Watching new generations chase careers is entertaining — we know plans rarely go in a  straight line. Doors close, others open, and wrong turns often lead to something better. The worst move is staying in a miserable job just because the unknown feels risky; the detours are usually the fun part.

We proved that a career path doesn't have to be a straight line. Most of us found ourselves in careers we never would have imagined back in our Custer years - yet here we are, smiling. And our grandkids? Whether they're choosing majors or alread making job choices, we just laugh at all the twists that got us here.

Bill Bailen - I tried working in a muffler factory … but I found the work just too exhausting.

                                (The sign behind Bill actually say, "Muffler Dept Quietly Working since 1957")

Gene Melzer – I studied a long time to become a surgeon, but I kept losing patients — often during surgery!

Karsten Boerger – With my heritage I thought I’d make a good sausage tester … wurst decision of my life, they said I didn’t have the right stuff.

Janis Schendel Mueller -  My last job was working at Starbucks, but I had to quit.  It was always the same old grind and my boss was a big drip.

John Gilbert - I tried to get a job as a historian but there was no future in it and I was always behind in my work.

STAY TUNED FOR MORE CAREER MOVES - our road to success came with bumps, detours and the occasional flat tire!