As recent college grads with killer computer skills, the world is our oyster. It sounds phenomenal, with one small problem: what if you prefer shrimp?

Since the age of six I've never liked fish much, but that was the age I started using computers, and before long I found I was in high demand. So many adults didn't know this stuff, yet I somehow did. At age seventeen, I was writing for a national computer magazine, by twenty I was training an entire newspaper office to use WinTel machines. When my father was that age, he was hauling boards in a lumber yard. No doubt about it, we're hot stuff, and some of my friends from college are already drawing close to $40k on their first jobs out.

But I'm not. I'm earning about half that figure as I stand in front of a classroom, copy of the Iliad in hand, busting my butt in a job few people respect - you know the saying: "Those who can, do; those who cant?" Except I can do. I've just chosen to do something different. I'm not the only one, either.

I often wonder if I'm making the biggest mistake of my life, choosing teaching high school English over a job in the IT field. It's not that I don't love computers. It's kind of like the difference between a high school crush and the woman you're going to marry. Computers do have their allure, but I think teaching is "The One."

It's a tough marriage, one that has led me to covet many of my neighbor's romances. My IT consultant roommate gets everything from pagers to notebook computers comped, while I'm still buying used hard drives for my P5-166. His company flies him to Paris for training, with days off to explore, while my only avenues for free travel involve chaperoning school trips. Oh yes, and he seldom worries about making rent. On the other hand, he tells me he's not going to stay in the field forever - just long enough to make some money and build a portfolio. Why couldn't I have done the same? ~ If IT is your dream career, more power to you. For those agonizing between a semi-satisfying job in IT and a fulfilling yet poverty-stricken job in whatever, take heart. A teaching or social service job may be "The One," but the relationship does not have to be monogamous.

I work a part-time tech support job at a local college. It keeps me up on the technology, gives me my IT "fix," and puts some extra money in my pocket. One of my best friends from college managed to combine his technology and social interests by teaching computer skills to the physically and mentally challenged.

Small IT jobs like his may not pay much or give you free hardware, but they give benefits even beyond doing social good. Even an average tech-head can become a real guru to folks who have no idea what a General Protection Fault means, or how to convert a file from one format to another. Something as simple as running Norton Utilities to fix a corrupted disk can earn you awe and gratitude, and writing an office web page can catapult you to stardom.

Although niche roles like this are becoming harder and harder to find as computers become more democratized, plenty of little havens still exist for you to become a hero-in-residence, especially in low-income areas. You get to do good, be around computers, and receive an ego boost to boot. Maybe it's not a trip to Paris, but it's still rather nice, and you don't have to take a Berlitz Primer in French along with you.

It's also rather nice to remember that not every IT job is full-time, or even requires your presence. Freelance jobs, from web design to documentation writing and even web-based journalism are all excellent income-builders for evenings and weekends. In short, deciding how to use your IT skills shouldn't necessarily force you to choose between being a full time cubicle-rat and joining the Peace Corps, never to see an electric stove, never mind a computer, for the next two years. What makes IT such a wonderful field is its flexibility. ~ Young computer people are in such demand because we're not wedded to any one program, operating system, or method of working. With a little effort and luck, a young professional can tailor his or her career and find the balance they like, the same way we tweak our desktops to look just the way we want them, or order combinations of food off a menu. You can have both your oysters and your shrimp, or in my case, just a salad. One thing my students and I can both agree on is that seafood is icky.

David Nurenberg is a former columnist for FamilyPC magazine, a certified high school English teacher, and an aspiring novelist. His own little corner of the web exists at http://www.strugglingwriter.com