From Friday Five

1. What is your current occupation? Is this what you chose to be doing at this point in your life? Why or why not?

College professor (Biology). Yes, it is. I'm very happy with it. I need a career where I get more than a paycheck, I need to feel like I'm contributing something to the betterment of society.

2. If time/talent/money were no object, what would your dream occupation be?

Probably teach college part time and be an artisan part time. I love teaching, it's the committeework, and the afternoon meetings, and all the auxiliary stuff you have to do that is a drag.

3. What did/do your parents do for a living? Has this had any influence on your career choices?

My dad is a professor of geology. For many years he was also chairman of an academic department. My mother was mostly a stay at home mom, but she did some research and fill-in teaching, and she's taught since my brother and I have been out of junior high. I'm sure it influenced me - favorably in the direction of teaching, but unfavorably in the direction of being an administrator. There's not enough money in the world for me to be a department chair or dean.

4. Have you ever had to choose between having a career and having a family?

No. But that's mainly because I'm not married, and at this point don't want to have children for reasons unrelated to my career.

5. In your opinion, what is the easiest job in the world? What is the hardest? Why?

I don't know about "easy" vs. "hard". I think all jobs have easy components - or are easy for some people - and hard for others. I know I'd hate a 9-to-5, "mindless" job where I was just another cog in a machine. But there are other people who would be scared of being a college professor.

I do know about "fun" and "not-fun" jobs. In my opinion, being an educator is a fun job. Being in a corporate situation would be a not-fun job.

I guess the hardest jobs for me would be places where I had to deal with a lot of hostile or grumpy people - like telemarketing, or being a waitress, or working retail.

Teaching is pretty easy for me. But that might be because I enjoy it.