"...must be willing to wear a harness."

A few years back, I was in Las Vegas for fun with a group of friends from Minnesota. It was February, and we had a few hours till our flight, so we were sitting outside, soaking up the 50-degree sun. I started flipping thought the newspaper, and in the want ads, there was a listing for the following job:

"Borg needed: Male, 5' 10" to 6' in height, 160-180 lbs, must be willing to wear a harness"

It was a listing for a Star Trek themed show, or casino (I'm not really sure). They needed some "actors" to play a Borg; based on the description, I fit the bill. The harness might prove to be tricky, depending on how high off the ground I might be (fear of heights), but as for the rest of the requirements, I fit them perfectly. Plus, I'm a bit of a Star Trek geek.

For those of you unfamiliar with the Borg, they first appeared in "Star Trek: the Next Generation". The Borg are humanoid but with cybernetic implants. They are both man and machine. They are all part of a "collective", which shares the experience and knowledge of all members throughout the hive. They are devoid of emotion, and they seek to enslave other races to join the collective ("Resistance is futile"), and some of them apparently wear a harness. So besides fitting the basic physical parameters for membership, this was a philosophy which I think I could really get behind.

So why I am bringing this up?

No reason, really. I just remember this story whenever I think about career decisions I have made, and the other career paths I could have taken. I am not unhappy with the choice I made and I don't want to be an Actor for a career, much less a Borg. But still, it might have been fun to play one for a little while, just for the experience.

It is a shame that most people can not take off from their jobs for say, a six-week sabbatical, to try new, random jobs that strike their fancy. I think it might be a good way to stop folks from daydreaming about what they might have done if they had the chance to try it out some of these other career paths. They could try them out, and if it is not as enjoyable or rewarding as they thought, they could back to their real job without any repercussions, and my guess is with more focus and enjoyment then they had before. I think this is a policy everyone would enjoy. In today's economy and job market, it is unlikely to happen, but maybe, someday, it would be possible.

And yes, if I could take off time to try something new, it would be a monorail conductor.