There’s only one choice in life I’ve questioned.
“Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry I could not travel both …” wrote Robert Frost
When I was in grad school at the University of Wyoming in 1975, one of the guest lecturers was U.S Representative Wayne Aspinall.
He was a progressive Democrat from Western Colorado. At the time I was a College Republican. We had some spirited discussions. Rep. Aspinall said if I needed anything, not to hesitate and ask.
I wondered if he would put in a good word for me when I applied to the U.S. National Park Service.
Long story short, I got a Ranger job at Rocky Mountain National Park near Estes Park, Colorado for the summer of 1976.
The work was very eventful. I returned to Laramie for the school year. I had the job at the park the following summer.
Meanwhile, I was finishing up my coursework for another job that was handed to me in Gillette, Wyoming.
I notified my Park supervisor that I needed to quit a week early at the end of the summer. He said he wouldn’t allow that and I wasn’t rehired.
Looking back, the Park job was the best job I’d had. It was related to my biology degree and I likely could have had a long career there.
I would have ended up in Colorado 20 years earlier and met different people. I doubt I would have become a movie maker or writer.
Gillette city government was a chance to use my political science degree.
“ Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.”
Here I am.
— alanohashi
“Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry I could not travel both …” wrote Robert Frost
When I was in grad school at the University of Wyoming in 1975, one of the guest lecturers was U.S Representative Wayne Aspinall.
He was a progressive Democrat from Western Colorado. At the time I was a College Republican. We had some spirited discussions. Rep. Aspinall said if I needed anything, not to hesitate and ask.
I wondered if he would put in a good word for me when I applied to the U.S. National Park Service.
Long story short, I got a Ranger job at Rocky Mountain National Park near Estes Park, Colorado for the summer of 1976.
The work was very eventful. I returned to Laramie for the school year. I had the job at the park the following summer.
Meanwhile, I was finishing up my coursework for another job that was handed to me in Gillette, Wyoming.
I notified my Park supervisor that I needed to quit a week early at the end of the summer. He said he wouldn’t allow that and I wasn’t rehired.
Looking back, the Park job was the best job I’d had. It was related to my biology degree and I likely could have had a long career there.
I would have ended up in Colorado 20 years earlier and met different people. I doubt I would have become a movie maker or writer.
Gillette city government was a chance to use my political science degree.
“ Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.”
Here I am.
— alanohashi
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