"My education at insert tech-college here has given me a career where, above everything, I feel useful and that I'm making a difference."

Combine that with the guy who says "my education at insert tech-college here has given me a career where I can come home at the end of the day and spend more time with my family" and you've got one useful dude; he's on 24/7!

Besides doing something all day where he's making a difference, he's also looking out for the next generation by spending time with his children. On top of that, he gets the joy of being with them and his wife.

I've met him, he was a real go-getter, quite intelligent, a nice guy, and I'm sure a great father...

It was odd, though; at the time it seemed to me his need to feel useful didn't extend beyond *his* need to *feel* useful, as it seemed (at the time, to me) that he hadn't thought-through what *useful* meant in the grand scheme of things, nor the impact of the difference he was making. Otherwise, I was certain (at the time and for a while thereafter), he wouldn't have felt useful and that he was making a positive difference doing what he did.

Now? I have no idea what to think... Things aren't nearly as cut-and-dried as they had once been to me, which is odd considering how much thought and discussion went into coming to those original conclusions.

I wish I was capable of being in his shoes.