My Favorite Career

People that meet me in my current career as part time cab driver are often a bit confused. I can imagine some of their thoughts. "I wonder what he did that he has to drive a cab now?" or "gee he seems so smart..." or "Funny my husband never asks for a second cup of coffee when I make it".

What these people do not know, is that I have pursued every single one of my dreams. well except maybe one, more on that later. I also realized they were just that. The reality could never live up to the dream. When I was in college, I wanted to work in "finance" something involving money. Not the movie theater business I worked at during colllege and shortly thereafter, but loans and stuff. I soon had a job as Loan Representative at a place called The Higher Education Assistance Foundation. It was such a snooty sounding company, I frequently got "wow" as a response when I told people where I worked. I was so proud. I took the bus to work, had a transfer and as I waited with my fellow riders for the second bus, I knew I had the best job among them. I could not understand why they all were not striving to be "Loan Reps". But it wasn't long before it became tedious. Sure I could do it, but ugh, it was dull dull dull.

I ultimately pursued my next dream of being a college professor. I can teach well, I relate well to students and all that. I came to Kentucky to get a PhD in Economics. I quickly realized I did not have the patience for the research part of the job. I also found that the research was the main motivation behind professors careers. I applied for a Master of Science degree and quit the PhD Program. I decided University staff may be a good home for me. I worked for another snooty sounding organization "UK Equine Research Foundation". I was mostly support staff, and it too got tedious. Next I had the chance to move to a department that lost its only staff member. She died suddenly without ever training anyone in. I was brought in as a sort of forensic jobber to try and backwards engineer the job from what she produced. But I got bogged down in tedium. Really really bogged down.

This period brought me to a restaurant. I needed to buy a new car and my system of just in time budgeting (think paycheck to paycheck) would not allow me to fit in a car payment. So I took a PT job at night to save money for a new car. Ihad not waited tables since I was a teen ager. But something happened, I realized I liked it. I made good money at it, and I enjoyed it. But I did not feel I was fulfilling my potential.

I had quit my day job by that time and was working FT as a waiter, when a friend of mine offered me what my new dream job was. It was an internet job. I was offered a crazy high salary, and ambiguous duties, at best. I had free reign to do almost anything I wanted. I did everything asked of me, and then some. But the company was restructuring so a lot of my ideas, or the ones that cost money, were scuttled. I was so bored. But I did not feel I could afford to leave a job that paid so well, so I treaded water. Eventually the company went under, and I went back to waiting tables. Thats when I realized the service industry was where I was most happy.

In college, I loved my movie theatre job, but it was not "professional" enough for the likes of me. So I thought. I am not sure when it clicked with me that I liked helping others, but I think I come across it honestly. My grandparents were in the hospitality industry through my dad's and my childhood. I literaly grew up as a young concierge.

After I had a life changing surgery, I found I did not have the energy to work. At least not a set schedule. I was sleeping a lot of the time due to my heart medications. I knew some cab drivers and asked them if they thought I could do it. I knew I could, but was not sure I'd be good, or that I'd enjoy it.

What an understatement. I think from the third day, I knew I loved it. It is absolutely perfect for me. I have attention deficit disorder (ADD) so repeition gets tedious to me. I am easily distracted. To compensate for this I have developed a short cut mentality. I had become used to the cash-a-day lifestyle as a waiter so the other big obsticle for a lot of people was also not a challenge for me. The short cuts help me be more efficient getting form A-B.

Driving a cab is a lot of small tasks. Bring Bob from Kroger to home. End. Take Margie to the liquor store and back. End. No matter how bad any one of them may be, there is a very quick end in sight. No dread of an eight hour day. Ironically I hate to drive. When I had to go to the mall for something, you would have thought I had to drive to Florida. But driving a cab is not the same as driving. I believe the difference is this. Driving myself to the mall was a waste of time necessary to complete a task - buy Blue Malva at the Aveda Shop. But driving someone to the Mall for them to go to Macy's, WAS the task. AND I could pop inside for my Blue Malva having got paid for the trip as a bonus. All of a sudden I could run my errands and pick up fares on the way.

Not many people can say they made $30 on their way to Target to go shopping. Also, stress is a big concern foir me. It is thought, besides family history, the way I dealt with stress was one of my chief risk factors for my heart attacks. In a set job, even waiting tables, you have to work under stressfull conditions. Driving a cab I am my own boss, and can quit for the day whenever I want. If I hve a particularly stressfull fare, I will often go home pet my dogs lay down or even quit for the night. I have quite a few remedies.

I like to say I can work whenevr I want. But the truth is, while I can work whenever I want, I can only make money when the customers want a ride. To this end, I have adjusted myself to a routine. I have some of the best customers in the business. "Signal Tens" are when someone requests a particular driver. Its a radio code from the old days. But now with mobile phones S-10s come to me by way of phone. It is not unusual for me to be dozing at home in front of the TV when someone will call and I am off. I feel like Batman. My Bat-phone rings, and I get my Bat-cowboy hat, and jump into my Bat-cab and am off - de de de de de de de..... You can guess what my other dream job was. Crime fighter.

My customers are so great and so loyal, I refer to them as Signal Twenties. They are twice as good. I realized how loyal they where this past weekend, when I had to reuse my old Virgin Mobile phone. When I started driving 18 mos ago, I started with a prepaid phone. I knew it would be important, but did not want to commit to the job or a phone contract at first. As I looked through the saved numbers I garnered during my first two weeks of driving, I noticed just about all of them are still riding with me.

I have never been happier doing anything in my life. I think I was happy with my first Loan Rep job, but it did grow tedious as I sat and entered stuff in computers all day and heard the same excuses for late payments over and over.

Sometimes I wonder if the following in your fathers footsteps ever skips a generation. The jobs I have enjoyed have often been held by my ancestors. My maternal grandfather was a streetcar conductor, and my paternal grandfather was a long haul trucker (also owning a resort). I did not mention my love of cooking, but I do love it. One of my great Grandfathers was a cook at a logging camp. My dad was a CPA and airline executive. Not exactly hands on service. But he also told me he was never happy in those careers, that he was just doing it to earn a living to support us. I do know he hates the hospitality industry though. I guess airlines is service and transportation though. So I guess it may still count.

All in all, I treat every day as a gift. I wake up and look forward to getting in my cab and working. I bought my own cab after eight mos of driving. I only do it 25 hours a week or so. But I do not think I'd want to do anything else.