Career Dreaming

My partner in life and I are not married but I refer to her as Ms. Peacemaker.  My just shy of two years old son I refer to as Baby Peacemaker or Junior Peacemaker.  But Ms. Peacemaker has another son who lives with us that I’ll refer to as Young Peacemaker.  Young Peacemaker is a teenager.  He is an excellent kid but is often confused and has a tendency to not think things through clearly or to listen carefully.  Like many typical teenagers these days, he suffers from an inability to understand the world accurately.  A senior in high school he will be graduating in a few months.  I am afraid that life will hit him harder than what he is prepared for.

Wearing dreadlocks that are just a couple of years old and with no intention to cut them off, Young Peacemaker is fixated on becoming part of a very prestigious, high profile, professional group.  For the sake of anonymity I won’t say what his aspiration is.  But needless to say it is a profession seriously dominated by white males with a smattering of blacks.  Long haired, socially conscious, strongly associated with their ethnicity black people need not apply.  But that’s his dream.  As much as it breaks my heart to see him shoot for things so far removed from the black community and what appears to be so far outside his ability to achieve or his desire to pursue, it is his life and he has his own decisions to make.

Young Peacemaker reminds me of so many young people who think that they can become what their heart desires with nothing more than a wish.  Without exception, everyday I ask him what he has done to reach his dream the answer is nothing or little of nothing.  He’s looked up a few schools on the internet.  He’s thought of going into the military to get money for schooling.  Sometimes he says he has filled out an online employment application or an application for a college.  I’ll suggest something.  He’ll do it tomorrow.  There really doesn’t appear to be much of an overwhelming drive to become the successful professional in his primary career choice that is highly competitive.  And because it is a career that is very competitive, companies have their pick of a number of job applicants for these positions.  And with the economy going through a painful economic adjustment for the foreseeable future, job prospects will become even slimmer.

My thinking is that Young Peacemaker could work to prepare himself for his dream job.  But in the meantime, he should have a real job that will help get him through lean times.  I think that’s pretty smart for any teenager these days.  Yes it might sound good to shoot for becoming the first black driver in Formula One racing to wear dreadlocks.  But maybe some technical training as an automobile mechanic might keep the lights on until he’s discovered by one of those racing teams.  It would be great to be part of the construction crew that builds the first skyscraper on the moon.  But maybe a job as a plumber might come in handy until that new space shuttle is ferrying construction workers off planet.  I don’t want the young man to stop dreaming his dream.  I just don’t want him starving while he’s dreaming.

Not many people are going to get the job to just sit around and play video games or piloting the Goodyear blimp.  I think Young Peacemaker confuses occupation with hobbies.  Although it might appear that a lot of people make money bowling or playing golf or football, for every person playing a sport and getting paid there are millions who don’t see a dime.  In fact, they have to pay to play.  Yeah it might be nice to live life as a musician or a rap star.  But for every person that gets paid to be in front of a microphone millions are disappointed.  All one has to do is watch one of those American Idol or Star Search shows.  For every person that makes it to the finals, hundreds or thousands of people are rejected.  If you got what it takes you can make it.  If all you got is a wish and a prayer but little talent or drive, good luck.

It is my dream to see Young Peacemaker make better choices for himself and for the black community that are a lot more realistic and a lot more obtainable.  He can be whatever he wants to be if he’s willing to work hard enough to achieve it.  He can be whatever he wants to be if he’s willing to do whatever he has to do to get that dream job.  But in the meantime, he has to eat.  This experience will help both of us out tremendously.  I know I’m learning every time I talk to him.  Besides, it’s good practice for when Junior Peacemaker gets older.