My Diverse Journey Through Various Jobs

Kurt Vonnegut wrote that some of the most interesting people he’d met were 65-year-olds who didn’t know what they wanted to be when they grew up. I always thought he meant they were still looking. But, maybe he was talking about people who had tried a lot of different things.

I hope Kurt would have found me worth at least a cup of coffee.

I was raised a cowboy. Not the rodeo kind. We’re talking the kind that does it for a living. I could rope, brand, ride, and do a man’s day of work by the time I was ten.

Now, if you’re talking a job where a W-2 was involved, then that would be working as a janitor at the elementary school.

After that, there were a lot or different things I’ve done:

• Farmhand – helping to irrigate fields. Back Breaking work, but I was used to it.
• Asst. Astronomer – Worked at the college observatory under a NASA grant watching for evidence of volcanism on the Moon.
• Lab Assistant – Worked with our Science Department head to help keep him organized.
• Security Officer – My first taste of something I’d do for years. I worked the College Campus to keep it secure and save.
• Police officer/Deputy Sheriff/ Undercover Narcotics Officer/Detective/Protective Security – I write about that constantly, so I won’t bore you here.
• Soldier – More stuff I won’t bore you with
• Director of Emergency Management – Did that for six counties. Will talk about that someday.
• Carpenter – Not sure if can call something you enjoy that much a job. I can do anything from build a fence to a house.
• System Administrator – The job I’ve done now for the last twenty plus years. Considered an expert on Virtualization, Computer Storage, Windows and Linux Administration, Security, and so on. Of course my definition of an “Expert” is someone who knows nothing about everything.

It’s the volunteer stuff that I’ve learned a lot from:

• TV Producer – Strictly on the college level and no you’ve never seen any of my shows. Gave me the knowledge on how to put shows and presentations together. I will say that Captain Kirk saved by behind. Read about it here!
• Radio DJ – Just fun, what can I say.
• Director of Security – Got to use everything I learned in the Army and Law Enforcement to build a first class team for my church.

And now, I’m working on being the greatest, living mystery writer you’ve never heard of!

Go ahead. Make me famous. I dare you! Just don’t do it like Billie the Kidd threatened in Young Guns.

Too bad Kurt isn’t with us any longer. I think I’m worth at least a pot of coffee.

But then I’d have bought him a brewery to hear is WW II stories.

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