The Road to 911

People who knew me back when are a little surprised at the career I ended up in. Not because they can't see me doing it but because it is such a long ways from where I wanted to be.

When I was in high school I really had no clue what I wanted to be. Growing up I always thought I'd be a veterinarian. I guess most animal lovers grow up thinking that's where they'll be. I was a little daunted by the lengthy time to spend in school. But I thought I could handle it. My junior year in high school I took a general veterinary medicine class, one that vet assistants take, at my local community college. You watch a couple of general surgeries, learn how to give vaccinations, trim nails, take a temperature, etc. It was a great class but during the semester our family dog, Lucy, passed away. Now we had several dogs, we always have. But Lucy was special. She was my mom's Jack Russell Terrier and she was so smart and so sweet and so much more than a pet. When she died my mom was devastated and my entire family was pretty shaken up. As much as I wanted to be able to help animals, I didn't think I could possibly handle telling a family that their beloved dog had passed away. I couldn't deal with it. So I abandoned that career path.

Without any idea of what I wanted to do I took a bunch of goofy career tests and skill placement surveys and things. I really had no idea what to do post high school. I felt like since I was a "smart kid," AP classes and high SAT scores, I had to go off to a four year university but didn't know where or what for.

My mom worked at the local paper as an editor and my senior year they had no high school interns. She convinced me to be their intern and do write some profiles of students for the paper. And I was good at it! Not just that but I liked it. I had long enjoyed chasing ambulances and being "in the know" about all the county goings-ons. And I absolutely loved writing.

I thought journalism would be the place for me. I didn't really want to get a journalism degree so much as an English degree with a focus in journalism. My favorite types of stories during my internship, and the part-time job that followed, were the "fluff" stories. Meeting a little old man who bred unique flowers and doing a story. Learning the in-depth parts of local dairy farming and its future. Writing a feature on a kid who worked to give back to the community. I loved getting out and meeting people and learning about them and sharing their story. LOVED it.

So off to college I went! I went to UNC-Greensboro for two years, which I enjoyed but Greensboro wasn't the place for me. Boone was more my style, laid back and small town. Plus my boyfriend at the time was a student at Appalachian. So I transferred. Of course, the boyfriend and I broke up the month before school started but I was still happier at ASU and that was where I met my hubby. So it all worked out.

The month I graduated from App with my Bachelor's in English with a minor in Communications, I bought a house, moved back to my hometown and got a job at the same paper I had interned at in high school. I had high hopes of one day working for AP and traveling to other countries to cover news. I even had a few things published by the Associated Press. Shortly after joining the newspaper staff, the paper was bought by a new company and a large group of us left to start a new newspaper.

I covered the local police department and the school systems. I still loved writing but I got so burned out working the crazy long hours and dealing with the editor that I absolutely hated. I still loved listening to the scanner and covering the wrecks, drug busts, police reports and other emergency services stuff. But unfortunately that wasn't all I had did. I wanted out of the newspaper business but didn't want to get away from the emergency services activity that I loved so much.

Someone, I don't remember who, suggested that I apply for a dispatch position that had opened at the local police department. It was like a light bulb went off. What a fantastic idea! I decided that I would like working for the county more, since they dispatch not just law enforcement but also fire departments, rescue squads and EMS. I left the paper in the summer of 2008 and started training at the county 911 center and have never looked back.

I LOVE my job. I am so blessed and so thankful that in a time where so many are without employment I not only have a job but a job that I love to do. Of course I have bad days, who doesn't? It isn't the highest paying job nor is it always an easy job. But I don't doubt that it is where I am supposed to be. I've told my husband that even if I didn't have to work and I could stay home with my babies, I would still want to work part-time as a telecommunicator, I love it that much.

I do miss writing, hence the attempt at daily blogging. It feels like it is a good exercise for my brain to put thoughts into print, even if no one ever reads them (which I know sometimes people do). One day it would be great if I could get myself to write something. A novel or collection of short stories. I would absolutely love to be able to. But I have a tendency to get busy and get side-tracked and for my stories to never get finished. So who knows if that will ever happen.

In the mean time, I blog. I try and make myself write some sort of something every day. Even if it's just a thought or a summary of a recent event. As you can see, it doesn't happen as often as I intend. But I try, I really do.