Let me introduce you to a close friend of mine. You might know them as an Artist in residence, adjunct, clinician, freelancer, mentor, contractor, counselor, coach, guide, support staff, band staff, visual tech, music tech, caption head, specialist, tutor, helper or more. 

This is the person that dedicates the better part of their days, weeks, months and years making sure the next generation is more educated, creative, strong, empathetic and more equipped than we are. 

This is the same person that works 5 jobs during any given week just to pay their bills. They work those 5 jobs because none of their employers actually recognize them as an “employee.” 

Their social life is their work. They don’t get the benefits of health insurance, social security, 401k or anything of the sort. 

They live by the 1099 and spend most of the year juggling varying income from unreliable sources. 

They celebrate Halloween on April 15th because that’s their scariest time of the year trying to navigate IRS self employment taxes. 

They have a difficult time buying a car, house, renting an apartment or anything else that requires a pay stub to prove employment. 

This is the person that is sometimes late on their car payment because the kids didn’t turn in their band fees on times or the fundraiser didn’t yield as much money as planned. 

All and all, their view of success is largely based upon the success of a group of a hundred or so teenagers. 

I know this person because I was him and am him and grew out of him and then back into him and matured into a better version of him only to take a step back, then forward, then sideways and back around. While everyone asks why I am still that person after all these years, I simply answer “because that is me.” To all my educator friends out there...don’t be afraid to be you. Just stick with your path and the details will all work themselves out. There isn’t always an obvious career path, but that doesn’t mean it can’t become your career.