Do you regret your career choice?

As I’ve grown older, I’ve wondered whether I chose the right career. I remember taking an aptitude test in college, which told me I should’ve been a sewing machine mechanic. I can barely figure out the remote control or how to read my GPS.

Needless to say, that was not the career I chose. I went into advertising sales, but I was laid off so many times, I’m amazed I didn’t end up homeless. Now that I’m retired, I wonder what my life might have been like if I had chosen a different path, one that better suited my creative temperament.

In the 70s, getting laid off was riddled with so much shame. Everyone aspired to work for one company, hoping that their loyalty would be rewarded with a lucrative pension once they finally retired.

Not me. I rarely worked at a place long enough to earn a pension. Either I was laid off, or I left for a larger base salary and a signing bonus, if I could secure one. But it was only a matter of time before my boss discovered that I couldn’t cut the mustard.

I entered each job with gusto, but I couldn’t handle the stress and the pace of the work that was expected of me. Perhaps I had ADD, although I wasn’t aware of it. Often, I was the victim of restructuring, but the truth of the matter was that I preferred writing over the stress of making sales calls and achieving a quota.

My mind was always thinking about creative forms of expression. Sending query letters to publishing houses was my primary interest.

I was published from time to time, but the compensation certainly didn’t compare to having a corporate job. So I continued with the advertising business, stuttering along in corporate life. My partner was very systematic, which made her successful as a financial advisor. She was able to prioritize tasks and complete the job.

As for me, my brain is like a helium balloon. If a more interesting thought comes my way, that’s where I go. I would like to know if many creative people struggle with traditional jobs, as I do. I’ve read many biographies about notable artists who have a hard time adapting to corporate life.

(artists who bounce from job to job)

The first job I got laid off from was as a cashier at a local restaurant. Why my manager didn’t like that I was writing poetry when there were no customers around is beyond me. Of course, I didn’t wear a bra or a slip either, and I refused to iron my uniform. Is that grounds for dismissal?

I remember trying to tackle office work and taking the bus to downtown Los Angeles to perform menial tasks for an uptight boss. I spilled coffee all over my papers, and I used so much whiteout that the paper seemed like it was written in Braille.

I worked as a waitress and was so stressed out that the bartender couldn’t read my handwriting. Did I order a margarita or a martini? Of course, I couldn’t remember. Maybe it was a Mai Tai?

I got a big signing bonus to work for Sports Illustrated, and my boss told me that I was a “quick study” until he discovered that I wasn’t good at managing stress.

I guess that half gallon of coffee that I had before work got the best of me. I couldn’t focus. I felt like a spin painting with my thoughts splattering all over the place.

Looking back, being a copywriter at an ad agency might have made me happy. There, my mental ramblings would be rewarded if I wrote a good jingle or tagline to create catchy ads that inspired people to buy things they didn’t need.

But that’s all behind me now. I left corporate life in 2003 and decided to devote myself to my creative pursuits. I have to laugh about the colorful life I’ve had.

Somehow, I got to where I am, and now, I enjoy writing about the stupid things that have happened to me.

How about you? Did you choose the right career? Did your creative pursuits get you into trouble from time to time?