Campus Advisor

Black Collegian, Oct 2005 by Parker, Linda Bates

Dear Campus Advisor:

I am in my senior year of college majoring in music composition. I am a jazz pianist and my senior recital is at the end of my second semester. I have had many excellent preformance oppurtunities as a jazz pianist while in college, both on and off campus. Some have been paid oppurtunities. I have also just recently released two CDs.

I am ready to graduate and pursue my musical career, but I can't decide whether to stay here in my hometown, where I have a job and strong family/community support or to follow my dreams by relocating to a big city where there will be more challenging opportunities for me to work and develop my musical talents and I really would like to get away from home and compete with the best.

Can you help me to properly evaluate this situation?

Marcus in Michigan

Dear Marcus:

I will try. I think you are very blessed to have such talent and so many opportunities already coming your way and so many options to consider. Trying to decide whether to leave the comforts and the familiar life at home versus pursuing ones dreams in the unknown has always been the ultimate, tormenting decision for soon-to-be college graduates. There are no simple answers. And any decision you make comes with some risks.

You must strategically and patiently work through the decision-making process to help you decide. This process involves: 1) Gathering relevant information; 2) Weighing the evidence; 3) Choosing among the alternatives; 4) Taking action.

So, if you want to decide whether to stay in your hometown or to move away, you need to gather cost of living, housing, employment information, targeting the city to which you wish to relocate. Compare that info with similar hometown info.

Next you will want to network and investigate employment opportunities in your field in your targeted city. Remember the larger the city the larger the competition. Try every possible information and contacts source - your college career center, faculty, college friends, family, fellow musicians, on-line job search sites such as ImDiversity.com and www.musiciansnetworfe.com/ through classifieds such as www.SiarNow.com, through your professional association or a musician's union in your chosen city and of course through your personal contacts who produced your CD's!

You must also do a financial reality check. Do you have ways to minimize costs or enough money to relocate for 3-6 months to your targeted city, to pay your expenses in case you are unable to secure immediate full-time employment? These are very important factors in helping you to make the right decision.

In weighing your employment alternatives, be sure to consider having a day and night job! According to the College Board, "many musicians are underemployed, spending long periods of time without work. Even when employed, many musicians and singers work parttime in unrelated occupations to add to their earnings as performers. Many also give private lessons."

(Source: www.collegeboard.com )

Once you have gathered your info, weighed the evidence and chosen among the alternatives, now make a list of the pluses and minuses for each alternative. You should then be in a position to plan to act on the best alternative, but before you do, discuss your plans with your family and a staff member in your career development center or a faculty mentor. Once you have their input, think again and then decide. No one can make this decision for you and you do not want them to. After all, it is your life.

If you decide to stay home, there will be risks; if you venture out there will be risks. You have already invested heavily in your college education.You have proven that you are a talented musician. You have great performance experience and have produced your own music !You have a right to go for the big-time.Today, young people are much more willing to take chances in these industries than my generation of black collegians were. So by all means, follow your dreams, after you have made an informed decision.

Just be sure to leave home in such a way that no matter where your dream takes you, you can go home again!

I wish you much success.

Dear Campus Advisor:

I've been a student at Howard University for four years. This past years has been the worst for me. Although my career field of interest is information technology, I was not officially accepted in the School of Business program since I did not pass my Applied Calculus class with a grade of C or above. I worked at the library as a work-study student for 3 and a half years and I started having problems with patrons there this past year. I've beem written up 3 times; the first was a result of me asking a female patron to verify her identity so that I can put her in the system and her getting an attitude with me, the second was when I refused to sign in to the media center at the library after the female student worker got an attitude with me. When I was writen up the third time, I was'nt even working in the library during spring break when this incident occured. I was talking to a female library patron and we got into an argument and I finaly walked away from her. She accused me of harassing her and wrote a report to a security guard, who then submitted it to my supervisor and her boss. The next day, she called me in and confronted me about the issue and terminated me since I had complaints before from patrons. The next thing I knew, I was being summoned by the school judiciary on charges of harassment, disruptive behavior, and failure to follow university guidelines (i.e.: refusal to sign in). I was later found guilty of all three and was sentenced to at least a year suspension. Before I got word I was suspended however, another student attempted to assault me on the street and I defended myself. Now, he's accusing ME of assaulting him and although he did'nt press charges, tot did reach the school judiciary and I could be facing charges of assualt even if I am able to come back to Howard University.