In relation to what I want to pursue after college, I called World Cafe Live in Philadelphia, PA  to learn more about being an audio engineer.  The first thing I was told is that working in the music industry, you have to consistently work around another person’s schedule; which means late night’s, early mornings, weekends and holidays if need be. I’m not too crazy about that part of the job, but it didn’t disinterest me. As an audio engineer I would be working a lot with technology. She said that she recommends I become proficient with all aspects of a computer and strengthen my knowledge of the trends in music and it’s equipment. As an audio engineer I would also be overseeing the general production and preparation of the performance or the sound mixing process. I would be editing and adjusting the prerecorded audio for whatever event I was assigned to. They also said that eventually if I wanted to I could be in charge of all the audio for an event of up to 1300 people once I gained enough experience assisting multiple. As an audio engineer I would have many opportunities to work in diverse locations. She said that she has worked anywhere from a rock concert of thousands of people, to a fundraiser for disabled and chronically ill children. I would have a lot of great opportunities to meet many people and see different things. That part of the job really piqued my interest because one thing I stress about my future career is that I don’t want to be confined to the tedious repetition of an office job. I expressed this with her and she said that it’s unrealistic to think that there’s a job out there that won’t require you to do things you hate like writing reports or working with people you dislike. So she suggested that I work on my writing skills and maybe become fluent in Spanish. And that if I already wasn’t start to explore the popular social networking sites and make it a point to get to know all the Microsoft programs. As far as degrees go, she said that in most cases degrees are as stressed as experience is, although it does look very good to have a bachelor’s degree in audio engineering or computer technology. She liked that I was a college student and said that while I’m still here, take advantage of any computer or marketing/business courses. All in all it was a very informative conversation. I learned a lot of things I didn’t know prior to it and now I think I’m more interested in that career than I was before.

My dream job would be outside of an office where I’m constantly on the go. I don’t want to be stuck in a cubicle all day doing paperwork and entering data. I would like to be out on the field, talking to people and independently working on things. I would like to be able to have the option to work from home or travel around or outside of the United States. Ideally, I want to make money, as I’m sure everyone does, but if I don’t make a lot of money, it will be okay because I will be doing something I love. I definitely want job security and benefits. If I have a family I would like to be able to support them and provide for them.

I would like to work as a recruiter and a producer in the music industry. I want to scout out new clients and work with them to create their vision.  I figure I will be inside a lot for this job because I will have to work in the studio. And any job comes with paperwork. But like I said, I will enjoy what I’m doing so it won’t be too terrible.

My second option would be to do something more practical that wouldn’t be torturous for me like marketing or advertising. Advertising I know doesn’t offer the security or the financial support, but I think it could be interesting.

I think the a person’s “dream” and “ideal” job isn’t always a realistic job. Someone could easily name all of things they want to do, but they might not be able to achieve all of those goals. That’s why I think it’s important to have a plan B. I want to get a business degree and pursue music that way instead of just getting a music degree. That way if it’s doesn’t work out, I have a back-up plan.

A lot of people, myself included, tend to be proficient in the areas that they have no interest in and pretty terrible in the subjects they are interested in. Which poses as an issue if you want to pursue a career that you will actually like. As mentioned in one of the presentations, skill isn’t the most important requirement in the job, but it’s necessary to have some sort of skill set pertaining to the job. I’m interested in many things, almost to a disadvantage. If there was a job where I could be a fire-woman one day, be an artist the next and then be a back up dancer for Beyonce after that, I would be all for it, but the real world doesn’t work like that and I’m definitely not good at any of those things. But I would get up everyday excited to go to work. Luckily more recently I have found something I enjoy doing and am increasingly becoming skilled in. I wasn’t at first of course, I had to practice and research extensively until I could label myself even mildly skilled. This is something I’m not used to. In the past I have been dedicated to something only to realize that I have no idea what I’m doing. And that’s very disappointing especially when the passion is there. You can’t expect to be good at everything though and have to think that maybe you’re not successful in that field for a reason because you’re just not meant for it. But I don’t regret the trial and error because it keeps leading me to something better. Now my main focus is to make sure that I am regularly evolving and expanding my skill set. Skills are like the human body, they need to be exercised and nourished to help them grow into something better. I want to do whatever I need to to achieve that. Even if it means sparing a few hours in my free time to take classes or to research or practice to perfect my craft as much as possible.

Personally, I can not excel at something I do not enjoy. I spent my first year of college taking classes that I couldn’t stand. It was a huge struggle and I had to perpetually motivate myself to complete assignments. This year I tried something new and took classes that interested me and my grades increased tremendously. Is a 2.6 really all that impressive if it’s attached to a business degree? Or does it look better to have a 3.8 in a major you worked hard for, regardless the title? Albeit job security is pleasant. But a person shouldn’t pursue a major because they think they should according to their parents, or guidance counselor, or society. A person should pursue a major according to what makes them happy. If you major in something you love you’ll push yourself, you’ll be eager and you will thrive. Another argument is that sometimes doing what you love isn’t going to make you a lot of money. I believe that in any career, in anything that you do, you must be passionate and you must have desire. It does not matter what you are passionate about only that you are. How happy will you be if you’re stuck in a job that you hate. I don’t want to wake up one day when I’m 50 years old and gain the bitter realization that I have spent every day of my life wasting it on a job I can’t stand.  A lot of people question if they’ll get a job with a degree that seems unrealistic, but you’ll never know if you don’t try. You’ll have a much higher drive to find a job if it’s with a degree you’re devoted to and believe in. Either way the future is unknown and something you love may in fact make the amount of money you love as well. Take the small steps to whatever makes you happy and maybe those small steps will lead you somewhere greater.

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