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Posted
3 minutes ago, BabaYaga said:

Does he know any firefighters?  Half our family on the wife's side are in or retired FF's.  They see some gnarly shit.  It's not for everyone.  One friend of the family saw his first family disaster involving fatalities and that was it.  He was done.  For many it's a calling, so I might have the candid conversation about whether this is you scratching the itch to serve, or is this something you can see yourself doing for an extended period of time.  It's also very competitive.  More and more are leaning this route vs LEO or military, so check up on who you are competing against.  

Indeed, all are valid thoughts/concerns.  I think he's looking at doing so in the actual UK, so that's part of the "research" (he has some time, graduation is over a year away).  And he's still very much in the "exploration" phase of how to serve.  Personally, I think it's a big bite -- not just something you do for 2 years.  But...we'll see.  

Posted
Just now, Brisketexan said:

Indeed, all are valid thoughts/concerns.  I think he's looking at doing so in the actual UK, so that's part of the "research" (he has some time, graduation is over a year away).  And he's still very much in the "exploration" phase of how to serve.  Personally, I think it's a big bite -- not just something you do for 2 years.  But...we'll see.  

Yeah, I'd assume that it takes a few years in the pipeline just to be able to be a firefighter, here or abroad.  Then you actually start doing the job.  He could also apply his intellect at any number of non-profit agencies/shelters.  He won't make much money, but it can scratch the itch.  

Posted
29 minutes ago, Brisketexan said:

  He talked about the fact that his career will likely take him to a place/world where he's wearing a suit, and managing projects/strategies somehow.  And he feels that having some real "boots on the ground" real world experience and perspective before he does so will serve him well -- I don't know.  

this is interesting.

 

obviously playing in a band and touring across the country in a van and doing shit like that is not "serving" but I'm often glad that I did something interesting and something that broadened my perspective a bit while I was young. At my last job I was talking to one of the sales directors and he mentioned he spent some time as a commercial fisherman when he was in his twenties and we connected a bit over having had a... I dunno, cowboy phase before settling into corporate lives. There are times when, of course I regret opportunities I missed when I was deep inside the bottle, and then related but separate I wonder "what if" about people who started with a focused direction really early. And there are also times I think about people who go off to college at 18 for career prep and go sequentially right through the steps and are in the burbs in a quarter zip and khakis with 2.5 kids in their mid twenties, and i do not at all regret fucking up and bouncing around and doing some cowboy shit for a while as I figured things out. And apart from just spice of life stuff, I do think that the broader experience and perspective is both useful and helps me enjoy life better.

Posted

On some little kid stuff - dads and donuts day at preschool. She missed a few things (crunchy carrots lol and I’ve never played a down of real football) but I’m proud of what she got right here and proud of her little signature 

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Posted
51 minutes ago, Brisketexan said:

So, continuing to deal with adult kids.  Right now, we have the boy home -- he's almost 22, going to do his Sr. year of university next year.  He's home for his grandfather's memorial, and the gravity of the situation, the passing of generations, his coming adulthood...it's all connecting with him.  We had some time to talk about what he wants to do when he graduates.  He said that he knows that, to be truly marketable, he'll need a graduate degree of some sort.  But he also wants to dedicate some real time to "service," and experiencing the real world NOT as a student.  He's talked about trying to get on with some international development work, that sort of thing ( @InkaUtexas), but he is also looking at spending some time as....a firefighter.  He said "I know y'all are a 'no' no military service....and under the current regime, I am too, but I feel like I need to serve now, while I'm young."  So, he may stay in the UK, activate his post-uni visa, and be....a firefighter.

Is that a good thing (long term), or a waste of time?  I have no idea.  He talked about the fact that his career will likely take him to a place/world where he's wearing a suit, and managing projects/strategies somehow.  And he feels that having some real "boots on the ground" real world experience and perspective before he does so will serve him well -- I don't know.  But I know that his heart....is the size of the fucking moon.  And he so wants to help people, and that will lead him some places that we don't even know about.; he's already thinking ahead to what may be needed in Ukraine if/when the war ends, and he already has something of a network and connections there, so who knows.  It's a bit awe-inspiring to watch these young folks develop into adults who actually do and mean something to the world around them.  I am proud of him, but I can't take credit or ownership for a damned thing.  He is his own man.  And he's a good man, who cares.  I feel a little shamed in comparison, honestly.

Going to DM you. Got an idea for the kiddo. Tell him I said hi.

Posted
2 hours ago, Celery Man said:

obviously playing in a band and touring across the country in a van and doing shit like that is not "serving" but I'm often glad that I did something interesting and something that broadened my perspective a bit while I was young. At my last job I was talking to one of the sales directors and he mentioned he spent some time as a commercial fisherman when he was in his twenties and we connected a bit over having had a... I dunno, cowboy phase before settling into corporate lives. 

To this point:  I talk about my daughter too much, but she is dealing with this exact thing, a conflict between an immediate opportunity in music vs wrapping up her undergrad at UT and moving on to a PhD program.

I have yet to speak with a single prof in her department who says a year or two chasing the rock star dream will hurt her chances at an elite PhD program.  In fact, they all pretty much concede the opposite.  It is really difficult to stand apart from all one's peers when everyone has the same track record.  Schools and employers are looking for things that set candidates apart.  I don't think there is anything wrong with encouraging kids to branch out a bit in their early 20s.

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