My happiest employment memories are those as a Walt Disney World Cast Member. I was hired as a Merchandise Host, and after 16 years left as an Information Technology Analyst, specializing in data architecture and business analysis.

Today, I call myself a Word Wrangler. It's a way of expressing a well-established love/hate relationship with the English language.

Before I took an 85% pay cut to work at Disney, I had been a Jr. High School Band Director. That went splendidly (not!), for a year, before I retreated to Technical Writing. For several years, first drafts were always painful, but revisions were kind of fun... rewarding, even.

Then I learned to outline. After a while I could more easily wrangle with the the words.

I have also worked with computers since olden times, even before the internet... even before the PC. We used to call them "confusers", but I've always loved them. I was a databased programmer for several years. For three years, my office was in a trailer back of Epcot's World of Motion... which I saw transformed to the current Test Track. Later, I moved to an office above the Main Street Bakery at the Magic Kingdom. There, I set up an intranet for Theme Parks Finance so managers in shops, food service locations, and at attractions could adjust labor schedules hour by hour, based on actual attendance.

But... that's enough about me. Where are YOU headed? What should we focus on to be sure you are ready reaching toward your goals?