This is a decision I’ve been wrestling with for awhile now. For the past few years at least I’ve been developing a “backup plan” to attend a coding school and transition into software development if I found my current path wasn’t working out for me for one reason or another.
Well… it’s not quite that the path explicitly wasn’t working. I just wasn’t happy with where I was or the level of power I felt I had over my own destiny. My plan until recently was to keep teaching, with more teaching coming up at Whatcom Community College. If I did well there, maybe, if I put my whole heart into that work, I could eventually apply for tenure and make that the focus of my professional life. Or, perhaps, I could just keep banging my head against the freelance-music-and-sound-design-for-games wall and hope that I get noticed in the sea of people that are basically just like me but with more fire to make that work and a more convenient (i.e. big city) location. I’m being a little cynical in my description, but only to point out that, if I was being honest with myself, I just wasn’t going to be happy with this route. I’ve gotten to the point where I haven’t really written that much music at all. I mess around at the piano and drums and sometimes even in a DAW, but it hasn’t led much of anywhere in quite awhile.
On the other hand, when I thought of the possibilities of transitioning to software development, I got excited. In speaking with people close to me, I was surprised to discover that I really, really wanted to switch to software development, and it seemed like a solid practical option as well.
So that’s what I’m doing!
As soon as applications for September are open, I will be applying to Lambda School for either iOS Development or Web Development. I haven’t fully decided which option I’ll go with yet, as they both have their appeals and drawbacks. And really the whole path itself is not without its challenges, of course. It won’t all be 100% easier than my current route. But I’m more excited about it in terms of learning and skills, job prospects and advancement opportunities, potential income, and lots more.
It’s possible I may retransition into music, sound, or games in some form, but for now I’m basically putting it on the backburner. I’m also hoping that, once music feels less like discouraging work and more like the fun activity it once was for me, I’ll make more music again. Maybe not! But I hope so, largely because I have a lot of music equipment I’d like to use and would hate to get rid of…
It’s likely this website will have to change in a big way again as well, since right now it’s very music-focused. I haven’t decided how that will play out, but my music will remain online indefinitely as far as I’m concerned.
Thanks to everyone who’s supported me and advised me in big and small ways. I’m forever grateful. I hope that no one thinks their efforts went to waste. Even if I ended up abandoning one path, the experiences I’ve had on it are invaluable and will stay with me and inform the rest of my life in a positive way.