Quote:
Originally Posted by Bear  Beware, rant ahead.
How do people make school and work co-exist? I seem to be able excel at either one or the other but not both simultanesouly.
I was recently asked to leave my graduate studies because I worked too much and missed too many concerts, recitals, etc. I'm sorry, but I work full time. A lot of times more than full time. I am the only one who supports me. They pay me to work, I need money. I pay them to go to school, work logically in my mind will come first.
I just want to quit it all and go to work full time but I know I will never be happy until I have that "Dr." in front of my name. Egotistical? Well, I am a trumpet player with a propensity for lead playing. HA. Any hints on how to make the two easier?
I want to play and teach on a level where I can make improvements in someone's life and where I will quit worrying where next months rent is coming from. |
There are no easy solutions. A lot depends on where you are working, and what you are doing at work. It takes a lot of compromise, and understanding and flexibility on the part of your boss. If your school requires full-time devotion, then you need to work part-time - pure and simple, there are only 24 hours in a day, and you need to sleep for some of them!
Maybe it is possible to work out some flexible hours at work when there are concerts, rehearsals, recitals, etc. that you need to attend. Don't work during those events, but make up the work hours at some other time.
It takes an enormous amount of organization, time managment and hard work. Don't expect to have any social life, but if that 'Dr.' means the world to you, make those sacrifices now. Stick with it, and have a great party when it is over!
Remember, though: you can make improvements in someone's life at any level - it is more a result of how you approach your teaching than the level at which you are teaching. You have to love what you are doing first and foremost, and share that. Even teachers of younger students can (and usually do!) make huge improvements in their students lives, just by exposing them to a whole new world. No Dr. required. (I remember my first band director just as well as I remember my college teacher, and I certainly would never have gotten to the latter without the hard work of the first!)
Best of luck. I hope you find your way through it all.