Employment Options for PPA Students

A couple of days ago I told Hollis that I’d had lunch with Brittany. Brittany = Brittany McKenzie = one of the best students I have ever had and one of our very very very best former-babysitter-friends. Brittany graduated a couple years ago, but she definitely spent more hours with Hollis than any of the other members of The Babysitting Brigade. As a result (and because he has very good taste), Hollis absolutely adores her. So ... needless to say he was upset to hear that he had missed out on seeing Brittany while she was in town on a recruiting visit.

Our conversation, which I wrote down at the time so as not to forget it, went like this:

Hollis - Why did Brittany leave anyway?

Me - Because she graduated.

Hollis - So?

Me - After people graduate, they leave.

Hollis - Why?

Me - Because they need to get jobs and there aren’t many jobs in College Station.

Hollis - So where is Brittany now?

Me - Dallas.

Hollis - Why is that better?

Me - Because Dallas is a big city ... sooooo ... there are more jobs.

Hollis - There are plenty of jobs in College Station.

Me - (laughing) ... Ya think so? Like what?

Hollis - She could do all sorts of random things.

Me - Like what?

Hollis - She could have a car wash.

Me - Would that work?

Hollis - Yeah, she could charge like $1.25 to wash a car.

Me - Do you think that would be enough?

Hollis - Welllll, she could put a jar out for people to put extra money in, too.

Me - Hmmm ... maybe.

Hollis - Or she could open a carnival.

Me - A carnival??

Hollis - Yeah, she could set up some rides and make people pay a quarter to ride them.

Me - Cool.

Hollis - Or she could set up a basketball court and make people pay to come play there.

Me - So you’ve got this all figured out.

Hollis - It’s not hard.

So there you have it, from your first-grade HR director. If you PPA grads don’t want to go to Houston / Austin / Dallas / San Antonio / Wherever, you can just open up a combination Car Wash / Carnival / Basketball Court. While the thought might not appeal to you much, I’d be willing to bet that with a couple of dirty cars, a few kids on the Teacups or the Merry-Go-Round, and a 3-on-3 pickup game every half day or so, your hourly wage would dwarf what it will be during your first few years as staff auditors ...

Don’t come to me for sugar-coating.

I’ve yet to tell Hollis that Brittany will be spending the night with us tomorrow since she’ll be in town for a luncheon on Wednesday. The surprise factor is always better.

One final note ... for those of you who read the entry related to Hadley’s new cell phone, after one week she has now texted her best friend over 1,000 times. Yes, one friend. Yes, three zeroes. Picking the right plan, indeed.