Get A Job. Jobs Are Secure!

I am an opera singer. I came to Europe to find work as an opera singer.  In the United States there are a lot of universities with schools of music, training to beat the band and graduates of varying degrees of abilities waiting on tables on their way to Manhatten to audition for whatever opera company that will hire them regardless of repertoire.  I didn’t want that rat race, I wanted to get a job singing and the only place to do that was in Europe.  That is probably the best thinking and decision I ever made and I am so grateful for the opportunities I have had to sing, build a large repertoire of music, travel across the continent, work with beautiful, talented and intelligent people on the greatest music ever written and am so blessed to have had the ability to do it pretty darn well.

I wanted to think about music not about making money.  I wanted to get a job, because jobs are secure, right?  What a great thing to get a job doing what you love!  However, there is a catch, not just with this job, with any job for that matter.  If you can be employed by an entity or a person you can also be fired by that same entity or person.

Get A Job Makes You Lazy

I don’t mean you are lazy on the job, but rather you forget that part of your job is to keep looking for other jobs and keep sharpening your saw and networking to expand your influence.  I knew from day one that the singer’s job was very shaky at best and to improve your standing in the field you have to move around which results in the good ole  ”a rolling stone gathers no moss” syndrome.   In fact, in many ways the idea to get a job almost can ruin your career.  I’ll explain…

If Your Goal Is To Get A Job Then You Are Ignoring The Most Important Part Of A Career

This is how winning at all costs is detrimental to a career.  It is safe to say that most people go to the auditions to get the job, but really it is wiser to make it about more than that.  Good business is about making connections with people, and while an audition is hardly the place to get chatty with fellow singers, you come into contact with many people in the house and can make a favorable impression wherever you go.  It is important to do as many competitions and auditions, workshops, studios and every gig you can do, because in the process of doing these things you are getting to know people and you are creating a name for yourself.

I was not ever aware of this during my career so much.  All I cared about was singing well and having good high notes.  But, looking back on my entire experience I realize that I usually made a good impression on people and people liked me and that was a feather in my cap.  I created a name for myself and didn’t work at it, I guess I was lucky.

But, in the end, there comes a time when you find yourself without a job. Now, my job was my dream job, or one of my dream jobs, but stuff happens to a guy when you aren’t in a job.  You feel bad about yourself and think everyone else thinks you have lost it and who knows what all else. Truth is, no one really cares a rats behind, cause as long as they have their job, the world is in order, until they have been in a place long enough to start whining and crying about it all of the time.  They don’t offer a solution, they just like to be the expert about everything without knowing enough to talk about it, or even wanting to be in the position to do anything about it. They feel powerful because they talk a big game, but have neither the power, skill nor influence to make things better.  This is destructive behavior and helps no one.

I’ll never forget my first impression of singing in Europe.  There I was sitting in the Kantine of the Zürich Opera House in Switzerland, just across the street from the beautiful Zürichsee and it’s infinite promenade, and I get my cup of coffee, amazing by the way, and all I hear are people complaining about every conceivable issue they could come up with.  I was amazed by this. We had a couple of complainers in the studio, and it came very close to ruining the year for everyone. It is a cancer.  How can you complain about anything when you are making a living singing and playing the greatest music on earth, in one of the most beautiful opera houses on earth, in one of the most beautiful cities on earth and in such a secure environment as Switzerland?  It is an abomination to do that.

So, all I am saying is that to get a job is a good thing, but it is only a good thing if you make it a good thing AND you realize that having a job is not a right but a blessing and an honor, but most of all, it is a temporary status.  I’ll admit that I am sometimes jealous of the employees who have tenured positions and real job security due to their government positions.  But, I always knew that I would not have that and even in knowing that I didn’t prepare for it, because my whole life was a life based on the security of my father’s tenured faculty job.  I guess I just always thought it would just automatically work out….

It doesn’t…

So, as in the clip above, jobs are a two way street, if you depend on them for your security then what happens when the job is no longer there?  I can tell you unemployment insurance is lame, help from friends and family is demeaning and not being able to do the things you want to do or be the person you know you are just because you don’t have a job where you can say, ”I work at….”  ”I am a …..”  You know the game…

Now, I am finding that the real world is full of far more opportunity and lucrative options than the job would ever conceived of being. But, it comes at a price.  You must be willing to pay the price of peace of mind for a while until you get the hang of it in ”the real world.”

Yes, losing a job either destroys you or makes you more than you ever thought you could be, but it isn’t easy.

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