Lisa came home this morning from Miles' college and career planning meeting with some good news and some bad news! The good news is that Miles scored very highly in the performing arts! The bad news is that Miles scored very highly in the performing arts! And in other news: Miles hates the performing arts.
You can understand my trepidation in seeing any of my children go into the performing arts because I, myself, have chosen this path and have been witness to so much crashing and burning. You know how everyone secretly thinks they are a great singer? (admit it.) Everyone also secretly thinks they would be a fantastic actor (under the right conditions.) But the truth is, most people aren't fantastic singers or actors. And this is how it should be! The world needs accountants and gym teachers and data-entry people, probably more than it needs a bunch of indulgent actors.
But I guess we were a little disappointed when Miles' career counselor recommended the performing arts for him, because he seems too smart for it. He is capable of so much more! He's a sharp graphic designer and I've never seen anyone more comfortable and adept with a computer. Bear in mind, of course, that he's in the eighth grade and probably none of this career guidance matters yet. But I always wanted him to be so left brained. I wanted him to make some money and pay for all of my performing arts. C'est la vie!
Of course I'm reminded of the time I scheduled an appointment at BYU with a career guidance counselor who had me take a test which would tell me what careers I was best suited for. After taking the test I returned a week later for a follow-up appointment. The guidance counselor seemed really cagey and embarrassed. Turns out, the computer program recommended my number one occupational fit to be "circus performer." Secondary options included "teacher" and "lawyer." I can't imagine that counselor had to recommend circus performance to too many students. But I'm just really special, and apparently aerobatic.
So I'm not going to sweat Miles' proclivities for the arts. It could be worse, I guess, but I'm not sure how. Poetry, maybe? He insists he doesn't want to act, and he hates singing, so I'm just going to bank on computer programming and communication design until one day, when he's sixteen, he comes home and tells me he's going to play Jubilation T. Cornpone in the Timpview High School production of Lil Abner, and I'm going to smile and say congrats, and then hide in my room for a while.
