Punk Rock Academy Fight Song – “You do what for a living?”

“You do what for a living?”

That’s usually the response I get from most people when I tell them what I do and it’s usually followed by “that’s pretty damn cool”.  Not that my job is that fascinating or unique but rather it’s the fact that somebody like me does the job that I do. So what is this mysterious occupation that elicits so much curiosity? Presidential advisor? Bomb Disposal Technician? Dog Catcher?

Nope. I am a high school counselor. It is my job to mold and guide the minds of teenagers. I also happen to be a heavily tattooed Punk rocker that still rides a skateboard and loves to get in the pit every now and then and works as a high school counselor. My life experiences tend to be just a little bit different than most people in my line of work I know everybody and their moms have tattoos these days and that by itself doesn’t make you a Punk, nor does riding a skateboard. For most people those things are just accessories and a hobby but for me it’s been my life since I was a teenager and it’s not a phase I plan on outgrowing. I just had to figure a way to keep my passion for this lifestyle going well into adulthood. A lot of us grow up, settle down, get “real jobs” and move on to more mature pursuits (yeah right). Some of us keep flying the flag and damning the man in our own different ways. And then a lot of us spend a lot of time trying to figure out a way to do both. Believe me there was a long list of jobs I thought I'd have and counselor was never really on that list.

Throughout high school and college my main job requirements involved my being able to dress however I pleased and not working in an office. I was all about rebellion and the outward appearance of rebellion. The idea that I would some day be some kind of authority figure still boggles my mind but I like to think that I’m trying to teach and inspire these kids that you can be successful on your own terms. I like to call this my SLC Punk theory. At the end of the movie the main character cuts his Mohawk, puts on a suit and decides to go to law school with the idea that sometimes it’s better to try and change something from the inside than fighting from the outside. Here endeth the lesson- I stole that from Sean Connery in the Untouchables

-Daniel N-