Junior English major

When I was younger, my career aspirations for when I “grew up” were either to become the next Celine Dion or, if that didn’t work out, work the soda machine at my local McDonald’s because for some reason I was fascinated by that.

Now that I’m older and have discovered that I don’t have the vocal talents or the desire to be a fast-food employee, I like to think I’ve developed higher aspirations for myself.

Earlier this semester, I expressed why my English literature major is the best field of academic study, and now, despite popular belief, I think it’s the best major for my so-called dream job. Unlike some, I don’t want one singular job in which I have a cushy salary with a corner office and premium health insurance coverage. Instead, I hope to have an assortment of jobs in my lifetime.

For starters, I want to be the neighborhood bartender who eavesdrops on my customers to one day put their conversations in a book. I want to be that crazy yet revered high school teacher or college professor who channels Robin Williams from Dead Poets Society while teaching my students the importance and beauty of literature. Then I want to be a Hollywood mogul who writes, directs and produces her own films, which will hopefully allow me to win some great award. Maybe somewhere between these jobs, I’ll have the time and energy to be a classy vagabond who travels across the country taking up residence in big cities and small towns, while documenting my experiences for that travel book I’ve always wanted to write.

Finally, when I’m old and gray, after I’ve created a mile-long resume, I want to sit on the deck of my beach house — paid for by my random assortment of jobs — and write books, plays and scripts until I die from consuming too much artificial sweetener in my lifetime.

As pretentious as it sounds, my ideal job(s) is to lead a creative life. Yes, bills will need to be paid, groceries will have to be bought and a gas tank will need to be filled, but I hope I can supplement those with whatever salary I can accrue from my creative jobs. Is my plan stable? No. Is it the best one? I’m not sure. But it is for certain that my dream jobs will lead to a pretty interesting life and, hopefully, memoir.

Maggie Cassidy, opinion editor, is a junior English major. She can be reached at mcassidydbk@gmail.com.