I’ve posted a few times about my on-going search for a new career. It’s not that I plan to abandon music; in fact, I recently accepted a job as the Assistant Conductor of a new chorus that will start up this fall, and will specialize in music of the early Baroque period. My friend E.B. is starting this yet-to-be named group because she is an expert in the music of this period and has wanted to have her own group for a long time, so I am excited to work with her on this new venture. I also still sing with the Ars Nova Singers, and plan to continue doing that indefinitely. So it’s not that I am leaving music behind. Rather, I realized that the stress of trying to figure out how to make music my only career was lessening my enjoyment of it. In light of this realization, and the fact that I have often enjoyed my non-musical jobs too, I decided it was worth exploring some of my other interests and talents to see if there was any career potential there. And this exploration, many years in the making, has led me toward social work. I am thinking very seriously of going for a master’s degree in social work so that I can do counseling work in this amazing field. My particular area of interest (at the moment) is elder care, and issues related to death/dying. I can envision myself working with hospice, for example, quite easily. I have requested materials from the Univ of Denver, which has an excellent social work program, so my current plan is to apply for the fall of 2012. I don't have the best track record on following through with career plans, but this feels very natural to me, and very right. I hope it will be. I’m ready to get going in a new direction, while still enjoying my music…in fact, enjoying it a lot more now that I’m not stressing about it as much!
Meanwhile, I still need a job! Actually, I had one for 8 days, and then I quit. That is a first for me. I’ve NEVER given up on a job that quickly, and I certainly did not expect this outcome when I said yes to the job. There were some red flags from before day one that I ignored in my excitement, but I had no idea how bad it would be. It should have been wonderful; working for a not-for-profit (a very comfortable arena for me) that helps senior citizens get out into the community and engage in society…very cool stuff! I still have the utmost respect for this organization and what it does. Unfortunately, my boss, the founder/director of the organization, has a really bad case of “Founder’s Syndrome.” She was impatient, patronizing, micromanaging, and condescending from my first day. It was a poisonous work environment; Husband actually observed it briefly one day when he came to meet me for lunch. The other problem with the job was that it really should have been (at least!) a full-time job, and yet it was only a 20-hour-per-week position. I could see no way to get on top of the workload and stay on top of it, and being perpetually behind at work is very upsetting to me. After only 8 days, my stress level was through the roof, and my stomach was always tied up in knots. I could not leave my worries at work; they plagued me at home near-constantly. I decided that the job was just a bad fit, and Husband and my friends here all agreed, and thought that it was better to get out quickly and move forward. I have no regrets about leaving (and actually my boss seemed relieved that I resigned), but I am a little sad. I was so excited about the job, and so glad to be done with job searching for a while. It is hard to have to wade back into the job-hunting pool again. But I would much rather do that than still be in that awful work environment!
So I’m back to job-hunting. I am really, really hoping that something will come along this summer. I have a few possibilities on the horizon right now, so perhaps one of those will wind up being a good place for me. It’s hard to stay hopeful as I’ve now been unemployed for more than a year (I know that, sadly, this hardly makes me unique in this economy!), but I’m trying to keep at it. If any of you have tips, I’m always happy to hear your ideas and suggestions. And for any of you who are also looking for work, keep your chin up, and know that I understand exactly what you’re going through. Hang in there.
At least there is summer fun to provide some escapism/distraction. The re-release of The Lord of the Rings films into movie theatres has been absolutely delightful (see my last post for more details on this). I saw The Fellowship of the Ring last week, and The Two Towers last night; The Return of the King is still to come next week. Some films were just made for the big screen, and these amazing movies are definitely in that category. It’s been such a joy to see them again, and they’ve been beautifully remastered, so they look better than ever. I’m totally enjoying being a LOTR geek again; this summer vacation to Middle Earth has been most welcome, and is helping to lift my spirits from the job woes. I also look forward to cocktails and home-made guacamole with Husband on our deck several evenings a week. Also, I’ve been enjoying regular iced chais at my favorite coffee/tea shop quite a lot, and going to our fabulous Saturday morning farmer’s market each week. And the Peter Gabriel concert last week at Red Rocks (see my last post) continues to resonate in my memory…so amazing! All of these lovely summer things, large and small, are so welcome, and help me remember how fortunate I am, and how much good there is in this beautiful world of ours. This period of joblessness will pass; all things do.
Happy summer solstice, everyone!
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