Facebook got me in trouble. I recently posted a picture in one of my happy places—pouring world-class beer samples at last year’s Northside Oktoberfest in Iowa City. (Editor's note: Not TROUBLE - just a request for this article! :)

Then again, maybe it was Confucius who got me in trouble. How many times have we heard the quote attributed to the Chinese philosopher—"Choose a job you love, and you will never have to work a day in your life.”

Is this yet another article about finding your passion? Maybe.

My “becoming an adult” story begins in June of 1986. I had graduated from college in 1985 and had spent the previous year looking for a teaching job. (It was a different time). I called my work study supervisor and former director of admission at my Alma Mater and asked about any admission openings. He informed me that while he did not have an opening, he knew of an opportunity at a small, similar college in Cedar Rapids, Mount Mercy (College) University. Later that month I began what eventually became a love affair with higher ed. admission work.

On the first day of my new job, my former Director called me to congratulate me on receiving the position and to say that he suddenly had an entry-level admission counselor opening. (I’ll save that story for another day).

Last month I started my 38th year in the college admission arena; while I can now say that I absolutely love what I do, that hasn’t always been the case. As you can relate, during peak fall travel season, the days can get very long. High school visits during the day, college fairs and hours spent telephoning students at night. I remember my first supervisor preparing me for life on the road and managing expectations.

“Now, Mark, there may be days when you visit a high school and not see any students.”

Huh! Little did I know, I would go days and not see students! Early in my career, it was easy to get discouraged. I was assigned a territory four hours from the institution I represented. While the passing of time has a way of blunting one’s challenges, it also provides the beauty of sharpening one’s perspective.

We all have good days and bad days, right? For some, the “Do what you love” motto may simply not work. Every day we find ourselves doing incredibly important work—promoting the value of higher education in Iowa. And frankly, given the quality of our state’s secondary and
post-secondary education, students can hardly go wrong with their choice.

I sincerely hope you can find joy and meaning in your work. You may not always love what you do, but I’m happy to remind you that what you do makes a lasting, positive difference in the lives of high school students.

Do what you love, whether in your work, or in your personal time, or ideally both. Stay tuned; my next article might describe the Great T-Shirt Incident of 2025 at the Iowa ACAC Conference in Ottumwa…if you know, you know.