profession

[mikebailey at speakeasy.net]

> -----Original Message-----
> From: Andrew Ford [mailto:a4ndr3w at gmail.com]
> Sent: Thursday, August 3, 2006 02:56 AM
> To: pynchon-l at waste.org
> Subject: profession
> 
> Curious: What's the choice of profession common to the list? How do
> you earn money? I like books and am approaching that point at which
> decisions must be made.
> 

Awhile back several people on this list checked in on some topic or other that called for job disclosure somehow, and revealing such professions as software engineer and actuary.  There wasn't any unanimity that I recall.

The english dep't I almost graduated from had a looseleaf notebook in the dep't office full of interesting ideas for grads, including lawyer and air traffic controller (not so improbable: to parse a sentence or wrest symbolism from a text requires a keen eye and a cool head) 

I wound up using my verbal and analytical skills in a moderately technical job at a large telecom company.  My hard-hitting and concise memos put many to shame (in a nice way, of course)

Totally cool choice would be sitting down and writing fantastic books (I think I read somewhere that Don DeLillo was working as an ad copywriter for Sears tires or something, and somebody gave him a copy of V., inspiring him to start his own writing career)

There's also a lot to be said for the groves of Academe.  Several on the list could probably tell you more about that than I, though.  Depends on how much you like books, exactly which milestone you're reaching that demands a decision (MA in Lit, BA in General Studies, 18th birthday, retirement after 20 years in the police force, end of the trust fund?), and other factors - 
not least being a mutual liking between you and the people on the hiring/tenure committee

of course, while you figure it out, there's always the P-list stipend to fall back on (-;  

(that is wishful thinking -- tho if I die rich I'll endow WASTE in my will -- scholarships for most prolific poster, weirdest interpretation of GR, silliest flame war, and of course a large chunk of cash for the best praise of Vineland -- he dedicated it to his parents, would a writer do that for a book they weren't pretty sure of? it's got to mean something to him anyway...somebody said the characters are cartoonish as if that's a bad  thing...but anyway)

Best of success with your career!

Mike