|
| ||
|
2004-05-16 Catch-Up Wow. It's been over a month since I last updated here in the journal. That's because, what with work, season/series finales, writing, etc. I haven't really had much time for any web stuff other than the occasional update on my weblog. As for the day-to-day stuff, there hasn't really been all that much to tell. I'm still working, I'm still writing, I'm still reading. I got sick last week, and I still have the cough (which turned into a bit of bronchitis), some congestion and a wee bit of the sniffles, but at least the fuzziness in my head has lifted (pretty well, anyway), so I'll actually be able to go to work on Monday. There have been, however, a few things going on under the surface. One thing in particular, which will probably end up being the focus of this entry, and which readers of the weblog already know a bit about. I'm thinking about going back to school. There - I said it. It's still a bit of a shocking thought, since upon graduating with my BA, I was 100% certain I would never go back to university. At most, I'd do a 1-2 year course in something super-practical for the sole purpose of improving my "career". I should know, by now, that there are no certainties in life, not even with myself. A few years ago, I was 100% certain I was on my way to becoming a criminal profiler, only to realize down the line that it conflicted with other things I'd like to have in my life someday. Anyway, here's the deal: while I was still at McGill, I wrote a paper that dealt with how the Scots brought their folklore and folk beliefs with them when they came to Canada, specifically, the Nova Scotia/Cape Breton area. As you would expect, I read a lot of such folktales as part of my research, and I remember thinking that if I was to be a prof, I'd want to teach folklore because (aside from the correcting and the consoling of stressed-out students) I'd get to read and tell stories all day. But the thought never went beyond that "if". A couple of weeks ago, I was talking to Andrea who is doing her Masters in architecture, and she asked me why I am so against doing a master's, and then why I'm so against being a professor. And I gave her my usual answers, but in the process, I found they had lost their persuasiveness. So. I'm considering going back to school to do a Master's in folklore, in order to possibly become a professor. There is, however, a glitch in this whole idea. There is only one university in Canada that has a folklore department - Memorial University in St-John's, Newfoundland. A wee bit far, you might say. There are a lot of issues to be considered in this one problem. There is my family, especially my mom and my grandmother (and I am not ashamed to say my cat, who is getting on his years and is quite attached to me), and they are very dependent on me. I'm always around, and I don't know how they'd take to the idea of me suddenly being relatively far away. There is also the issue of money. Although the tuition at Memorial is laughably low, I would have the added expenses of rent, bills, food, etc. As hard as it might sometimes seem to be to get a job in Montreal, it's a million times harder in Newfoundland. I don't know if it's any easier to find part-time work. On the brighter side of things, I looked at some pictures of St-John's online, and found that it looks like a really nice place to live. It's on the ocean, it's relatively small, it has a really awesome-sounding street called George Street that has over 100 bars/pubs. You see, one of the reasons I always gave myself for not wanting to a prof is that I think it's a job you should really want. I always felt it wouldn't be fair to the students if I was a professor merely to pay the bills. But, it's not as if I wouldn't care. Folklore would be interesting, and I tend to like to help people, so maybe the students wouldn't suffer too much by having me as their prof. I just didn't feel like I should "settle" for a job. But yesterday morning, as I lay in bed for awhile in that half-awake state, I realized that that's precisely what I'm doing - or could be doing if I never end up being a full-time novelist. I suddenly realized that there is no other job in the world that I would love as much as I would love being a writer. I've gone through a gazillion ideas for career paths, and found that none of them compare. So the question becomes: do I want to "settle" for an office job, or do I want to "settle" for a job as a college professor? The latter sounds much more appealing. My main concern when it comes to that particular career path is whether I'll have time to do my own writing. There are a lot of other jobs out there that sound super interesting, but I always walk away because they'd leave me with next to no time for writing. I know that being a professor can be time-consuming, but then again so can an office job. I currently work 37.5 hours a week, and yet I can still usually manage to get out about 5 or so pages of my book per day. Another concern is, how the hell can I know if being a prof is something I'd like to do? I can sit here and try to have the most realistic, well-balanced daydream of such a job, but I'm always left with the question of whether it's an accurate depiction or not. The only way you can know is if you try it, but I can't try it without getting a 2-year Master's degree (in addition to the massive loan I'd need to do this). That's quite a gamble, and I'm not a betting person. So this is the dilemma. I've emailed a few people I know who are professors for advice, and I'm mulling over the idea quite regularly. I went to the library today to renew my membership (finally) and took out some books on folklore to see if it's as interesting a topic as I think it is. And I'm very thankful I have quite a bit of time before I need to apply. |
Portal (coming soon) Get notified: |
|
