You are currently browsing the daily archive for January 3rd, 2008.
As I’ve already confessed, I’m a giant nerd when it comes to politics. So on nights like tonight, when the results of the Iowa Caucuses were rolling in, I was glued to the TV. And yes I know that my watching it intently tonight changes nothing – the results will still be the same in the morning. I just like it.
Needless to say, I was very happy with the results. Though I tend to favor Fred Thompson ideologically, I could definitely learn to be okay a year from now with either one of the winners from Iowa – Mike Huckabee and Barack Obama.
It is interesting to me that both of the winners were not national players until just recently. They both have charismatic and magnetic personalities. Both are putting forth a somewhat populist message. I think that most importantly, both Huckabee and Obama seem to have a very commanding stage presence. Does this mean I think that they’re locks for the nomination? No.
One thing’s for sure… I am glad that neither Hillary Clinton nor Mitt Romney came out on top.
Some of you have to be nerds like me. If so, what do you think?
Being back around family and in the town where I grew up always seems to make me face one looming question that I tend to neglect on a day-to-day basis at school. It goes something like this – “So, what ‘zactly you think you goin’ do with that fancy degree you’re gettin’?” (at least that’s what it sounds like in my family).
This question and I have a love-hate relationship. It’s exciting to think that I will hopefully be doing something meaningful with that fancy degree, but it’s also scary as hell to think that right now I really don’t know what that will be. So over the years, as I’ve been asked this question, it seems that my answer has slowly changed. Slowly “evolved” sounds better, right?
It’s evolved from traveling preacher (in my naive days), to missionary (in my adventurous days), to businessman (in my “what the heck am I going to do with a religion degree” days), to author (in my lazy days) to the current answer of… professor.
It seems that the job of a college professor is one of those that is the best of a few different worlds. You get to read and write all the time then go and explain what you’re reading and writing. You are constantly around college students so that you would ideally stay young. You get a lot of “time off.” You can get tenured. You never stop learning. And you get paid for it! Not much, but it still pays.
I like the answer that I have started giving, to those who ask, about being a professor. It sounds like a dream job. It sounds difficult and challenging. However, I know good and well that it may change soon.
For those of you who have grown up – how many times did your answer change? When did you finally come to rest on a job? Is your answer still changing?
For those of you in my shoes – does your answer still change? Where are you right now?
