A few years back, I made a decision to pursue my education and finally obtain my college degree. For me, this meant forgoing the usual adult work schedule, living very frugally, and doing the occasional contract job just to get by. You see, this guy has never been one to handle the school/work combo, but I've got the utmost respect for those who can pull it off.
Even before I decided to return to school, I worked a series of jobs that never lasted more than a few years...and those jobs ran the gamut from retail management to secretary to waiting tables. Nothing glamorous. The best I could do without a degree was a stint as a customer relations representative with a security company. That gig lasted five years. It paid the most--and that wasn't much.
My father worked for the same outfit for thirty-eight years! When dad got out of the Air Force, he wanted to be a commercial pilot. But after the war, there were lots of guys who wanted to be commercial pilots, and the air wasn't as full of planes as it is today. So, being the resourceful guy that my father was, he found employment elsewhere. He worked odd jobs until a relative suggested he apply to the Pennsylvania Railroad. His first job there was transporting U.S. mail from the small town of Kane to Renovo. He did this for awhile, then started to work as a clerk. It all started in 1947, and lasted until 1985.
It's pretty amazing when we compare ourselves to the so-called greatest generation. Even those of us in the happiest work environments always seem to be looking for something better. Maybe that's one of the reasons we don't have as many choices when it comes to work--good or bad economy. No one wants to stay put for very long. Even the people I graduated high school with--who actually didn't drop out of college like me--couldn't seem to stay on jobs as long as their parents did. Of course, I am not writing any of this to say it's crazy how times have changed or to make any astounding observation. But you've got to give credit to countless people like my father who stuck with jobs that weren't necessarily their ideal or perfect job--but a job to make life as good as they were able to make it.
As I continue to write dad's biography, I find that a big chunk of what his life was all about was his work. Today, he recieved a large package in the mail from Conrail (formerly The Pennsylvania RR, Penn Central) that details his employment history. I'm not sure who's more excited to go over all the details--me or him.
