I dropped Justin off at school this morning and took a different way home. It was a beautiful morning - warm-ish and sunny. Ryan was at home with Daddy, and I was feeling an odd sense of freedom and independence. I didn’t really want to go home quite yet.

My route took me through a strange little city called Earth City. It’s basically a commercial area, consisting of warehouses with a few office buildings scattered in between. (Oh - it’s also the home of the Rams’ practice facility.) There are a lot of companies I’ve never heard of, but I imagine many of them are manufacturing companies.

When I was in college, I took a course called Operations Management. My professor had created something called the “Production Game.” We had to create paper stoplights. Seriously.

We were assigned teams and created a “company.” I remember administratively I was the Human Resource Manager and had to create a massive policies manual, which was pretty cool. But the main portion of the game was when we had to devise a production method for our paper stoplights. On game day, each team received the same raw materials (think construction paper and glue) and had to create as many “perfect” stoplights as possible. The stoplights had to be within 1/32 of an inch of the specifications. You had to turn in a “lot” of them - I don’t remember, 5 or more? - and if the one the prof tested failed, the entire lot failed, and you were basically screwed. It was the most tense and intense hour of my college career.

I loved it.

Ever since then I’ve wondered why I don’t work for a manufacturing company. Driving through Earth City always brings it to the fore for me. I’m not sure I’d like working for a company that makes paper stoplights (ha) but… Something is better than nothing, right?

My first job was with a company that rented computers. I enjoyed working in the same building as the technicians who built and serviced the computers. (This was my first job out of college, where I’d promised myself I wouldn’t ever work in sales. After four months passed without a single job offer, I took the first sales job I could get, and here I am - still in sales. ::sigh::) Although I was the person who made the deals, I still enjoyed hanging out with the techs - even learning how to build a computer from scratch!

When I finally wised up and left the company, I had the world at my feet. I had enough money to be gainfully unemployed for nearly 10 weeks, and took my time finding a new job. And look at how it worked out - I’m still in sales! Only this time I find satisfaction in what I do, because I’m helping people better themselves. At my old job I worked my ass off to put more money in my boss’s pockets.

I’ve now spent four years generating money for people. I’m not sure why it’s losing its luster for me. When I get in a “mood” about my job I try to focus on how I’m working for God, helping people survive (retirement, college, life). But sometimes I wish I worked for a company that makes something. Some sort of widget I can hold in my hands and check against specs. Something I can hand someone and say, “This is what we manufacture.”

A few months ago Doug said I certainly have an entrepreneurial spirit - excellent start up ideas, truly poor follow-through. I think I’ll have fun with every change, but sticking with something may be my great downfall. So who knows when I may work for one of those widget companies in Earth City? Depends on when I get truly bored with life in the finance lane.

Day-dreaming,
michelle