The Apprentice

I've always wanted to have a job where I could have a passion for my work. The career selection books always tell you to do what you love to do. Well, there's not much call for a garage sale hound, blue thumb gardener, or children's sermon leader! My first job after college was one for which I had a passion--but the passion wore off after several years of disillusionment. I also realized that perhaps I wasn't cut out for the cut-throat, aggressive world of politics.

In today's job classifieds, I saw an ad for apprentices for the local carpenters and millwrights union. Sounded intriguing! But wait--did I meet the qualifications? Let's see:

1. Must be over 18 (I'm actually over-qualified for that one, by far!).
2. Must be a high school graduate or have GED. (Over-qualified there, too. Got my Master's.)
3. Must be willing to try and learn. (That's me!)
4. No discrimination re: gender (yea!), age (yea!), race, etc.

OK, so could I really do something like this? I mean, what kind of near-49-year-old woman changes from a desk job to a carpenter's apprentice? I assume it would pay virtually nothing for a long time. Could I handle that? Probably not. But would I love what I was doing? I know I'd love learning the trade. Whether or not the fellow apprentices would accept me would be another thing, not to mention the instructors.

I find myself having so many pipe dreams and so little ambition to get up and follow them. I often wonder if this is a mid-life crisis. When I was young, I knew exactly what I wanted, and I went out and got it. I went beyond my comfort zone to talk to the right people, to reach out for new challenges, and I achieved my goals. Now I'm in a different kind of comfort zone--too comfortable. I have a relatively secure job that helps pay the bills, benefits, a mortgage, responsibilities, children, etc. If I change my career, it affects everything and everyone. Life just isn't simple anymore. I guess it never was, but I didn't realize it as much!