A young man graduates from high school. He is smart and capable and has choices. His parents delight when he decides on a small school in the Midwest like they did. Before he leaves, his father gives him some advice. Work hard and take bold risks, he tells him, because one day you will look back and reflect and the more exciting the story, the more contented the storyteller.
Three and a half years later he is educated and intellectually curious. His ambitions blossom. After graduation, he tells himself, he'll start his own company or turn his Spanish fluency into an overseas job. He is determined not to lead an ordinary life.
After graduation, he moves back home temporarily like his older siblings did before they landed their first jobs. He researches established firms, interesting startups, and organizations that will allow him to grow and prosper.
As weeks pass, his romanticism gives way to pragmatism as circumstances pile up. His student loans are sizable. Companies turn him down left and right because he lacks professional experience. He apologizes for being young and tells them that he will make up for it in aptitude and ambition. Still he cannot contend with the other applicants who have twenty more years of experience. He accepts unpaid internships to bolster his resume and all the while his debt looms.
Finally, he finds work but it is not where he envisioned himself. He hangs a map of South America on his cubicle wall and looks at it when his eyes blur from staring at too many Excel spreadsheets. He notes all the pushpins on the map that indicate all the places he plans on visiting.
He rationalizes. He tells himself that most people don't find fulfillment from their work. He will simply work to live like everyone else.
His days are long and his pay is meager. He owes more than he makes. But that's temporary, he tells himself, soon he'll be making real money. He starts chipping away at his debt. He likes the security his job provides but he yearns for freedom. Like everyone, he wants everything and doesn't think it is too much to ask for. He does the math and figures that if he saves for two years, he can afford to take a week off and travel to one of those pushpins.
Bad luck. He keeps turning it over and over in his head. He's not steering his own ship. He can't afford to quit his job and look for another one that may be more exciting, that has more room for growth. He doesn't blame others for his lot, but he feels a need to blame something. He did exactly as his siblings did yet their lives took off. Their cards weren't dealt. They didn't have to settle so soon.
He develops a routine and adapts to the monotony. He doesn't fear an ordinary life anymore. He doesn't feel like his life has been cut short.
His bosses like him and tell him he's on the right path. They tell him this is a good place to be, a good position for someone like him. They tell him they feel for him about all those student loans and say how lucky they feel that they didn't have to worry about those.
He remembers his history classes and tells himself that capitalism has its cycles. Wait it out and things will turn around. It is not delusional to think that things will get better. It's a comforting way to think. Everyone dreams of an extraordinary life, he tells himself, but few manage it.
