Question of the Day | 01/08/2009 11:00 pm

'When I grow up ... ' When did you decide upon your career?

Whoopi Goldberg | 01/08/2009 11:00 pm

Whoopi Goldberg Was Born in the Spotlight

Emerging from my mother. At my birth, I looked up, saw the lights in the operating room and said, "This is for me."

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Joan Ganz Cooney | 01/08/2009 11:00 pm

How Joan Ganz Cooney Paved Her Way to 'Sesame Street'

I was working as a publicist for the TV drama series "The U.S. Steel Hour," and had lunch one day with the line producer of the series who told me he was leaving to go to work for the educational station in Boston. This was before public television as a system existed, and I remember my head exploding and saying, "I had no idea there was such a thing as educational television." I knew instantly that whatever it was, it was for me. In fact, there was no educational station in New York. Channel 13 was a commercial station and, as it turned out, a court battle over its future was in progress, as a non-profit group fought and won the battle to have it turned into an educational station. I followed the case as it wound its way through the courts and when I read that the challengers had won, I finagled a meeting with the station manager and talked him into giving me a job as a producer of news and public affairs. A few years later, I fell in love with the idea of turning the tube into a real educator to benefit young children.

5 Comments

Liz Smith | 01/08/2009 11:00 pm

Liz Smith: Journalism Was Plan B

When I was in the University of Texas drama department and realized I had no talent, it seemed logical to go for a Journalism major.

Click here on this text to read my New York Post column.

4 Comments

Mary Wells | 01/09/2009 2:25 pm

The Road to Love? Not Always Direct, by Mary Wells

I had been a child actress and had attended the Neighborhood Playhouse and Carnegie Tech’s drama school and it was assumed by my family that I would continue in the theater.

But while waiting for my husband to graduate I needed to earn a living, and the woman running the advertising department of a retail store in Youngstown, OH, figured that a theater background with the love of writing that had won me a number of awards should add up to a good copywriter in her department – and hired me.

It was love at first sight, meant to be, destiny, all that stuff. I never looked back.

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“When you grow up, what do you want to be”? I heard that question throughout K-12. Funny thing, I never knew how to answer that question because I didn’t have a clue. My father always said be a teacher or a nurse it goes well with raising a family. Funny thing, I didn’t want to be a teacher and I faint at the sight of blood. When I entered college I decided I would go into marketing. It seems that College Advisors decided that’s where you should be if you “don’t know what you want to choose for a career”. So I graduated with the Marketing Degree. A friend of mine asked me to go with her to an airline interview at a local hotel. The position was for “Airline Hostess” (now Flight Attendant). In the trade, it was a “Cattle Call”. We both ended up with an interview with the airline. We were told we would be contacted within a week. I received a letter inviting me to “Airline Training” with the airline in Dallas, Tx. My friend also received a rejection letter telling her “We have filled our class at this time”. She has never spoken to me to this day! :) I loved flying. It was my chosen career. I flew for 15 years and loved every moment of my life. Met so many people — some I will always remember - some, unfortunately, I was glad to forget. Wonderful memories of beautiful cities in these United States — classic moments in Germany, France and Italy - quite serene moments in Japan. Learning the customs of other countries. It was such a wonderful life. When I retired from flying I returned to college to get my Masters. And, now, my husband and I have our own business and I am finally using my degree in Marketing. Took a long time to get here. And, although I enjoy what I’m doing —I still get wistful when I go to the airport and board a plane — it’s like going home — back to the things you REALLY loved!

By Lady Gator on 01/09/2009 2:12 pm

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Lady Gator Great story, you make me want to fly away. (of course I don’t really need much encouragement) Sounds like you have really enjoyed and had a full life. I love reading what everyone has written. peace and grace and peas and gravy

By Frannie Em on 01/09/2009 2:41 pm

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I said it once and I’ll say it again–––lucky Lady Gator––fly high, Lady, the sky is there for the taking––like going home, back to the things you REALLY loved.

By phyllis Doyle Pepe on 01/09/2009 4:31 pm

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Phyllis—I would love to. However, I don’t think I meet the age requirement. :) Don’t know that they would want an old romantic like me. Besides, my husband and I have gotten even closer over the years and I hate to be away from him. Strange what love does to you. Years ago I flew when we first married and through his Navy years. It was great when he was away. Took care of the lonely hours we were separated. Then after raising our daughter, we just sorta starting enjoy the “empty nesting”. So now I guess I’m where I want to be, but there will always be that tug.

