Hey y'all,
So here I am again thinking. I guess what I'm about to talk about is something I've subconsciously been mulling over for awhile now, as in for the past few years, which has finally surfaced and manifested itself into something coherent. I've been asking myself the wrong questions!!! For so long I've been so focused on where am I supposed to be? What country should I live in? Who should I be with? When what I really should have been/should be asking is what do I love doing? What job/career makes me excited to get up in the morning? What do I find fulfilling? What do I want to be DOING for the rest of my life?
Which leads me to my latest epiphany: Do I really want to get my PhD in Ethnomusicology?
While the field of ethnomusicology is technically 'a growing field', the fact of the matter is, it's also a very niche and specific field in the Arts...which means not much opportunity for jobs...especially in this economy where institutions are cutting Arts programs left and right and making more and more professor jobs adjunct positions. Now, this isn't me giving up on a field I love, but rather taking a step back and exploring the idea of furthering my education in not only a field I love, but also a practical field. I'm referring to education and languages. While my passion for Irish music and culture is deep seated, I also have a passion for languages and teaching. Being an educator is something I can really sink my teeth into and get excited about. See, my academic pursuits were always with the end goal of teaching at university in mind, it was never solely about the research. Nor was research my primary focus, it was more of a necessary evil (albeit a nerdy-fun-agonizingbutworthit necessary evil). That being said, perhaps a PhD in education and/or languages is actually better suited for me. Currently I'm looking into MAT programs (master of arts in teaching). Why? Because teaching gets me excited to get up in the morning! Teaching, planning lessons, being creative and fun are all things I love to DO! Being an educator is fulfilling!
Thanks again, Scorpio, for making me think and encouraging me not to give up on what I really want :-)
Cheers,
Keely
