The "Ace in the Hole" that confirmed my job choice

Let me start by saying that, contrary to popular belief, I seriously considered both of these jobs. With the absence of either offer, I would have been VERY happy to take the other with very little to no hesitation. But, truth be told, I have to give a shout out to Joan Lambert Bailey who was the first one to make me seriously consider the Peace Corps job. Although I was genuinely undecided initially, when I posted my blog seeking feedback, I was still a somewhat strong lean towards Disney.
However, Joan made particular note of the length of contract difference/job stability aspect, which made me think about it more (up until then, I had only noted the difference—partly because I assumed I’d renew at Disney or move up in the company), and she of course noted the large difference in salary (as did others).

But when I did sit and think about five years versus one year, I quickly realized I have never been anywhere five years, jobwise.  Further, when I realized that 5 years ago I was still living in Hawaii and Kyle was just a Junior in High School, I quite naturally wondered if I am even capable of doing one job for 5 years – esp. a job in a really harsh climate with something like 60 days out of the year where it’s not below freezing (thanks for finding that tidbit, Brian Fikes!).

Thinking along those lines also made me think about my age, and as much as it pains me to admit it, I will be turning 50 this year. I didn’t like the idea of finishing a job at around age 55-58 and looking for another – even if it was in the State Department. I just don’t see myself as State Department. material. I'm too lippy (looks of shock from the audience). And then, coincidentally, one of “Flaming Liberal” buddies, Bill Senger, noted: "If you're over 50, you're already on the downhill run of life. Time becomes more valuable than money. Do what you love." And while money has never been a big deal for me, my mother did remind me I have to think about retirement.

And THEN, my brother Danny made me stop and think about how much money I could leave Peace Corps with if I lived comfortably, but frugally. Depending on 5-8 years, I could leave with anywhere between $200K - $400K. THAT did make me seriously consider it, but then I went back to what Bill said.

Another thing that swayed me is the weather, and I have to thank my friend Brian again for reminding me how big a deal that is to me. Don’t get me wrong, I am not looking forward to the hot, humid summers in Guangzhou, but those endless, brutal winters, year after year after year after year, etc. Ugh. Yes, I dealt with that in Leninogorsk, but part of what kept me going in PC was realizing my time was limited. That I only had one more winter, one more month, etc. to endure before going home. Would the prospect of 2-3-4 hundred thousand dollars be enough to “sustain” me? Not sure, but I also didn’t want to “lock” myself in to a 5-year contract, only to find myself hating it after 1-2-3 years.

Plus, I figure by the end of the 5 years I would be working in Mongolia, I would be running one of the Language Centers in China, with a longer-range goal/hope/fantasy of landing a job with Disney in Paris, where I will end up retiring.  :)  And even if it turns out I don’t like Disney after one year, I’ll have a TEFL certification (courtesy of Disney), which I could then take any number of places to teach. And with the Disney name on the top of the resume, coupled with PC at the bottom, that should open a lot of doors. In that scenario, I would gradually work my way west, teaching in places like Thailand, Malaysia, eastern Europe, etc., before--again--ending up retiring in Paris.  :) 

While I also wanna give my friend Freddie McKenna a shout out for making several good points, as well, I was, finally, particularly struck by another “Flaming” buddy, Marilyn Richardson, who said after reading my initial blog post about this, “What I hear is that your experience with the PC, plus friends from those days, lead you to want to be sure you give Mongolia the fairest consideration possible, out of loyalty and a certain sense of familiarity. But, you are more enthusiastic about being in China, learning Mandarin, and seeing how far Disney can take you.” And that kind of sums it up.

Still, because of that loyalty, I decided I needed one more good “new” reason to go with Disney/China – esp. after so many folks made so many good points about taking the Peace Corps job. So after “ruminating” on it some more, I came up with a final “ace in the hole” reason for choosing Disney: I often have a lot of anger. This may come as a shock to some who don't see my near-constant Facebook rants, especially as I play most of it off, and vent a lot more of it to myself. And almost all of my “anger” is related to political and religious stuff (my mom recently asked me why I “hate” on religion so much).

Anyway, working at Disney—at least initially—I will be forced to be cheerful.  :)   And even as much as I kvetch against unruly children (thanks for that reminder, Greg Cundiff!), that doesn’t mean I don’t like them. I find most kids cute, fun, often-wise-beyond-their-years, etc. But, yes, admittedly, when they’re acting out I’m over them. I mean, who isn’t?   Who really enjoys being around bratty children outside of my saintly sister-in-law Amanda?  :)  I just have to look at that as one of the “downsides” to the job. The PC job would have had much different “downsides,” primarily the financial work – boring budget planning and oversight, wrangling with HQ for the needed funding, applying for and reporting on federal money ( always a nightmare), etc. And yes, I would gut that up and chalk it up to one of the downsides of THAT job, but I wouldn’t still be smiling, trying to teach/entertain kids—and I am hoping/assuming these children will be, generally, better behaved than their American counterparts. I will be reporting back if this is not so, believe me.  :)

Also, I am hopeful that being away from America's dysfunctional political system and religion-infested society, will help keep most of my anger in check.

So one final shout out/thanks to everyone who provided feedback – I can honestly say that it was very helpful and I am very appreciative of ALL those who took the time to read my blog post, listen to me whine, provide feedback, etc. You are all cordially invited to come and visit me in Guangzhou when I’m settled (oops, still Canton to you whiteys like SueLin Poh – who I STILL don’t know what her “vote” was!).  And, remember, free trip to Hong Kong Disneyland is included, thanks to my Disney Silver Pass (don’t hate, Freddie!).