One of the more interesting things I remember about "becoming" a grownup is when I started to notice all of the different careers out there.
When you ask a group of young people what they want to be, what do they say?
Doctor
Lawyer
Chef
Fireman
Tycoon
Nobody says, Fire Extinguisher Salesman? And yet, this morning as I drove home from the pediatrician's office (flu shots), I saw a minivan outfitted for business with FESSINC written on the side.
That's Fire Extinguisher Sales and Services, Inc. They sell and service fire extinguishers, train employees as to fire extinguishers, clean carpets, and eliminate pests. Their clients are restaurants in North Carolina and Virginia. (I got all this from their van.)
It got me thinking of all the people I know and their various professions-- professions you don't immediately think of, but which provide sufficient goods and services to a sufficient clientel to earn their owners a living.
So the next time you meet a young person searching for his calling, you might recommend he drive down the road at 10 AM and look at all the work vans. There are lots of options.
Or you could just recommend fire extinguisher sales.
2 comments:
True. There are millions of careers out there. (Well, at least a huge variety, maybe not a million.) I'd never considered encouraging my students to become Fire Extinguisher Service/Sales people though. :)
I remember having the same realization. When I was in Jr. High I had to take one of those classes where you talk about careers and stuff. There was this really big book (like a phone book) with lists and lists of all the career options you can choose. We had to choose two careers and map out a plan of how we could get there. I chose "Sock Ironer" and "Peanut Butter Stirer" I had never considered before that SOMEONE has to stir the PB, and SOMEONE has to prepare the socks to be packaged and shipped to Wal-Mart.
How in the world did I end up in Marketing??? I had such aspirations as a youth...
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