The Only Two Jobs Where I Could Really be My Self

Just about every job requires that we put on a personality mask and a uniform. From McDonald’s to Amazon, Wall Street to Main Street we wake up every day and start pretending to be someone else. Every work environment has a menu of what you should and shouldn’t look like, do, talk or joke about. I’ve had so many jobs I’ve lost count: in high school and college I was a waitress; then came the list of Conforming Careers: teacher, lawyer, EMT, writer, cowgirl (okay, non-conforming), chaplain and the all-encompassing “consultant.” I’ve switched my dress and language code so many times it’s hard to remember who I am, because we’re not supposed to be ourselves at work.

There are only two workplaces where I’ve ever felt close to being the “real me.” That means I could be loud, funny, intense, annoying, Italian, physical, edgy and wicked smart without being told to sit down and be quiet. Watch the way you dress, walk, and talk. Two places in over 40 years of working: the Emergency Room and a classroom full of at-risk teenagers. Can you see right away how similar they are? In the ER and the classroom there’s a lot at risk, it’s wildly unpredictable, and every day requires instant innovation. If you can’t think on your feet, laugh in the face of death, and pull solutions out of your ass, you can’t work in an ER or teach in an alternative high school.

I was a tech in a small regional rural medical center ED for six years. My job was to help the docs and nurses, coordinate communication, do all the logistics…