I Couldn't Do Your Job

Lots of the parents I deal with say “I couldn’t do your job”. This is usually after difficult situations and I’m sure it’s meant as a compliment. I’m not good with praise so I usually tell them I probably  couldn’t do their jobs either.  To be honest, I have never felt like education is my job.  Yes it pays the bills, but it is more of an identity and it is a calling for me.  Some people look for jobs and others find their calling.  I am blessed to have found mine.

The reality is that we all have jobs that reflect our unique skills and our calling. We all do something worthy of someone else’s respect.  I have tried to do construction work and I'm not good at it.  Yes it gets done, but with the absence of a true passion for it my results are average at best.  Years ago, I worked in the pizza business while in college.  I was good at it and fond of the work.  These days, I have small opportunities to be in a kitchen again and I find that I no longer can hang.  In these jobs, just as all others, there are people that have unique skill sets to be good at their chosen occupations.  I enjoy seeing these skills on display from these unique people when I am out and about.

This uniqueness is the exact reason we should not preach to students that they must have a college degree to be successful. Sure we all may have a different definition of success, but we all can spot people that are happy.  I was a first generation college student and it seems as if I should be pushing degrees, but honestly I push kids to find a passion as I did.  Lets not get it wrong, there are solid numbers showing more lifetime earnings for those who have college degrees.  We can't push the money narrative as the only indicator of success.  Rather, we need to ask kids what they can be personally fulfilled doing everyday and be able to pay the bills with the income it provides.

Change the narrative with kids. The message should be to find a path that allows you to use your skills to answer your calling.  Many college graduates do not follow a straight path from their degrees into the workforce.  This may explain why so many feel their degree is not worth much.  It is a hard sell to tell kids that they need a college degree and good luck getting into the field you chose.  Rather, lets find their passion first and then develop the road map to get there.  They may want to do one of those jobs I could never do.