I grew up on a ranch/farm in the northeastern corner of Colorado. We had dogs and cats, horses, range cattle, milk cows and baby calves, goats, pigs, and chickens in some combination all the time. Needless to say, we were close friends with the veterinarian, Mick Price, and then later with the veterinarian who bought out his business. It seemed like we were at the vet weekly, if not more frequently, with an animal, or the veterinarian was making a ‘house’ call.
I idolized Dr. Price, and I wanted to grow up and be a veterinarian.
As I matured, I changed my mind.
The farther up the grade school ladder I climbed, the more I started understanding the years of education after high school required to earn a DVM. That wasn’t particularly appealing. I didn’t like school that much, despite being an average to above average student. Regardless, as I left junior high (7th through 9th grades), I was still vaguely considering veterinary medicine as a career.
Then I reached high school and experienced the soul-crushing torture of advanced math and science classes. It was Katie-bar-the-door. A career in anything that involved even higher levels of math and science wasn’t going to happen. My brain was not mathematically or scientifically wired.
Long about 9th grade, though, I’d joined our local chapter of Civil Air Patrol. Oh. My. Gosh. I took flying lessons and emergency medical training. I loved my uniform and the structure of the military-like meetings. THIS. This was my career path. I was going to enlist in the Air Force after I graduated high school.
On the night of Baccalaureate, the Sunday evening prior to the Thursday night graduation ceremony, I suffered a freak accident that resulted in traumatic brain injury. No Air Force enlistment for me. Five decades later, I still have permanent memory loss about many events in my childhood.
It wasn’t until I was 28 that I’d figured out what to do with my life. I enrolled in college and, over the next decade-ish, earned several higher ed degrees and certificates in the education field.
So, there you have it. My two childhood dream jobs didn’t materialize, but the career path in education I ended up on worked out nicely.
Until next time,
Kaye Spencer
writing through history one romance upon a time
At the exam/Student – © Can Stock Photo / kornienko
Veterinary Rod of Asclepius image
