in a program at another hospital. When I asked about the other hospital he told me it was in downtown Detroit. The idea of driving around Detroit, by myself, through seriously crime ridden areas didn't appeal to me and I didn't want to hang my hopes on the possibility of another student quitting the program close to home so I declined both offers.

Looking back, sometimes I think I should have taken the offer in Detroit, but then I wouldn't have taken a job at the company where I met my husband and my life would be completely different today. So in the end, I have no regrets.

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I was pleasantly surprised to find that I received an award from Rachel at Rachel vs. "The Kitchen" this morning. Thank you so much Rachel! If you've never visited Rachel's blog, you need to do so. She has the most delicious recipes, I want to try them all! I wish I had a slice of that banana cake to enjoy with my coffee right now!




Here's the list of rules for this award:

1. Thank the person who nominated you for this award
2. Copy the logo and place it on your blog
3. Link to the person who nominated you for this award
4. Name 7 things about yourself that people might find interesting
5. Nominate 7 Kreativ Bloggers
6. Post links to the 7 blogs you nominate
7. Leave a comment on each of the blogs letting them know they have been nominated

I can't imagine that there's anything interesting about me that I haven't already blogged about at one time or another, but I'll give it a shot.

1. An essay I wrote in the 4th grade was chosen to represent the state of Michigan in a national endangered species essay contest. It was about the bald eagle.
2. I'm the youngest child as well as the only girl in my family.
3. I'm good at tongue twisters and once won a tongue twister contest.
4. I get queasy during take-off when I fly.
5. When I get really nervous, I hyperventilate.
6. I spell my name in an unconventional way. I had a teacher in middle school who would correct it with a red pen on the top of my papers.
7. I'm a second generation American on my dad's side of the family and third generation on my mom's side. My dad's parents and my mom's grandparents were all born in Germany.

I can't believe how hard it was to make that list! Now, I'd like to pass this award on to the following bloggers:

1. Marvelously Mundane
2. Muddy Runner
3. One Step At A Time
4. Purple Flowers
5. Tattoos and Teething Rings
6. The 5th Sister
7. What's For Dinner?

These are some great blogs. Click on over and check them out if you haven't already!