Well, I did not end up landing the position at Northwest Missouri State after all. Needless to say, Carrie and I are both disappointed as it seemed to be a great opportunity to get a jump start on the life we hope for after I graduate.
So now it's back to the original plan. I am cautiously optimistic that with some hard work I can be ABD by the end of next year. (ABD = all but dissertation.) This would then allow me to pursue job openings as some of these entry level positions accept ABD candidates and also because I'd no longer be tied to the campus. Hopefully then by the fall of 2009, I could be outta here and, more importantly, gainfully employed.
You see, it's an interesting journey I've taken to this point. Some of you may not know that becoming a music major as an undergrad took quite a bit of deliberation. I was also very interested in mathematics, and arguably even better in that field than in music. I loved music more, but was (rightfully) worried about the opportunity for employment. With math, I could go into a very wide range of fields (and make much, much more money). With music, I could only justify its pursuit if, in the end, I could earn a living with it, no matter how much I may love it, and frankly being a professor seemed like a good gig.
As I can see the end of my education approaching, though, I am becoming increasingly nervous about being able to secure employment. It feels crazy to devote 9-10 years of collegiate work to a field and have such a narrow window for employment. In some ways, that was probably the best part about possibly getting this job--the assurance that I'm not totally crazy for doing what I'm doing.
So until then I'll just keep pressing on, I suppose, and with any luck I won't be posting anything like this in a year...
So now it's back to the original plan. I am cautiously optimistic that with some hard work I can be ABD by the end of next year. (ABD = all but dissertation.) This would then allow me to pursue job openings as some of these entry level positions accept ABD candidates and also because I'd no longer be tied to the campus. Hopefully then by the fall of 2009, I could be outta here and, more importantly, gainfully employed.
You see, it's an interesting journey I've taken to this point. Some of you may not know that becoming a music major as an undergrad took quite a bit of deliberation. I was also very interested in mathematics, and arguably even better in that field than in music. I loved music more, but was (rightfully) worried about the opportunity for employment. With math, I could go into a very wide range of fields (and make much, much more money). With music, I could only justify its pursuit if, in the end, I could earn a living with it, no matter how much I may love it, and frankly being a professor seemed like a good gig.
As I can see the end of my education approaching, though, I am becoming increasingly nervous about being able to secure employment. It feels crazy to devote 9-10 years of collegiate work to a field and have such a narrow window for employment. In some ways, that was probably the best part about possibly getting this job--the assurance that I'm not totally crazy for doing what I'm doing.
So until then I'll just keep pressing on, I suppose, and with any luck I won't be posting anything like this in a year...
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