Maybe we need to change the title of this thread? It is interesting how each of our paths weave through life. Either for inspiration or the contemplation I offer my experience but to the young person reading know that each life is different. And in stating such it is likely not wise to model anyone's life but rather glean what you can from each onto yourself.
I grew up what I call "Suburban Poor." My first ten years in New Jersey we were a blended family with 8 kids in a one bathroom, one car household. I can remember my parents scraping up $5, the required minimum for the oil truck to come and deliver fuel for heat. When I was 10 my parents separated and my mother abruptly moved her kids to California. Three years later she remarried. We lived in middle class neighborhoods but that was about it. A roof over our head, clothes on our backs and food on the table. The extras in life that I saw other kids have (ski trips, Catalina trips, Disneyland trips, Schwinn Stringray bikes, etc., etc.) were not ours to be had. I had gotten into slot cars but money was always tight. My parents gave no allowance (though I had more household chores than any of my friends). We were not allowed to get regular jobs (like a box boy) because we were told that it would 'ruin our school work.' I remember my first slot race I had taken an old orange juice can and over months eventually filled it with 100 pennies for my $1 race entrance fee. Racing slot cars was one of my greatest joys in life. I was a 13 year old kid who though winning few races often got 2nd or 3rd place over grown adults. And I did it with cars I build mostly from their old scrapes. My entrance fee eventually came from not eating lunch at school and using the lunch money to race.
I never intend to be college bound. My parents never encouraged it saying college was for 'Doctors and Lawyers.' My main high school focus was shop classes. My goal was to work somewhere I could build race engines/cars. Unfortunately as a sprinter in high school I had torn a hamstring that needed surgery and there was a six month delay in entering the work force. Eventually I got a job in an auto parts store. Six months of dealing with disgruntled customers (who is happy when their car breaks) I thought college might not be a bad idea.
I spent a year at Los Angeles Trade Tech college. Knowing that engines need to be built within a thousands of an inch and finding that difficult, if not impossible I became discouraged. My parents were moving and I had the option of going with them or getting a job and staying where I was. I opted to go. One of my high school requirements was to take a class in theater, speech or TV Production. Shy as I was then TV Production seemed the best choice and I did well in the class. At our new location there were TV Production classes offered at the local college. After my second year I was hanging out in the studio and the Tech muttered that everyone he had lined up for an assistant position was flaking on him. He said I was always there and if I wanted the job it was mine. I jumped at it. My life became one of a community college "Lifer" as I was there for four years - and still far short of graduating.
I was then 24, had lost my long time girlfriend, was living 100 feet from the freeway in a converted garage and surviving on $350 a month. My life was going NOWHERE! I told the tech I needed to get a life and wouldn't be back in the Fall. I worked for a production company soldering circuits for these guys who spent the whole day screaming at each other. I quit. I worked for a cable company as an installer in the hopes that when they opened their studio I would have a foot in the door to work there. Day three the installers were expected to be bill collectors. I quit. An acquaintance got me a real film job and in one week I made my normal months income. Nice but there was nothing afterwards. Then I got a call from the college Tech. He was going out on a medical leave and had a list of things that needed to be accomplished as a temporary hire. I told him I'd come back but at the first notion of outside work I'd be gone.
What was suppose to be a few weeks work ran into the semester starting and the Tech still not back. The money wasn't great but it was money. The Dean came to me and (as if I were still the official assistant - I wasn't) and told me to keep coming in full time. I told him my agreement that I might be gone at any moment. A month went by and I got called in. I figured it was a 'thank you for your work..., but the Tech is coming back.' Instead I was told he would be out indefinitely and they were offering me real money as his fill in. In the end the Tech never came back, I eventually applied for the position permanently and got it.
Within two years of that time I had a good paying job, got married and bought a house. It was quite a change from the 24 year old who was going nowhere. You would think all would be well, but it wasn't. The house had a severely damaged foundation and I worked myself to the bone in an attempt to remedy the problem. The job was very stressful. I knew that going in but who would turn down the highest paying classified job in the district. The stress just got to me and I developed a heart arrhythmia. It only added to the stress. Being 27 years old and feeling your heart skip a beat every 6 beats can really slam the brakes on your life. I struggled through that another 6 years.
In 1990 a number of things coincided. My father in law had been involved in a lawsuit. He won the initial judgement but the case went all the way to the US Supreme Court. He had passed away in the process. The court ruled in his favor. My wife (his heir) received the settlement. It didn't make us rich but it allowed me to shift to part time work and her to stop working so we could raise a family. This also coincided with me having the minimum work experience to apply for a part time teaching position. And, this coincided with one of the few times instructors in our department were taking back to back sabbaticals.
My credential was only good for two years, however I was told (three times I checked) that I would be "grandfathered" in to new stipulations. In the end I wasn't. I was given one semester leave of absence (plus the summer session) to take all the needed classes to graduate and retain my position. It was an odd feeling to become a student at the same school you teach at. It is a long story as to how that almost didn't happen but suffice it to say I met the requirements and for 23 years taught TV Production part time. I nearly lost my position 10 years in when they hired another full time instructor. In this case another long time part timer passed away and I got his classes. Eventually in 2014 they were again looking to hire another full time instructor. There was no safety net this time. At 56 I opted to leave a year early than I needed to. I have never lost a job and I was ready to go anyway. Teaching can be rewarding but frankly it required a lot of "management" on my part for students who were there just killing time. Administration was little help most of them only looking to "appear" productive for advancement. I live a VERY frugal life but I am content. If "Tinkering" were a profession it would be my first choice. What I don't earn in income I compensate by doing for myself. It suits me well.
As I look back I am grateful that, by the grace of God, my life though full of struggles, never faltered to destitution. I'm also grateful to Jon Kavesh who offered me the assistant job he intend for others. It was the genesis of my career. And lastly to Dr. Sidney Adler who twice gave me the chance of a lifetime to be the permanent Tech and eventually an Instructor. Few people saw me as other than a young, shy person and didn't know the passion and fire I had simmering inside. If you are a young person reading this have a plan but be flexible. You do not know what twist and turns lay ahead in life. But be wise. Know when to go in another direction.