Career Roadmap
Cleavon's work combines: Education, Writing, and Being Creative
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Day In The Life
Skills &
Education
Here's the path I took:
High School
Bachelor's Degree
United States Naval Academy
Graduate Degree
English Language and Literature, General
United States Naval Academy
Here's the path I recommend for someone who wants to be an English Language & Literature Teachers, Postsecondary:
High School
Bachelor's Degree: Birthing and Parenting Knowledge and Skills
Graduate Degree: English Language and Literature, General
Learn more about different paths to this career
Life & Career Milestones
My path in life took a while to figure out
1.
First I read a lot and wrote on the side, but put more emphasis on the sports I played.
2.
Went to the Naval Academy, played footbal, and planned on a career in the Navy.
3.
Took a creative writing course at USNA and received very discouraging feedback from the professor.
4.
Served on an aircraft carrier in Japan and introduced to Japanese authors who inspired me to write.
5.
Took a creative writing course and was further inspired by the professor and my classmates.
6.
Went to school for my MFA in creative writing and finally got the courage to call myself a writer.
7.
Taught a community college class and fell in love with the experience.
8.
Found a way to balance my love of teaching with my love of reading and writing.
Defining Moments
How I responded to discouragement
THE NOISE
Messages from Society in general:
I should stay in the navy and take advantage of the opportunity I had as an officer. Then when I got out of the navy, people said I should stay in my corporate job because there was no guarantee that I could earn a living as a writer. Then when I began teaching in community colleges, people said I should get my PhD to be a professor at a university because I'd never get a full-time position at a community college. Whew! The things people said...
How I responded:
The first thing that helped me was to realize that a lot of the Noise came from people who really wanted what was best for me and wanted most of all for me to be happy and secure. When I realized this, I was able to have a better reaction to the Noise and maintain good relationships with people who mattered to me. This also helped me create a space to listen to the Hum that surfaced when I was a teenager and wouldn't go away. That Hum was the calling to write and teach writing to others.