19. Transferable Skills

I really didn't want to work today.

I was feeling utterly miserable when I woke up this morning, and though I was able to cancel my two tutoring sessions for the day, I couldn't cancel an SAT workshop I had been scheduled to give.

So I dragged myself out of bed this afternoon, made my way over to enemy territory (ucla's campus), and proceeded to give a 90-minute presentation to a classroom full of high-achieving 10th and 11th grade minority students from all around Los Angeles.

It went over exceptionally well.

I surprised myself; in part, because I didn't think I had it in me to speak for 90 minutes, especially in my sad state of (ailing) affairs. But also because I was able to constantly maintain the high level of energy that I usually have when speaking to a group of people. And because (if you'll allow me to brag a little) I kept the group of students entertained. I landed lots of jokes perfectly--some of which I'd perfected over the past year in my weekly classes, others completely spontaneous, off-the-cuff asides--to the sweet sound of genuine laughter.

It was a good feeling to know that, even hampered by a nagging cough and irritated throat, I can still engage a large group of high school students, get them laughing, keep them interested in what I have to say, and basically speak extemporaneously for an hour and a half and not sound like a complete idiot.

I really enjoy my job as an SAT tutor and teacher. But I like to equate it to waiting tables; as good as I seem to be at it, I certainly don't plan on doing this gig forever. It's really just a job to pay bills while I'm pursuing my real passions. But I like that I'm picking up what I consider to be transferable skills: namely, getting up on a stage, of sorts, and basically performing. I like that I'm learning to engage people, to entertain them, motivate them, inform them, inspire them.

I'm learning to perfect* the art of public speaking.

And as I left the conference today, I got this great little inkling, this little blurred glimpse of the future, this sense that told me: you're going to be using this somewhere down the road, just you wait and see.

Just you wait and see.


*"Perfect the art?" That might be going a bit too far too soon...how about, "Not be a disgrace to the art," first?