A is For...

Aspirations
Some people have known exactly what they wanted to do in life since the time they were five. I am not one of those people. At the age of 5, I had my heart set on spending my adult years on the open seas searching for buried treasure. I'm not sure why I was so obsessed with being a pirate, but as a law-abiding citizen with an appreciation for cleanliness, this dream clearly didn't last long. At 10 I dreamt of being a camp counselor. This dream was also short-lived as I soon realized I wasn't a huge fan of bug bites and ill-behaved children. By 15 I had decided on a criminal psychologist. While this was a much more reasonable career choice than the previous two, by the time I got to college I wasn't so sure it was what I truly wanted to do. So instead I went to business school where I had two years before I had to declare a major. I was immediately drawn towards marketing, as it allowed me to use both the creative and logical sides of my brain, but, I was also really good at accounting. Luckily for me, I had the option of a 5 year program that allowed me to do both. I came out in 4 years [over-achiever, I know] with a BBA in Accounting and an MS in Marketing. And now, here I am, working in public accounting as an external auditor.

I'm in the midst of my second busy season with the firm and as I submitted my 67 hour time sheet this week, I realized this is by no means what I want to do for the rest of my life. But what do I want to do? That is the million-dollar question. I'd like to eventually put my marketing degree to good-use, but I don't know how. Perhaps I can again find the best of both worlds and work at a marketing firm doing accounting? Who knows. My aspirations on the job front are ever changing, but I am certain on other aspects of my life. I may not know what career I want, but I do know what I want to be. I want to be a wife and a mother, a role model and a friend. I want to be a listener and a confidant, a person who can life people's spirits and offer sound advice. And most importantly, I want to be happy. They may be simple aspirations, but I'm sure they will make my life much more meaningful than being a pirate.