Teach, Law, Life.

Travelin'Oma posted about credentials not too long ago and it got me thinking. Most All of her posts make me think. To answer your question, Oma, yes, you are incredible.
One of her homework assignments posed the question what did you want to be when you grew up?
I always wanted a career where I could make a difference and be successful. Pretty generic, no? But for a 5-year-old? Anyhow...
I have always been a pretty strong debater and known for deviously challenging opinions. I also enjoy digging into information and equipping myself well with knowledge. This all points strongly towards law. Yes law was clearly the field I was destined for. A career choice front runner for many years, I investigated further the requirements. A graduate degree in law, an undergraduate in just about anything and a call to the bar. Simple enough.
I looked into the various fields of practice. Family law, no thank you. Corporate law bored me. Real Estate law, meh. Criminal law, now there was interesting. Off I went to play what if. What if I was a defense lawyer and knew I couldn't morally defend a client? What if I was prosecutor and identified in a case that there were too many technicality errors to convict an accused? The what if game led me to the conclusion that law, while fascinating, just wasn't my destiny.
Another focus had always been education. As a tot, I would arrange pupils (toys, a sister, a very patient cat, etc.), lecture on varied topics, issue assignments, grade imagined papers, use red pens. As a student, I was blessed with many incredible instructors who still inspire me. The seeds they planted have grown into memories I cherish. I researched and learned that there was much more to being a teacher than just teaching and this intrigued me. There was a combined program that I could enroll in to graduate with two degrees, one of my choosing and one geared for education. One entrance requirement was a personal essay about why I wanted to enter the faculty. I was lazy and rebelled. I didn't want to write it. I didn't want to write in X number of words why I wanted to teach. So, I didn't. I wonder had I written the essay and obtained acceptance, how I would be different today.
Today, I am many things including still a student pursuing a degree and designation that I'm uncertain of. I still ask myself often what I want to be when I grow up. I am still certain of my original intentions, to be successful and to make a difference. I am also confident that someday I'll get to where I'm going. My niche is somewhere, I just haven't quite found all the pieces to this elaborate puzzle of Life yet.