Sunday, November 6, 2011

a serious post

i feel like my life right now is in one giant pickle.
bennett and i are great.
we've never been better.
but we have no stability.
right now, we're living off his jimmy johns pay
which is next to nothing
and i can't work because student teaching takes over my life.

so here's the thing...
i graduate in 6 weeks
(thank GOD)
and bennett will be finding out in march if he gets into grad school.
so we're considering going ahead and moving in january
so we can live with his family for a couple months to save some money
which will allow us to look for jobs, find a house, etc.

the problem is,
i have no idea what to do. 
i've never had a "real" job.
it's always been babysitting, nannying, or a summer job.
my degree will be in art education,
but it's very unlikely i'll find a teaching position beginning in january.

i want to make things.
i want to make beautiful things for people.
i want to take photographs.
i want to utilize my creativity.
i want to play with children.
i want to do what i love,
and love what i do.
why does that seem so impossible?

i don't think i'm ready to be a teacher yet.
maybe next fall i will be, but not now.
so what do i do in the meantime?
how do i find a full time job that i will love to do,
and at the same time,
make enough money to support us?

i've been reading etsy's quit your day job posts,
and they're so inspiring.
but in order to get to that point
i need to focus on one thing,
perfect it,
then peruse it.

in the perfect world
we would have some babies, 
bennett would get his phd in philosophy and not have to work at the same time,
i would stay home and make things all day,
and money would never be an issue.

until that happens,
i guess i'll have to figure something out...

5 comments:

  1. Getting a job doesn't mean that you are stunting your creativity it just means you can eat and sleep somewhere on a regular basis.

    I was a teacher many moons ago and loved it! It was challenging but it afforded me opportunities to keep my creative side alive and well. You would be surprised about finding a position available in January...Don't be discouraged!!!

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  2. after college is always hard, but im sure you will work it out..
    With your degree see if maybe you can be a sub teacher, and fill in to get your feet wet until you can find the job you want. OR look up some art gallery and see if they have any part time jobs that you can take on. If you keep you options open im sure you will find something. Good luck on your journey!

    xoxo
    Lisa

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  3. I don't know if you ever feel ready to do a proper 'grown-up' job like teaching, until you just jump in and do it. It's scary, but I think teaching is so rewarding - maybe it's worth taking the plunge right now?
    Good luck with whatever you decide - all these big decisions can be a struggle, but it's exciting too!

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  4. There is one job that I NEVER thought of, but according to my Grandmother who just started says it is very creative, is a job at a retirement home being an activity planner. They do crafts, go on trips, see plays and much more.

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  5. I agree with all these people, Jen. You have to make money if you want to eat. I hope you can find something that you love love love, but I would also encourage you to be open about possibilities for the first few years of working -- you really might find a teaching job already! I wish I had my dream job already and I wish I didn't have to work so hard to survive, but, then again, it's extremely rewarding to work really hard and then get a paycheck for that work :) Love you and am so excited about your future!

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