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Job; not THAT Job
It was the Spring of 2002. I’d recently come off my mission, and was enjoying a semester at UVSC. My favorite part was Institute. I took a class called Teachings of the Living Prophets. We learned a lot about the current First Presidency and Quorum of the Twelve (at the time the longest standing group in church history–they made it nine years without a change!).
I somehow really loved learning about what each of these men did for a living before getting called into full-time church service. As far as I can remember, the stats line up like this:
4 were businessmen
4 were educators
2 were attorneys
1 was a PR rep for the church
1 was in publishing
1 was a heart surgeon
1 was in car sales
and 1 was a nuclear engineer
As a result of the Institute class these men became my role models. And when considering what I wanted to do for a living I looked to their lives as examples of good careers. There were a few things that I knew were definitely not for me.
I knew that I was not the business type. That really held no interest for me.
There’s no way I’m bright enough to be a nuclear engineer or a heart surgeon. The world would have to be pitied were I to endeavor to do either of those things.
Law? No way. I took one law class in school and … no way.
There were four of the brethren though, who spoke in ways that I just loved to hear. I loved their use of the scriptures, and their ability to expound them. They were the educators. They became my role models. That was what I’d wanted to do.
Besides, I’d agreed to that very thing in my departure interview with my mission president. To be an educator.
My first attempt at education flopped though.
The road to employment with the Church Education System, my goal and dream, ended after three semesters of student teaching.
That was it.
There are three other jobs listed above that I haven’t mentioned. It may just be irony; there was no real intent when this decision was made. But it turns out that I’m currently working in the same industry of one of the brethren.
Elder Ballard.
I liked his talk in last General Conference.
