May your dark clouds have silver linings!
(my, Jimmiehov, photo)

                 Bad News and Hindsight 

    I had dropped out of college way back in years passed.  

 

   A job in the Elgin Watch Factory seemed waiting for me.  I then bought a car, another story there.  When I did all this the draft had slowed as plenty were volunteering.  Sigh of relief, although that didn't last.  I got my draft notice three years later.  Bad news for me.  

    Into the Army I went, and my last eight months training was the clerk typist school teaching.  When time for my discharge there was a major depression and the Watch factory had closed.  So I enlisted for three more years, to attend the first 43 weeks in an Air Defense NIKE Fire Control Systems Maintenance school.  There I learned Electronics, Radar, and Computers. 

    Time for discharge, I left as the Viet Namm war had just started and I wanted out of the service.  It was easy for me to get a job teaching in the army school but our company lost their contract after two months.  I was transferred to New Hampshire with the company as a Field Aerospace Engineer with my Army class, third of forty-some students and my experience of the last of three years in Army.  

    This project was to make an already installed Air Force Satellite installation work, teach the Airmen how to operate and maintain it.  After another three years I had worked myself out of a job there and was transferred to NASA'S Houston Johnson Space Center as an Aerospace Engineer. 

    I hummed along with the open doors and kept my peace.  But then Voila, the local colleges had day and night classes, so I enrolled.  My education ended after ten years, mostly financed using my GI Bill benefit, with the receiving three degrees.  

    That qualified me to teach at the community college which I was offered a job, I taught for 22 years there before retiring.  My doctorate degree put me with PhD instructors, pay and the title of Professor. 

   My unwanted stint in the Army had paid off, that was the silver lining in the dark cloud. Hindsight said my taking of the open doors had paid off.

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 - Prose Writing here is Copyright, Jimmiehov 2024, All Rights Reserved

 - I am linked with Magaly who is hosting and brought the fun but revealing Friday Writings #112 at

    https://poetsandstorytellersunited.blogspot.com/

 - Magaly has invited us to write poetry or prose that includes a silver lining, or an advantage that comes from a difficult or unpleasant situation.  Our word for Friday Writings count is limited to 369 words not counting the title, I have 358 words.

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