Looking back, Part 4: the unexpected career and my subsequent work spouse

I graduated with a "Self Designed" Bachelor of Arts in Art History and Film Studies. The reason it is "self designed" is because I transferred to UOP to major in Art History and upon enrollment they dropped that major (dammit!). Luckily they still offered all of the classes I needed, I just couldn't graduate with that specific degree. I'm sure you are thinking "why didn't you just change your major?" Well smarty, my philosophy at the time was "how the hell can I pick a major/career at 18 that's supposed to last me my entire life?!" So I was majorly indecisive (pun intended.)

I originally enrolled at American River JC to major in Culinary Arts, I wanted to be a chef. Then I realized that would mean working on weekends, late nights, and holidays - no thank you. When I transferred to Sacramento City JC I switched my major to Liberal Studies. My new career would be teaching elementary school! It wasn't long before I talked myself out of that too. I was worried that if I taught kids all day I'd never want my own. Ugh, true story.
SIDE NOTE: I have some friends in the K-12 business. They have some super funny/gross/uh-oh type of stories. So glad I don't have to be apart of those shenanigans.

I chose to major in Art History based on an elective I had taken at Sac City. I loved that class and I was good at it too. History isn't usually my forte but the art aspect of it is very personal. Its like reading a People magazine on one picture. And the best part is most of it is subject to interpretation! So more often than not if you know the art concepts you can interpret what the artist was trying to portray. Don't get me wrong, this subject isn't for everyone. In fact when I graduated college my Mom took me on a trip to Paris. I remember visiting the Pompidou (modern art museum). I was admiring a painting when I heard laughter in the next room. I walked in to find my Mom and Aunts laughing hysterically while galloping to the recorded sounds of horse hooves in that room. I was so embarrassed. 

I stuck to my guns, I was going to keep what was left of my "major"  and pay a pretty penny for my worthless self designed piece of paper...really I should have just switched majors. But I had just talked my parents into letting me go to this specific school for this specific major because I was going to be a MUSEUM CURATOR. Sounds fancy, huh? I thought so too. In all honesty I was only going to school to get a stupid degree to make them shut up and had no intention of using that degree in my career.  My philosophy was if you are going to pay for college you may as well study a subject that you like (right?! Someone please tell me I'm on to something here.) Either way I did great, I rocked my classes and loved all my teachers. Looking back though I'd totally switch majors, probably to Psychology/Sociology or Business.

After graduation, Ryan got a job and we moved. He was hired as a manager for a manufacturing company. I was applying for odd jobs but since we were getting married that September I focused on wedding planning. (Why didn't anyone at college tell me that I should have been looking for a job my last semester?!) I found a job at a near by CSU, one that I had never heard of before, as an Administrative Assistant for Associated Students. I figured I could work and they would pay for my Masters degree (which I still haven't done). I had only worked there a short time before I realized that working at a college is a really sweet gig! It was a job BUT I still got to hang out with people my age and do all the fun college stuff. Homecoming? I worked it. Concerts? Worked that too. Free food days? You bet I worked/ate at those events! Honestly it was the best gig. After work we would all grab a drink or go to a party. Ryan was working "split shifts" at that time and he would occasionally meet up with us.

A year later I moved to a different office with the goal to become a student advisor for that department. I still got to do all the fun stuff but I was ready to hand over the office duties to someone else. One year after that I was hired as the Student Organization Advisor and Activities Coordinator. A few minor job duty tweeks and 3 years later I'm still at it. In the last month alone my job consisted of rowing a boat in the school pond, attending a dance competition, talking to students about a campus wide scavenger hunt, going to a memorial for a student (not so fun), eating free ice cream, and updating our website - that was done with my shoes off and my feet on an exercise ball. Sure there are good and bad parts to any day but for me it's bearable because I have an awesome work spouse.

Candy* is my work spouse, between the hours of 8am-5pm we are married to each other.
Here are the seven signs you have a work spouse:
1. You depend on a particular co-worker for office supplies, snacks and aspirin.
2. There are inside jokes that you and a specific co-worker share.
3. You can be bluntly honest with this person about his or her appearance, hygiene or hair (and vice versa). You're comfortable enough to point out that the other's hair is sticking up -- or that someone's fly is down.
4. When something eventful happens at work, this co-worker is the first person you seek out for a de-briefing.
5. At breakfast, lunch and coffee breaks, your closest co-worker knows what to order for you and how you like your coffee (and vice versa).
6. You and your co-worker can finish each other's sentences.
7. Someone in your office knows almost as much about your personal life as your best friend or real-life spouse does.

Our relationship didn't start off amazingly. At first I found Candy to be annoying, she is/was super friendly, cheery, and nosy. I guess you would think that she was just trying to make friends and get to know people in the office - I thought she was invading my turf.  She is a 6'5", blond, from Stockton, who went to Auburn University to play volleyball, and she's a sorority girl. Put all that together and I didn't like her one bit. She slowly grew on me and after a while we became really close. Some days we will purposefully dress the same, I even bought us a set of matching letters. And last week we both wore the same thing - completely by accident. Honestly, that happens more often than not. We laugh at the dumbest things, spend the first hour on Mondays discussing our weekends, and vent to each other when stupid stuff happens at work/home. I was there when she got married and when she lost her Dad. She was there through both my pregnancies - I told her before I told my boss about Cash. We have been through three bosses, many student assistants, lots of late nights, and some hilarious days. Recently, its become a serious concern that our students think we are actually married to each other. To which we have to respond "no, and this is not our child." We make a great team. I'm afraid for the day when one of us doesn't work here anymore.

Breast Cancer walk on campus

Our 2009 Christmas Card

We dressed up as dudes for a campus Drag Show

Did you know that we have won TWO awards for our awesome team work?! Who'd have thought!

It never occurred to me that this could be a job. Could I do it forever? I don't think so. The older I get the farther away from this generation I feel. Students now need their hand to be held for everything, the majority of them aren't very resourceful and frankly I'm already raising one kid. I'm just enjoying this career while it lasts and seeing where it will take me. And luckily I have a great work spouse to share the craziness with.

*no joke but Candy was her parents first pick for their daughters name. Candace Darling. Luckily they didn't want a daughter who was a Dr. and moonlighted as a stripper so they renamed her. Shout out to Karen & David!*