"To Grad School or Not To Grad School? That Is The Question." [Get Some Grit]

Get Some Grit Podcast Episode #30 - To Grad School or Not to Grad School?  That is the question.

 

Welcome back to Get Some Grit, the show where we learn the many ways that grit can serve artists as they press towards their goals. You can find us on iTunes, Stitcher, Google Play, TuneIn, and iHeartRadio! No matter what you’re going through, GRIT is the armor that will protect you from the barrage of attacks that can stifle creativity and output!

 

"Work or Grad School Next?” was the clear winner with 58% of the vote, so that is our topic for this week.

 

I will be at Baylor University for a week long residency January 9-12 to do all sorts of trombone related things and record my first “on location” remote episode of Get Some Grit!  Should be lots of fun.

 

Tip for the week/tip for the season: Reach out to those further down the path than you for guidance. Buy them lunch or coffee, soak up what they have to say like a sponge.  Then take someone who is behind you on the path out for lunch or coffee, too.  Both visits will do you a ton of good for different reasons.  Never underestimate the power of kindness.

 

Things to remember about the “work or grad school’ conundrum:

 

1. If you have a mentor teacher, reach out to them and get their honest opinion.  Professionally, they should know you better than anyone at this point.
2. Each person’s path is unique.  What worked for me was the opposite of what worked for my wife. Revisit the decision regularly and consider as many angles as possible.  If you think it through, it’s hard to get wrong.
3. Some consider grad school another hoop.  Others cherish life long learning. If you are the hoop jumper, consider going straight to work, use what you have learned right away, and see if the allure of grad school comes to you later.
4. If you are a “natural” learner, you can go right ahead, but remember that the benefit of working first is that you can really gain a laser focus on what you want to learn more about.

 

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Take care of each other this holiday season.  There will always be someone more fortunate, and someone less fortunate.  Do what you can, where you are, with what you have.

 

Credits to Kevin MacLeod at incompetech.com and the good people at freesound.org for the use of their music!