November 4, 2009
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Three Year Goals
By 2013, here’s a few things [aside from being a good mother, happy spouse, good friend, family, and community member] that I want to have happening in my life:
* Back to School
Ever since discovering my [sorry to be cheesy here] true calling to teach, I’ve known that I need to get my butt back to school for my teaching certificate. I want to be enrolled somewhere and taking classes by Lila’s third birthday.Why the three year timeline?
–>I love my job, but it has a lifespan. I don’t ever want to feel it’s tedium more than it’s joy. This will happen if I wait too long.
–>Without a fine arts/art history degree, I have little growth potential in my current position. And as much as I love art, my passion for it is as a living, breathing, PUBLIC entity. I don’t get a thrill from it in books or theory, making me a poor candidate for pursuing my education in that arena.
–>It was Shaun and I’s plan that we would take turns continuing our education—that’s why we were in Scotland, after all. And while there is no expiration date on my capacity and desire to learn, I’ve been itching for “my turn” for a few years now.
–> By the time Lila starts first grade, it would be great if my work schedule matched her school schedule.
–> I don’t want to stop at being a teacher. I want to grow into a good policy maker and eventually open my own educational not-for-profit center for writing and the arts. I need to take the first step to let the rest unfold.
Challenges:
–> Money. The recession has had not a small impact on our family. With a bail out from our families and Shaun working ’round the clock to make his end of ends meet on a freelance writer’s earnings, we’ve been able to keep our heads above water. But adding the expense of tuition at the moment seems laughable. Student loans are an option. We’ve always used them before and never regretted it.
–> Flexibility. My current job is not flexible. I am on duty when the museum is open—in fact I am the one who opens and closes it. The job requires me to work nights and weekends. A job with more flexibility to accommodate my new family life and my schooling would be a HUGE help in striking a critical balance.Why am I thinking of this now?
Yesterday, my old boss in the marketing department spoke to me about coming back to her department. The position would be a step back for me, but the pay and benefits would be the same and she said she could offer huge amounts of flexibility. No more nights. No more weekends. I wouldn’t hate the actual work, but I wouldn’t love it. Taking a step back in one area seems strange, but is it if I am doing so to grow in other areas? I don’t know if this is the best or the worst time for me to be making decisions like this—arguments could be made for both. But conversations are flowing. This is making me revisit myself in a way I’ve not done in a while and in a way that, frankly, scares me. I wish I had a more linear life, one driven less by “vision.” But I’m not like that. And I’ve had a lot of fun along the way.
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What do you think about taking a step back to clear some room for growth? Ever had to do it?
Comments (4)
Me… I did. I went back to school, which meant debt. I didn’t have any debt till August. I’m taking 14 hours right now. I’m going to get a teacher certification and already have bachelors of fine art, and want use all that to be an art teacher. Next semester I have 12 hours. After that I think it is just student teaching for two semesters. I Have No Idea how I’m going to make ends meet. Thinking about going back to court for child support, which will go over like a ton of bricks.
I love that you are so certain about what it is you would rather be doing, and you know what path you need to take to get there. Even if it means taking a step backwards. I have trouble determining my next step (backward or forwards), which is why I usually just keep walking in the direction I was going. It usually works out just fine, but it’s not always the most exciting or fulfilling or ambitious way forward. It sounds like a step back may be exactly what you need right now — working nights and weekends with a small snuggly child must be hard on you. I love your nonprofit educational center for the arts idea — and I know that you, of all people, will make that happen, regardless of the step you take now.
Steps back or forward don’t seem to really matter unless you have some goal of self destruction or a mental disorder that makes you regress to writing on walls or something (that’s a bitch to clean).
It sounds like you have a plan and a reason for doing it and that’s not really a step back IMO. It’s a way to get things done and chances are good that you’ll find new and different challenges to make if you do it. I’ve never been to take a step back even for research purposes and not learn something new. Never can step in the same river twice as they say.
I have fought many people’s perceptions that I must take a certain step in a certain direction in order to give validity to my work or my art etc. “Why don’t you market that more?” “Why don’t you submit your writing?” “Why don’t you become a principal?” “Why don’t you commit to doing that one thing for the rest of your life at the expense of all your other interests?” Okay, I made that last one up, but I will be damned if any person or societal concept of advancement forces me to take steps I do not want to take. A friend once told me that I don’t want it bad enough referring to my writing and getting published. I thought about it and she’s was right. I don’t and the part I am very cool with is that I don’t HAVE to want it. It’s not a life wasted if I explore the avenues I want the way I want. If I throw a tantrum about not getting something I want, it would be another story. I like the long path with lots of off shoots and I like to take my time. So what?
The non-profit community center idea is wonderful and if there were something like the 826 Valenica or the Ann Arbor Robot Shop around here I would be in line to donate time. I toured the Columbus Community Arts Center once and it struck me that those types of things are preventative medicine for societies ‘ ills.
Howdy! It’s been awhile I know. I love that you are thinking about going back to school. I’ve had to take a step back only once and that was by taking a job lower with less pay just so that I could have a job while I continued my search for a “real” job. It was an eye-opening experience because it allowed me to realize that I NEVER wanted to work that job the rest of my life which allowed me to work harder in finding my place in the job world.