An Origin Story

Once upon a time, in the green and pleasant damp land that is England, lived a young man whose whole life was planned out. He would go to university for four years and study to be a primary school teacher before going on to spending a lifetime improving the lives of little people (by which I mean children as opposed to smurfs or similar creatures).
This was four years ago. The plan seemed to be coming together (I love it when that happens) and at the start of 2014 there was not long to go. But then a huge horrible monster called “final teaching practice” came along and viciously ripped the plan into teeny tiny little pieces.
And that is where this blog begins. I am Dan and the star of the tale above. I realise that it is not the most exciting of stories but apart from adding some fairy tale magic in the writing style there is not much I can do about that. Basically it turned out that I am actually awful at teaching and in new X-Men film style I wish I could send someone back (preferably Hugh Jackman) to tell my younger self to buck up my ideas and to choose a more realistic career path.
This is me. Well an artist’s impression of me, obviously I have more than two dimensions.
So what now? Well, I find myself with a degree in primary education that is effectively useless to any career outside primary teaching. I now have to find a new job, preferably one that has some possibility of an actual career. After four years of independent living at university I find myself living at home without even the prospect of a job on the horizon. The last remnants of my student loan are gradually dripping away so time is of the essence.
It’s not like I have a hugely fulfilling life outside of that. My non-uni friends did three year courses and can now be found dotted around the country working hard in their respective area. And my uni friends are dotted around the country preparing to start their first year of teaching. Relationship status? Single, as I have been since my promiscuous teenage years ended.
There is a recognised concept called the “quarter-life crisis”. Many people experience this in their twenties as they are forced to find out what they are going to do with their life. I feel quarter-life crisis is a fair description of my life right now.
The purpose of this blog is to chronicle my mission to end this quarter-life crisis, to find a place in this world and to become a better, new and improved Dan. A Dan 2.0 if you like…

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