Dreaming of Other Career Paths

One of my South Carolina friends wrote to me about her niece (who is about 22 years old) who is launching an Etsy site and trying to sell her crafts. I feel oddly jealous. No, jealous is the wrong word--too many negative connotations. I envy that youthful energy. I wish that I had this kind of new project (but I don't, do I? If I did, I'd launch it).

I've been following Kristy Bowen's blog for a while. I'm fascinated by her ability to run a micropress and an Etsy site and to make it all look blissful and effortless.

Now I know that she has to hold down a regular job (in a library, I'm surmising) to keep all of this going. I try to be realistic. But some part of me just yearns for something different. I try to be grateful that I have a job that funds my daily needs and creative needs and wants.

My response to the normal irritations of my job (last week, I found myself having to revisit and redo part of the Summer schedule for at least the 4th time, due to no fault of my own) lately seems to be looking at online graduate programs. Yes, I have a Ph.D. in English. What would be the point of an additional degree?

But it's not my logical brain that goes to these sites. A few weeks ago, I contemplated a Biology program (for several reasons, not the least of which is that I was enjoying Natalie Angier's book, The Canon). Last night, I went to this site to read about their graduate certificate that might qualify me to be a spiritual director.

So far, I've always come to my senses before I plunked down any money.

So, I'm trying to turn my frustrations into something positive: dreaming of land in the country! A creative retreat center! A place to flee to when Florida is under water (a friend with a scientist father thinks we have 10 years--yikes). Perhaps it's no more constructive a response than enrolling in an online graduate program or launching an Etsy site (since I don't have time to do the crafts I would need to do to fill the orders). But at least it's cheaper. At least it is until I start looking at actual land options.