Story of My Career That I forgot I Wrote so Wrote it Again

My career started when my youngest child got on the bus to go to kindergarten. I pondered a few options: 1)Work at the Children's Center, a therapeutic preschool for children with behavioral issues. I gave them a call and yes, they had openings. For someone with a Bachelor's Degree in Psychology, like me, the pay scale started at a whopping $5/hour, minimum wage at the time, and I think they really wanted me. But, I was insulted. What a useless degree! Why did I sweat blood for that degree? 2) Check groceries. I couldn't bring myself to even pursue it, although I really like the grocery checkers that I do business with. They are my good friends. Maybe it would actually be a good way to practice my well-honed psychological and social skills. 3) Teach school. Even though the thought of teaching school gave me a hard, tight lump in the pit of my stomach, I went down to the BYU Center in Salt Lake to see how long it would take me to get certified. Two more years. But the pay was great! Starting at $22,000/year, pittance even then, I would actually even get health insurance, something our family had never had. And the hours were good for someone with 7 children at home. I would do it I told myself, even though the words just augmented that nasty lump. On the way home, I was just driving around aimlessly when I happened upon the Jordan School District offices. My Suburban practically drove in the parking lot by itself. I looked nice in my red coat, and blonde, smartly cut hair. I asked the receptionist who I could speak to regarding the job market for teachers, and she directed me to speak to George Welch, who I found out later was an Assistant Superintendent. Why she didn't just send me down to Personnel, is part of the miracle of this story. He talked to me for quite awhile and asked me about my background. When he found out I had a useless psychology degree, he got a little more animated because he said there was a dearth of School Psychologists. I remember in my younger years, leafing through college catalogs, coming upon the School Psychology Department and having a visceral reaction because, if I were smart enough, which I wasn't, that would have been my dream job. He sent me down to Fulvia's office (Guidance Program Specialist). Next miracle: she wasn't busy. She gave me an excited pep talk about going to graduate school, having a job waiting for me at the top of the pay scale, and told me I was yet a pup. I was 43. As I walked out of her office I told her I would be back in two years to apply for a job. I was so stoked! That day provided me with enough psychic energy to take two GRE prep classes, take the GRE, apply to the University of Utah and BYU, attend an intense School Psychology program for two years, and do an internship. And yes, there was a job waiting for me at the end of it all, at the top of the pay scale, with benefits. My life was changed forever, in almost every way.