One of the thing I like best about the US is
that, more than just about anyplace else in the world, it's the land of
second/third/fourth/morth chances. The ability to say "I screwed, up,
but I can still make things better" and have that mean something is
quintessentially American.
It makes sense, in a way. So many people originally came to America because they were looking for a second chance. For one reason or another things weren't working for them "back home" so they came here for a new start in a new home. This whole "try again" attitude permeates American culture. It did, anyway. Lately it seems to be falling by the wayside.
My own life has been driven by a series of bad choices made on my part and new chances to make better choices.
In High School I never learned to study. I didn't need to to "get by" and simple unstructured reading in subjects that interested me was enough to get me "good enough" grades in most of my classes. But I never learned the discipline of sitting down and studying a particular subject, even one that didn’t particularly interest me at the time, until I'd mastered it. Bad choice on my part. Also in High School I never took the time to seriously look for work. Whether I found it or not, I needed to be looking for it.. This resulted in my having very poor work habits by the time I graduated from school.
But the real bad choice I made in that era was only applying for one college. It was a religious school, run by the religion I was practicing at the time. When the local clerical leader essentially vetoed my application (because I wore my hair too long--it touched my ears) I had nowhere else to go.
So I went with "second chance" number one. I joined the military. Here I made yet another bad decision. I originally planned to go into electronics, take whichever job had the longest school (thereby getting as much electronics training as possible), and parlay that into college afterwards. I let the recruiter talk me into switching to another field. I would prove remarkably unsuited to that field (thus making a military career out of the question) and it was also almost completely devoid of civilian application so I couldn’t turn military training into a decent civilian job.
Still, I could have put my time in the military to good use. The military was willing to pay 75% of tuition costs in accredited colleges while served. Also, the “GI Bill” of the day was voluntary—save up to $2700 for college and the government would match it 2:1. Bad decision on my part was to not take advantage of either of these. The only “college” I got from my military tour was from my technical training itself.
So, as the end of my enlistment neared, I got to "second chance" number two. I applied to college again, several colleges this time. Each of these colleges, however, required recommendations from high school teachers. I sent the proper forms back home, to my mother, with lists of teachers to contact. Once again I made the bad decision of putting my future in the hands of one person . . . who failed me. She never forwarded the forms.
On returning from the military with no job prospects and no college, I ended up in some menial jobs--bussing tables, washing dishes, that sort of thing--and I got to second chance number three. I tried again to get into college. Money was tight even for application fees so I applied to only one college, the state university. I hand carried the forms to the college, met with various people at the college, and got accepted. The proposed financial aid package would cover my need and all would be well except . . . bad decision: I had been spending my money, even at the menial job, as fast as it had been coming in. I had been working at a resort in Virginia at the time (my State of Residence was Ohio). The job came with a room and cheap meals. If I had sucked it in for just one summer--banked my paychecks and lived simply for just one summer all would have been well. But I didn't think I needed to. I had the financial aid package that would cover college, including room and board, so I thought everything would be fine and did not plan for the unexpected. Naturally, something unexpected happened. I would not receive part of the financial aid until halfway through the semester. However, the housing arrangements required payment up front. No one would grant me a short term loan to cover the gap between needing the money and getting the money. So no college for me that year.
So I went back to menial work yet again, falling deeper into depression. That’s when I took second chance number four. My mother had returned to school in Akron and, when the resort job had ended (they closed for the winter) I moved back there. I was unemployed, selling plasma for cash, and was walking with a cane because of problems with my knees (since improved). The knee problem, which meant I couldn’t stand on my feet for long at a time, even prevented me from taking most menial jobs. I was so depressed that I had largely stopped trying but my mother (whose financial situation as a college student was little better than mine) said she would front the application fee if I would just apply at the local university. I did. This time I was accepted. I found housing I could afford based on the financial aid I would actually be receiving. I entered the University of Akron majoring in physics.
While I was at school, I learned to study. I learned to talk to people who actually worked in industry about what I needed to be able to get a job and to act on what they said so that when I graduated I would be able to get a good job. I then acted on that and got the job. Once I had the job, I got married. Once I'd been stably employed for a couple of years I then went looking for a house, one I could afford (even though lenders were urging me to take more based on the "ratios" I had at the time) and would be able to continue paying for even if things took a "downturn" down the road.
I'd like to say that I've stopped making bad decisions but it would be a lie. I still make them. But when I make them, I have to realize that they are my decisions and it's up to me to make them right. I cannot rely on other people to make them for me. They have their own interests at heart and if they also have mine it's happy chance, not something on which to count. My choices are my responsibility. I can take advice or leave it but in the end it's my choice.
And so I continue to be employed. I have a wife and family. I have a house that is not in imminent danger of foreclosure. And I did it despite the very many bad decisions I made along the way. And I did it by recognizing that the bad decisions were bad decisions, that they were my bad decisions not anyone else's, and that I needed to make better decisions if I wanted to move ahead.
