Chasing the Dream Job

After Super Bowl Sunday and Super Tuesday, it’s good to have a plain old Wednesday. But this week of superlatives has gotten me thinking about careers. Being a football player had never appealed to me. There’s too much risk for injury. I’m also surprised so many people want to be President of the United States. The pay is far less than a football player and the challenges are enormous.

As writers, we get to give our characters different jobs. So I’ve had a chance to try different careers and my very favorite – don’t laugh – is librarian. Where else can you serve people without charging them?

I constantly use that profession in my stories. In my story, Overdue for Love, the hero is a sexy reference librarian. And as my heroine Jan says many might find “the guy’s career to be kind of sissy, but in reality it was rather grueling. I’d seen him work the phone and computer to find an open shelter for a homeless person, give airport directions to someone whose English was nearly nonexistent and get a giggly teenager to narrow a research project to a manageable level.”

The police also serve and detective is another of my favorite professions. I’m constantly writing about detectives who daily vow to serve their communities with humility and treat all residents with respect. Sometimes it isn’t easy for them. In my novel, No Doubt, Sunny Cloud must deal with a homeless alcoholic teenager who claims to be his long-lost son. Headache? You betcha.

I have another fantasy profession but unfortunately my experience is so far too limited to write about it. But if Bill and Melissa Gates want to hire me on as a philanthropist, I’m available. And I'd love to hear what your dream job is.