When I was in college studying music, I honestly didn’t know what path I wanted to take in my career.  Actually I thought there were only a couple of choices for me; Band Director or Orchestral Musician.  I am thankful for the training I received while in college, but does college help us form educated decisions about our potential career paths while helping us get to know ourselves and our passions?

It wasn’t until I graduated and got out on my own that I began to realize that I wanted to be involved with many different musical experiences.  I felt I had a wide variety of expertise and had many things to offer and there was no way to limit that to one particular career path.  One quote that is heard more often than not is “You can’t make any money as a musician.” While on the surface this might seem logical, my belief is “You can’t make any money if you arent a passionate, hard-working musician.”  As with any career, the people who are most successful are the ones with passion for their craft and the ones putting that passion into work with a very intense work ethic.

Will we ever work hard at something we aren’t passionate about?

 Do you love what you do for a living? Are you truly passionate? Is that passion translating into a driven work ethic? Do you wake up every day with a yearning to “get to work?”  Many of us, whether in school, or in a career feel stuck. Are we living our true passion, and if not,  how do we find our true passion? These steps helped me when wondering what I should do.

1.  Don’t be afraid of change!

2. Ask questions, and be a constant learner. Do you have an interest/ability that makes you tick?

3. Be very curious and observant of others who have become successful doing the thing you love.

4. Seek help, and step outside of your comfort zone. Don’t be afraid to talk to people (and not just on social media or text message!)

5. Don’t be afraid to fail.

My undergraduate degrees are in Music Education and Music Performance, and my masters degree is in Music Performance.  My passion is Music but almost equally I have found a new passion in Business/Marketing.

What is your passion and are you living that passion?