Can we handle the affluent lifestyle of an I.T. Professional?

Can we handle the affluent lifestyle of an I.T. Professional?

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Planning life together before marriage

Many young lovers have a romantic memory of a place that is “theirs alone!” For Bev and me it is the Willow Island Lookout in Wascana Park in Regina. We simply called it the pumphouse.

The pumphouse was a short walk from where we lived during our university and dating days.

In September 1970, just weeks before we were married I got a phone call that set a life path in motion. The phone call came from John Funk, BIS Manager at SaskTel. He offered me the job of a computer operator.

Let’s back up a few months to late April 1970 when I completed my requirements for my Batchelor of Arts Degree (Math Major) from the University of Saskatchewan, Regina Campus. I had spent the winter watching for openings in a career job. However, when spring came, and no offers, I went to work in the field I knew well, farming! I spent the summer working for Rollie Slater, who farmed not too far north of Regina. I kept sending out resumes. But then summer ended and I had no job prospects. So I applied for another student loan and registered in the Education Faculty at USRC. I had actually attended 2 days of classes, to become a teacher, when John Funk called!

The job as to begin almost immediately, September 12, 1970.

So Bev & I headed to the pumphouse for another session of “future planning.” I clearly remember one short piece of our discussion when we considered, very briefly, whether we could adjust to the “affluent lifestyle” we dreamed was associated with this burgeoning Information Technology field.

Looking back 56 years, I can assure that we never did discover economic affluency (interestingly, my compensation throughout these decades always paralleled the income of that school teacher career that I chased for two days …).

What were some of our other dreams at the pumphouse. We both knew that we wanted a family — a two-parent, single income household. We knew that we wanted to do some traveling. As we look back on 56 years of life, we continue to believe that those were good dreams, and they worked for us!