What is it that you do?

You go to a party. You meet interesting people, attractive people. What's the first thing you ask after you learn their names? "What do you do?" or "What line of work are you in?"

I hate that question. I don't know what I do. I do lots of things, to which my two-page résumé attests.

In formulating this post, I started writing down the various jobs I've had, but quickly became bored and didn't want to inflict that upon you.

So I'll just put it in a list:

typist
clerk-typist
promotion and public service writer for CBS affiliate
secretary-receptionist
bookkeeper
church pianist
staff accompanist
Dickens Caroler at Walt Disney World
ballet and modern dance accompanist
musical director for theatre
temporary secretary ("temp")
programmer
technical writer
lounge pianist
database application developer
market support representative
Nordstrom pianist
legal technical editor
legal assistant editor
help desk rep for a cable firm
legal index editor
marketing technical writer
Lotus Notes developer and administrator
Lotus Notes instructor
database manager
IT coordinator
Web editor-in-chief
Web content writer and editor
Web page coder

(And, just for the record, almost all of those occurred more than once.)

What do I do now? I update clients' Web pages using HTML or Drupal or Wordpress; I accompany the Young Artists of the Opera Western Reserve in their Fun With Opera presentations, I volunteer as a singer with the Cleveland Orchestra Chorus, I assist in the caretaking for my two precious grandchildren, and I provide a lovely home environment for my sweetheart.

It's a mouthful, but [to me] it doesn't sound like much. I was proudest in Tucson when I could say, "I'm the editor-in-chief of the website for the IBM Storage division."

I liked being associated with large, highly respected firms. The only friend from my IBM days with whom I still communicate has been in his job for 35+ years, I believe. He was a programmer, then he was a manager. End of list. I'm jealous.

But I think that—just like I can't pick an art/craft form that I prefer, whether it be knitting, dyeing fabric, sewing, quilting, pottery, stained glass, … —I seem to get bored easily with jobs. I think that in all matters I am a generalist.

And it appears my children are like me, and my grandchildren are turning out the same. Both sons are musicians and computer professionals and have many other interests (although not like each other's interests). The grandchildren do well in their schoolwork, but also at ballet and modern dance and tap and hip-hop and karate and piano and …. You get the idea.

I think one of the side-effects of this generalism—for me—is that I never fully learn anything. I work daily with the content management system known as Wordpress. But when something in the format of a page or site has to be changed, I have to call upon a specialist to make the change. He has specialized knowledge that I just can't seem to grasp, no matter how hard I try. (Let's not even discuss the fact, please, that this may have something to do with the age of my brain!!)

Honestly, the older I get, the less motivated I am to acquire new skills. I'm treading water, biding time until the ripples in my financial situation flatten and I can just not work any more. I understand all my friends who frequently compare notes about how soon they'll be able to retire.

Would I feel differently had I been of the mindset to stick with a single career path, like my IBM friend? I have no way of knowing. My generalism is my life. It's all I know.

But I'm not proud of it.

Ho hum.