Moving on with the Survery

7. What is your dream job, and why?




The answer to this question has evolved with me as I have grown up over the years. 


When I was a kid - think 5 or 6 years old - I wanted to be a race car driver. I wanted to go fast!! Perhaps that explains my tendency to speed  when I really do know better :)


I got a little bit older, and I was fascinated with all things space-related. So I was determined to be an astronaut one day. Then the whole Challenger explosion happened when I was in the fourth grade, and Christa McAuliffe was blown up. That sort of scared me a little bit.


By the time I was in high school, I had settled on being a teacher. I wanted to teach English. Until my Spanish teacher Deborah Sams came along. I adored her!! And she made me LOVE Spanish. So then, I was definitely going to be a Spanish teacher. I even won a small scholarship based on my intentions to be a secondary education major.


Once I got to college, I realized just how much I truly loved the theater. I had always been part of drama programs and play productions all throughout school. In college, everything was on such a grander scale with professional tech equipment.... I was mesmerized. I had always been told what a good mimic I was. In fact, one of my Granny's favorite things was to ask me to do impressions of people she knew. It cracked her up, and I loved being able to entertain her. AHA!! I was destined to be a performer!! So I switched my major to Theater Arts and prepared myself for impending fame.


... ... ... ... and about 4 years in, I realized I would never be famous. It is *WAY* more work and financial investment than one would realize to market yourself successfully and get sustainable acting work. Bummer :(


In my relatively short life, I have held a multitude of jobs: busboy, grocery cashier, Ripley's ticket agent, hotel reservation clerk, retail slave, office manager, human resources generalist, admin assistant, cost accounting clerk, and finally, payroll specialist. Whew!


At this point in my life, I couldn't imagine anything more fulfilling and joyful than being a zookeeper. 


Wait, what? That came out of nowhere, right? Not really. I have always been a lover of all kinds of animals. We always had numerous pets as I grew up. Dad even raised chickens and rabbits at one point. Cats, dogs, snakes, hamsters, birds, fish...even a tarantula! We had a great horse for a little while. Any animal was welcome in the Miller household. So, why would a veterinary career not be my passion? Because seeing animals suffer breaks my heart so badly that I don't think I could be effective in that field. I get too attached too quickly. I would wind up having 40 dogs and cats at home because I couldn't bear the thought of any animal going unwanted :( 


I LOVE THE ZOO. I love going to see all of those amazing animals that I otherwise wouldn't have a chance to interact with. They fascinate me. Elephants are my very favorite creatures. I think that as an enrichment zookeeper, I could get that personal interaction that I want & be able to build relationships with the animals, without the looming threat of pain & suffering every day. Because, honestly, most pet owners only take their animals to the vet when they are getting their yearly check-up or if there's something wrong. The animals in the zoo are well-cared for on a daily basis, so as an enrichment zookeeper, I would be the person making their lives more fun and interesting every day. I would get to see their excitement and happiness versus the upset and discomfort of a vet's office.


So, if my dreams ever come true, I will be the chick you see giving giant blocks of ice with watermelons frozen inside to the elephants. Or playing with the gorillas. Or feeding the lions a special treat. What fun!!