WHEN I GROW UP I WANT TO BE A VEGETARIAN

One of my favorite things to do is drive my 4 1/2 year old and her two friends to school. The conversations that take place in the car are what made Art Linkletter successful. The other day we (and yes I say "we" because often times I am a participant in said conversations) were talking about what we wanted to be when we grew up. I prompted this question and each of the children had their own answer - one said a firefighter, which of course made me smile thinking back to so many of my grade school friends who aspired to the same profession. The other little boy said, "A basketball player,"  as he waved his brand new Air Jordans for me to see while avoiding oncoming traffic. And my daughter, bless her heart said, "Mom, there are so many...a Ballet Teacher, a Shot Doctor, Princess Tiana and a Gymnastics Teacher." Nice that my daughter wants to ONLY give shots...screw the rest of the job doctors have...don't know where that sadistic behavior comes from.

So as the conversation moved on to other topics - Mario vs. Luigi; why Princesses were cooler than Superheros, I thought back to the first time someone asked me what I wanted to be when I grew up. I believe it was first grade (or at least that's as far back as my memory serves me) and we were going around the room. It took less than a second for me to respond. "A Vegetarian!" To which my teacher cocked her head, chuckled slightly and said, "Excuse me?" So I said, a little louder, "A Vegetarian, Mrs. Glogower. You know...the doctor that fixes animals...A Vegetarian!" 

Now I know there are a lot of people out there who would've been DEVASTATED if I didn't become a recruiter (ok, maybe just the person I placed on Friday), but I've always had a deep love for animals and as soon as I met my dog's Veterinarian at the ripe old age of 6, I knew my calling. A few years later, I learned that Cornell had one of the best veterinary programs in the country and my dad and I instantly came up with the license plate for my car...A VETS VET...(to go on my corvette convertible of course). I was all set. And I followed that dream right up until first semester, sophomore year when I took Organic Chemistry. I remember the hysterical phone call home telling my parents that I just couldn't hack the world of free radicals, bond dissociation and carbocation (and yes, I Googled Organic Chemistry terms). Out the window went my dream of becoming a Veterinarian along with my 500+ page textbook (probably why I got a D...gasp). So I became an English major...

To this day, I wish I had become a Vegetarian. But I do believe everything happens for a reason. While I always loved the idea of helping animals, having to euthanize any of  them would have devastated me every time. When I had to put my two year old Golden Retriever to sleep 14 years ago, I finally realized that perhaps that D in Orgo happened for a reason.  So now I help a different kind of animal...the job seeker.

For ten years my job has definitely proved quite rewarding as I've helped hundreds of candidates find jobs. But I can't help but wonder how my life would've been different had I become a vet. Oh well...it is what it is. So now I just have to wait and live vicariously through my daughters. And someday, when you need a vaccine, I'll watch her administer it with pride.

Good night and happy job hunting,

The Job Yenta