A Change of Heart

“Craig, your shift is from 11 to 2, and you’re on cleaning duty today, so the lobby needs to look perfect; we have a huge business conference at the hotel this weekend,” called Craig’s mom from the other room.

For his entire existence, Craig had been helping out his family in the hotel they owned. Now, as an 18-year-old with a high school diploma, Craig was a legitimate employee, working part time. For now, he was in charge of cleaning and other simple tasks, but as his hours increased, he would obtain more responsibility and be placed in higher positions. Eventually, like his older brother and sister, Craig would become a manager and continue to emerge as a leader in the business until he was part owner of the hotel. It had been the family business for generations and probably would be for many more to come.

Maya, Craig’s best friend, had departed for college with hopes of becoming a lawyer someday. Whenever she and Craig talked, Maya endeavored to encourage him to consider other possibilities for his future, but their conversation always ended the same way:

“Maya, I don’t want to talk about it, and I like working at the hotel because that’s where I belong.”

He had grown up around the hotel business, he understood it, and it was a simple path to a stable career. There was nothing else he wanted to do.

When Craig arrived at the hotel at 11, he began cleaning the lobby. He finished vacuuming and went to retrieve the watering can so that he could tend to the plants. When he returned, there were three nicely dressed people engaged in a spirited conversation. After overhearing fragments of their discussion, Craig learned that they were there for the business conference that coming weekend and worked in the advertising department for their company. Craig, uninterested, continued to water the plants, and as he heard more, parts of their conversation began to seize his attention. They discussed a television advertisement they were working on and how the music they chose for the background of the commercial would make or break the effectiveness of the ad. Intrigued, Craig listened intently as they talked about their current advertisement project as well as other projects and experiences they had; they seemed thrilled with their occupations.

For the rest of the day, Craig couldn’t get the world of advertising off his mind. Everything the people talked about seemed so fascinating. He had never thought about advertising before, but now his mind was racing, replaying everything the people had said and everything Craig was now curious about. He contemplated all of the commercials and ads he had seen and how much work must have gone into each one. As soon as he got home, he went online and scoured the Internet, absorbing as much information about advertising as he could get his hands on. For hours, he read articles, looked at websites, and watched videos, his enthrallment with the field growing with every mouse click. Finally, unable to contain himself and eager to share this discovery with someone, he called Maya.

After Craig rambled for several minutes about the various aspects of what people do in advertising, Maya stopped him.

“Craig, I’ve never heard you so passionate about something. You really think working in advertising is for you?”

“I suppose,” he replied, pausing briefly before continuing with increased confidence. “Yeah, I suppose I do. It certainly seems interesting, and I think I could be really good at it!”

After talking to Maya, Craig knew what action he had to take. He enjoyed working at the hotel, and he liked the steady paychecks, but advertising had captivated him, and he was determined to immerse himself in the profession. Every day after work, Craig spent hours acquiring as much knowledge as he could about advertising and what he could do to make it his future career.

He knew he was just beginning, but for the first time in his life, Craig felt that he had a true passion.
How does Craig change over the course of the story?

He begins to take an interest in the family hotel business.

He understands that, for him, stability and income are the most important qualities of a job.

He finally listens to what Maya has to say about careers and college.

He comes to realize that he is drawn to a career that challenges his mind.