Decisions Decisions

**WARNING** I will be needing a little cheese to go with this whine

Let me preface this note by saying, I love my job. I am good at it. That being said:

It's time for me to grow-up. I've been out of college for 4 years, and I've never had a "real" job. No salary, no business cards, no nice clothes required. Right before I graduated, I decided that I didn't want anything to do with the degree I had worked so hard to earn. It left me with almost zero skill set and a communications degree. All I could apply for was anything in the "general lemming" category. Most of the jobs sucked, I quit them within a few months.

Then I moved to Madison, and found this job. I adore it. It adores me.
However, every time I meet someone, the inevitable questions always follow:

idiot: "What do you do?"
me: I work in tourism at [blankity blank blank]
The stare at me
idiot: "Oh, ok. But what do you plan on doing, you know, for a living?"

I MAKE AN EFFING LIVING! I GET A PAYCHECK DON'T I?!!?!
sure, the amount on the paycheck is laughable, but I knew that going in. I really enjoy where I work, the people I work with, and this is the first time I've ever felt appreciated for the work I do.

However, they have a point. It would be ridiculous for me to think I could do this my whole life. There's not enough money, and there's really no where for me to advance.

Fortunately, I have finally figured out what I want to do with my life: Graphic Design.

Unlike all the things I would be miserable doing, I can actually see myself slaving over a computer 8-10 hours a day making beautiful things. I am thrilled to finally have a direction I want to take my life in, and once you know a piece of information like that, you want to start the next stage of your life immediately (yes, I paraphrased from When Harry Met Sally)

Enter Roadblock: Husband

Sweet, wonderful, adoring Husband, through no fault of his own, has made my plans inconceivable at this current moment. He's halfway through grad school with another year to go. Financially, it just doesn't make sense for me to go back to school right now. Sadly, my paltry income makes me the breadwinner, and we can't afford for me to cut back on hours. I refuse to do an online program, I want to be hands-on in the classroom. My graphic design degree will take 4 semesters. So if I wait, it will be 3 whole years before I can start my new career.

I can't decide how I feel about that. Like I said, I enjoy my current position, and I could probably be happy doing this another 3 years. But I would love to be a graphic designer. I would love to have an actual answer when people ask me, "what do you do?" I love would to have a business card, a desk, an inflated sense of accomplishment, and most importantly, I think I would be happy.

eh, it will still happen...eventually.