[DeltAlum]

Dreams are great. So is food on the table.

Our oldest daughter started her college career in Musical Theatre (which is what our son wants to do). After two years, she was sick of the university, the faculty, the classes and the course of study. The bloom was definitely off the rose, so to speak. So, she changed university's and changed her major to Visual Communications -- something which has to do with video and audio and webpages and graphic design and photogaphy. Even after changing her major, she graduated (1999) in four years Magna Cum Laude. That certainly helped us financially. She won a bunch of departmental awards.

She is a very bright and talented woman.

She works in a print shop doing some graphic design, but mostly layout stuff for about $30K/year. Her job is OK, but not really what she had hoped for. She also appears in professional community theatre. She is married to a professional actor/director and they just make ends meet.

My wife has a degree in Theatre which she used for about five years while teaching high school. Then she became a stay at home mom. Now that our youngest is getting ready for college, she has started her own small business selling womens clothing. It loses enough money on paper to help us pay our taxes. She works her butt off.

My degree is in radio-TV production, and I was either a TV director or Production Manager for over twenty-five years. That's longer than most of you are old! I did a lot of neat national and international stuff -- more than I ever dreamed I would get to do. I won lots of awards. Then, about three years ago, my deprtment and job were eliminated. At age 53, it took a year to find a job at half the salary I made before -- and I'm no longer directly in broadcasting/cable. It was my background and experience that allowed me to get my present position, though.

We're a fairly typical family. It's amazing how many of our friends have faced the same situations.

So, what's the moral to this story? Beats the hell out of me, but I guess what it all comes down to is that life isn't always fair, to coin a phrase.

That's why the loving parent in me says, "follow your dream," but the slightly beaten down human being in me says take a really hard look at the way you hope your life will be -- both career wise, but also lifestyle wise -- and choose the most realistic path toward BOTH of those goals. It can be tough at times. In the long run, though, necessities of life win out over idealism and youthful zest almost every time.

It can take a real long time to realize that.