Reunion Revisited: The Long and Winding Road

I always find my college reunion an interesting experience beyond just catching up with former classmates. Returning to campus after a number of years gives me the opportunity to reflect; it is returning to the place where, in a sense, I began the long journey to where I am today. That journey has been quite an adventure, and the paths that I have ventured down are ones that are very different from those that I thought I would follow. Is this really a surprise? No. I don’t think anyone really knows where things will lead, especially at that tender age no matter how directed we think we are. There are too many years ahead of us and too much else that we encounter along the way—challenges that crop up, choices that must be made, and changes that occur — to affect the direction that we may take. In fact, the theme for the weekend and a major topic of discussion was: “Challenge – Choice – Change.”

Finding a job after graduation was certainly a challenge, since as an art major with a specialization in drawing and painting, I entered the job market with few practical, business skills. In fact, following up on a want ad to apply for a media trainee’s position, I was informed, “I’m sorry, dearie, but you are not qualified.” Not qualified? For a trainee’s position? Go figure, but that’s the way things were.

But wait a minute …Art major? Drawing and painting? How does one go from there to being an editor? Down a long and winding pathway, that’s for sure. I majored in art because I was and am more comfortable with visual things than verbal. Besides, it was a lot more fun — just as much, if not more work, but more fun — drawing pictures and splashing paint on canvas than sitting down and pouring over books to write a term paper. And I didn’t intend to have to work for the rest of my life. How ironic is that? I am still working and I write feature stories that are like having to write a term paper! My freshman comp professor would be amazed!

I got into publishing doing ad traffic and production work, learning the ropes along the way, and eventually moving over to editorial production. Once on the editorial side, especially when working on a small staff, I started helping out by doing a little proofreading, then writing simple news stories, and then one thing lead to another …

So there you have it, my convoluted career path in a nutshell. I do not regret my art training; it is useful and manifests itself in many ways. The key thing is that I received a solid educational foundation that has served me well and allowed me to be successful at my “non-chosen” field.