By Lady Gator on 01/10/2009 2:03 pm

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Hi Lady G, No longer an age requirement as has not been for quite sometime. I also instruct new hires comming into initial training and our standard joke to the newbies is, if you read, you can be a Flight Attendant, LOL. If it is something you really would like to get back into, it’s never to late, however, none of the big boy’s are really hiring now, but alot of regionals are, intermitantly. :)

By HA BIBI on 01/11/2009 1:23 pm

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That would be…If you can read….

By HA BIBI on 01/11/2009 1:24 pm

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Hang on to what you’ve got–––strange what love does to you–––there are different ways of flying and that was the point in my post––and if there wasn’t the tug, there wouldn’t be the romance of it all. Tugs are the things that inspire––poetry, literature, etc .What you have with your Navy man is way beyond the clouds. Again––I repeat––Lucky lady.

By phyllis Doyle Pepe on 01/11/2009 5:08 pm

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Phyllis…I guess I misunderstod your post. You are right, what I have with my Navy man IS ” way beyond the clouds.” When I first saw him in his uniform (I guess I was a suker for uniforms) he was the sexiest thing I had ever seen in my life. :) And, when I look at him today, I still think he’s the sexiest thing I’ve ever seen. :) And you know Phyllis, he still makes me laugh every day of my life. He has such a droll sense of humor. You are right, the tugs I feel with him are from the heart — the other is long gone memories. I’d rather stay close to him and have OUR memories. The ones we have created together. And, when I look around me at other people and their marriages —I AM one lucky lady. Thank you for your great response!

By Lady Gator on 01/11/2009 6:28 pm

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Phyllis — Make that “I guess I was a sucker” :) Typing fingers on a Sunday night :)

By Lady Gator on 01/11/2009 6:30 pm

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Strange, never decided what I wanted to be. Remember when I decided what I didn’t want to be. When I was in 5th and 6th grade I thought it would be interesting to be a translator so I was anxious to get to 7th, the first year I could take a language class. Found out I hated it. So that was that. And I had to take it for 2 years to get credit for it.

By Sandbee (FB) 54 on 01/09/2009 3:00 pm

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So? Sandbee––what did you do?

By phyllis Doyle Pepe on 01/09/2009 4:33 pm

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LOL, forgot to mention that didn’t I. First went into accounting because anything with math I could do without studying. Then became a Customs Broker, handling shipments for companies through U.S. Customs. That was what I really enjoyed. Got to see interesting people, strange shipments and not stay in an office as with the accounting. Became the general manager of the company and had just left to open my own business when I had the health problems that shut me down. All together it was an interesting time. I went back to work for the company part time a few years ago doing some computer work which was great but then they were sold and the new owners only wanted full time employees. Would love to be doing some part time work again.

By Sandbee (FB) 54 on 01/09/2009 5:06 pm

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And you can’t because of health problems? Or is nobody hiring part-time workers?

By phyllis Doyle Pepe on 01/09/2009 5:18 pm

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Hasn’t been much around and my husband hasn’t been well. He is now doing better so I am going to start looking again. It gives me a good feeling when I get out of the house for a few hours around others ( and a little extra money never hurts ).

By Sandbee (FB) 54 on 01/09/2009 6:00 pm

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Wow Sandbee… anything with MATH you don’t have to study for??? i’m so enviious! My first degree is a psychology degree and I’ve always joked with people that i had to get a psych degree cuz i couldn’t do math! ironically i breezed through a psych degree. if i read it once i remembered it. i barely studied. But i just started school again and one of my classes has a bunch of math. I can’t do it. at all. it’s so frustrating you wouldn’t believe it. I finally told the teacher that i simply was NOT going to even attempt the formulas. it’s not a math class it’s a fitness testing class. and believe it or not there are super complicated math formulas to figure out whether or not someone is fit! however… those formulas are done for trainers in beautiful things called computer programs. so knowing how to perform the tests was the big thing to me. i didn’t do well in the class of course as i didn’t do well on tests that had math. but whatever.. :) for my business i’ll buy the programs that do it for me!

By Chrome Toe on 01/10/2009 8:55 am