Due to youthful idealism and poor planning, my first turn through Texas State University concluded in May of 2009 and provided me with a BLA-Creative Writing and an intimate relationship with the post-collegiate uncertainty that awaits many liberal arts majors. I believed myself capable of putting a voice onto a page, but, other than cliched stories of adolescence and college, I was terribly lacking the "real-world" experiences needed to give that voice credence and depth.
To correct that, I accepted any and all jobs that I could pull from sketchy craigslistings: mattress factory worker in St. Louis, laborer/installer for a canvas tent company in Minneapolis, doorman in Manhattan and Brooklyn, bartender in San Antonio, Jack-of-all-Trades for a taco truck in Austin, a mass communications specialist for the US Navy during a truncated enlistment, an offshore oil and gas production operator in Louisiana, and a construction project manager in Austin.
This path provided me with exposure to people far different from myself as well as challenging interpersonal and professional experiences that helped me gain a deeper understanding of humanity I needed in order to complete a worthwhile manuscript. Though it doesn't appear that I'll be planning a book tour anytime soon, I'm still working my way towards a creative career.