Sobriquet 55.4

This afternoon, while eating a sandwich, I picked up a copy of the local paper and read a story in which a local businesswoman discussed her career. As it turns out, the woman had earned her doctorate in English at an Ivy League institution and had, understandably, hoped to land a university teaching position upon graduation. Finding the job market barren, however, the woman decided to try a different vocation and ended up starting a small retail outlet. By most standards, she is a success, content in a profession she finds rewarding both financially and otherwise.

Stories like this are fairly common. People routinely put a decade or more work into earning an advanced degree only to discover that there is no job waiting for them at the end of the process. What the individual does upon at that point, and how he or she responds to the reality of a dream dissipated, says an awful lot about them.

I can't help but think of Sisyphus.

For tomorrow: Continue prepping.