***
Everyone likes a "second chance". And second chances feature strongly in the second story in my short collection: FTI: Beginnings
It makes sense, in a way. So many people originally came to America because they were looking for a second chance. For one reason or another things weren't working for them "back home" so they came here for a new start in a new home. This whole "try again" attitude permeates American culture. It did, anyway. Lately it seems to be falling by the wayside.
My own life has been driven by a series of bad choices made on my part and new chances to make better choices.
In High School I never learned to study. I didn't need to to "get by" and simple unstructured reading in subjects that interested me was enough to get me "good enough" grades in most of my classes. But I never learned the discipline of sitting down and studying a particular subject, even one that didn’t particularly interest me at the time, until I'd mastered it. Bad choice on my part. Also in High School I never took the time to seriously look for work. Whether I found it or not, I needed to be looking for it.. This resulted in my having very poor work habits by the time I graduated from school.
But the real bad choice I made in that era was only applying for one college. It was a religious school, run by the religion I was practicing at the time. When the local clerical leader essentially vetoed my application (because I wore my hair too long--it touched my ears) I had nowhere else to go.
So I went with "second chance" number one. I joined the military. Here I made yet another bad decision. I originally planned to go into electronics, take whichever job had the longest school (thereby getting as much electronics training as possible), and parlay that into college afterwards. I let the recruiter talk me into switching to another field. I would prove remarkably unsuited to that field (thus making a military career out of the question) and it was also almost completely devoid of civilian application so I couldn’t turn military training into a decent civilian job.
Still, I could have put my time in the military to good use. The military was willing to pay 75% of tuition costs in accredited colleges while served. Also, the “GI Bill” of the day was voluntary—save up to $2700 for college and the government would match it 2:1. Bad decision on my part was to not take advantage of either of these. The only “college” I got from my military tour was from my technical training itself.
So, as the end of my enlistment neared, I got to "second chance" number two. I applied to college again, several colleges this time. Each of these colleges, however, required recommendations from high school teachers. I sent the proper forms back home, to my mother, with lists of teachers to contact. Once again I made the bad decision of putting my future in the hands of one person . . . who failed me. She never forwarded the forms.
On returning from the military with no job prospects and no college, I ended up in some menial jobs--bussing tables, washing dishes, that sort of thing--and I got to second chance number three. I tried again to get into college. Money was tight even for application fees so I applied to only one college, the state university. I hand carried the forms to the college, met with various people at the college, and got accepted. The proposed financial aid package would cover my need and all would be well except . . . bad decision: I had been spending my money, even at the menial job, as fast as it had been coming in. I had been working at a resort in Virginia at the time (my State of Residence was Ohio). The job came with a room and cheap meals. If I had sucked it in for just one summer--banked my paychecks and lived simply for just one summer all would have been well. But I didn't think I needed to. I had the financial aid package that would cover college, including room and board, so I thought everything would be fine and did not plan for the unexpected. Naturally, something unexpected happened. I would not receive part of the financial aid until halfway through the semester. However, the housing arrangements required payment up front. No one would grant me a short term loan to cover the gap between needing the money and getting the money. So no college for me that year.
So I went back to menial work yet again, falling deeper into depression. That’s when I took second chance number four. My mother had returned to school in Akron and, when the resort job had ended (they closed for the winter) I moved back there. I was unemployed, selling plasma for cash, and was walking with a cane because of problems with my knees (since improved). The knee problem, which meant I couldn’t stand on my feet for long at a time, even prevented me from taking most menial jobs. I was so depressed that I had largely stopped trying but my mother (whose financial situation as a college student was little better than mine) said she would front the application fee if I would just apply at the local university. I did. This time I was accepted. I found housing I could afford based on the financial aid I would actually be receiving. I entered the University of Akron majoring in physics.
While I was at school, I learned to study. I learned to talk to people who actually worked in industry about what I needed to be able to get a job and to act on what they said so that when I graduated I would be able to get a good job. I then acted on that and got the job. Once I had the job, I got married. Once I'd been stably employed for a couple of years I then went looking for a house, one I could afford (even though lenders were urging me to take more based on the "ratios" I had at the time) and would be able to continue paying for even if things took a "downturn" down the road.
I'd like to say that I've stopped making bad decisions but it would be a lie. I still make them. But when I make them, I have to realize that they are my decisions and it's up to me to make them right. I cannot rely on other people to make them for me. They have their own interests at heart and if they also have mine it's happy chance, not something on which to count. My choices are my responsibility. I can take advice or leave it but in the end it's my choice.
And so I continue to be employed. I have a wife and family. I have a house that is not in imminent danger of foreclosure. And I did it despite the very many bad decisions I made along the way. And I did it by recognizing that the bad decisions were bad decisions, that they were my bad decisions not anyone else's, and that I needed to make better decisions if I wanted to move ahead.
***
Everyone likes a "second chance". And second chances feature strongly in the second story in my short collection: FTI: Beginnings
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