Heinrich Hexenmeister
May 27, 2020 11:27 AM
Looking to the Future (tag Mr. Row) by Heinrich Hexenmeister
The advanced students who were still taking Herbology were taking Herbology right now. It felt a little weird to know some of his classmates were in attending a core class and he was not required to be there. He was half-tempted to change his mind and go running back to the Greenhouses and say he was sorry, he didn't really mean to drop this one, can he get back on the roster? But he didn't. Instead he knocked on Mr. Killian Row's door and awaited his invitation inside.He received one and he entered. "Mr. Row? Is this a good time to talk?"
Upon being assured that it was, Heinrich took the seat across from the guidance counselor and said, "I need counsel." This was perhaps made obvious by his current presence, so he continued, "I want to talk about how to manage a career and a family, and if there are careers that make this easier than others. My uncle runs a snake farm that sells potion ingredients from the snakes, and this seems to work for him, taking care of both the snakes and my brother, but I do not want to work with animals." Probably. But it was better not to muddy the waters this early in the discussion. "My parents were . . . um, consultants," he used the term he had known for their job for most of his life, "and they took trips but were home most of the time, and that seems pretty good, too, but I do not want to do what they did, either." This was, perhaps, just a few shades too emphatic.
"My best classes are DADA and potions, so maybe you know of something I can do for those from home? See, my . . . girlfriend," the word was still new and strange on his tongue, and he tripped over it just a little, "is going to have custody of her brother when she gets out of school, and I want to help with that as soon as I can. Or can I do correspondence classes to get the credentials I need for something a little more formalized while watching a child - he'll be six? I think? When I graduate. I do want to do some higher education beyond Sonora, but I can put it off a few years if that would work better. Honestly, I'm not even sure what I want to do for a career yet. Is there, I don't know, paladins in real life? People whose job it is to protect others from bad wolves? I mean, there are aurors, but," a brief flash of shouting and spells battering against the front door, of Dad yelling for him to take Hilda and Hans and hide, "I do not think I can do that."
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Heinrich Hexenmeister
Looking to the Future (tag Mr. Row)
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Heinrich Hexenmeister
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Killian Row
May 27, 2020 1:54 PM
Disclaimer: I cannot see into the future. by Killian Row
Killian wasn't sure what it was about this year, but he seemed much busier than usual. Of course, as a followup to last year, he thought that just about anything should actually feel slow. Perhaps it was just that he wasn't used to having so much to talk about early in the year with folks, as they often waited until immediately before exams to panic about things, or at least right before the holidays. It was sort of nice to have more things to talk to students about earlier on in the year because it gave him more time to help them sort things out. Also, he sort of hoped that it would mean a steady flow throughout the year instead of packed office hours all right at the end. Touch wood.When Heinrich Hexenmeister - sixth year, Aladren prefect, German in origination and first language, Quidditch player - appeared in his office, Killian grinned and insisted he come in. Heinrich, like many Aladrens, was organized and forward thinking, and also generally hard on himself. At least as far as Killian could tell. He was convinced that nearly the entire student body was capable of at least twice what they thought they were. Terrifyingly enough, this included students like Mara who were well aware of her ability to achieve great things and still had the potential to do much more.
That being said, about the last thing Killian expected from a sixteen year old boy, particularly not a high society pureblood one, was questions about raising a family and having a career immediately after school. He blinked, a bit surprised, and summoned tea. He really needed tea. Then he considered Heinrich again.
"It sounds like you have a lot you're trying to manage all at once," he said first, wanting to acknowledge the stress that that almost inherently was putting on the young man's. He wanted to provide a word of caution about jumping into a family raising dynamic with a girlfriend from school, but it sounded like the situation was serious enough that Heinrich - of all people - had considered such things. Perhaps the relationship was, too. Killian was certainly no expert in serious relationships and probably wasn't going to be the best judge. He took a few notes where Heinrich could see what he was writing:
No animals. Consultant? Not same field as parents. DADA and Potions. Work from home? Family.
"You don't want to be a consultant?" Killian clarified. He rather liked being a consultant of sorts, but he knew it wasn't for everyone. Although he thought Heinrich would probably be very good at his job. "There are pros and cons to waiting on your education, and to continuing it right away. It sounds like things aren't exactly going to be easy for you right off the bat, so it may make sense for you to jump in to the next thing, keep your momentum, and get done sooner so you can begin working in that field. Do you have any work experience or internship experience yet? Would that be something you'd be interested in for this coming summer?"
Tabitha had, funny enough, just recently dropped off information about job opportunities and internships within the field of Defense Against the Dark Arts, and Killian began rifling through a file cabinet in order to find them again.
"Jobs from home are a bit tough, although many are possible, and some could be done from home with occasional check-ins on site or at an office. There are a lot of witches and wizards who work with Aurors but don't the actual work of an Auror, and you could work on research, correspondence, or something like that from home I think. Cursebreaking, too. There are also jobs for law enforcement, or magical security at various places, like hospitals, museums, cities, etc. Harder to work from home that way, but might be a good stepping stone job. Actually, might be a good internship if you were interested."
He tapped the documents to copy them and passed them to Heinrich. "I don't have those in German, but let me know if you would like me to get a copy made," he said matter-of-factly. There was no shame in wanting to read in one's native language, especially about such important things. He grabbed the potions documents next and copied those as well. "Potions careers would be easier to do from home, but harder to make a living. If you have really exceptional skills, you could contract with a medical facility or store and brew batches of supplies for them from home, although you'd want to be careful with a little one around then.
"If you are looking at pursuing higher studies, though, you may be more interested in a job to get you by while you attend school? There are distance learning programs, as well as on-campus ones, and campus housing for students with families and children is usually available, as well as daycare and such. Are you interested in wizarding jobs only? Will you have access or do you have interest in muggle technology and work?"
Killian paused, aware that he was long-winded and that he'd said a lot. "Do you want to talk more about the family side of this? It sounds like you're dealing with some unique challenges. As is your girlfriend," he added. He was terribly curious about that, as he had to assume Heinrich's girlfriend was a Sonora student since that's where Heinrich necessarily spent most of his time, but it was early in the term and for all he knew, he'd met a lovely young lady at home over the summer. "What sort of role are you looking at with your girlfriend's brother? Would parenting classes be something of interest to you?"
Remembering another set of resources in a different drawer in another filing cabinet, Killian shut the one he'd opened first and turned to grab some information about financial assistance for low-income families, families with young dependents, and more. "These might be helpful, too, but that would be more something to look at when you're graduated and caring for him. Parenting classes are something you could begin now as an independent study program if you were interested. That's a very big step, especially for a young person. Do you want to talk about that?"
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Killian Row
Disclaimer: I cannot see into the future.
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