Once again, I find myself in the familiar situation of not knowing what to do with the future (both the next few months, and the next few decades). I've rather enjoyed the freedom and opportunities for fun that come with seasonal work. After finishing the summer at Glacier, I went ahead and accepted a job at Steamboat in Colorado for the winter months. Live and work in a beautiful ski town, free ski pass, boozin' -- what could be better? At the same time, that voice in the back of my head is getting louder and louder, asking where this is taking me. I've now worked a series of dead-end jobs with no benefits, no financial security (after the end of the tourist season, you're out on your ass), and no clear path to a brighter future. It's a fun existence, but I really don't want to be carrying luggage and kissing ass for tips when I'm 35 or 40 years old.
Last week while I was in Seattle, my uncle put me in touch with a friend of his who happens to be in a rather high position at Seattle University. I went and took a tour of the campus and was able to meet with the dean and talk about my oft-delayed college plans. I don't know what it was, but something about being around the campus lit a fire under my ass. Tomorrow morning, I'm calling my would-be employer in Colorado and telling them I won't be there. Instead, I'll be spending my winter in Missoula taking classes. The plan is to get the ball rolling on the Seattle U application for next fall and get some credits knocked out in the mean time at U of Montana (where I'm already accepted). In the somewhat likely event that I'm denied at Seattle, I'll just finish it out in Montana and go from there. Although I'm still not quite sure where I want to go after college (both literally and figuratively), I think a degree in business offers the widest range of options, so that's what I'll shoot for.
A big part of me still wants to say the hell with it and spend the winter skiing, drinking, and generally partying my ass off, but my more rational side feels good knowing that I'm doing something that could actually lead somewhere good in a few years. I can always get a degree under my belt and then play around with seasonal work for another couple of years if it comes to that. In any case, it's back to school for me in January.
