Fortune’s Smile

So the worst is now over on the job. I will officially transfer to another program in the agency on July 1st. I’ll actually transition into it as I wind down business under the old contract until June 30, doing a mix of old and new assignments. The new gig has guaranteed funding through October 2005, with an opportunity to reapply before that. But I’m not going through that nonsense again.

Last week, I put the wheels in motion for my next career transition. Yours truly is gonna follow a long held dream. I’m going to culinary school. In August I will start a culinary arts program, and a month later the culinary management program, with the overall goal of opening my own catering business or (maybe) restaurant.

I’ve debated this move for almost a decade. I was in my struggling actor period and seeing my career plateau, I wanted a job that had creativity but greater financial stability than show business. People always have to eat, but nobody needs an actor. The food service industry is a growth industry with more opportunities than just working in a restaurant and every culinary school I looked at boasted 95-100% placement records for graduates. Contrast that to the 85-95% unemployment rate among professional actors and you can understand my interest.

But I wasn’t really ready to make the move until now. It was partly financial, partly mental preparation. Last October, the company sent me to night school to take an HR course—I got an A—and I realized I could do school and work and not die in the process. To do this culinary dream I’ll be going to work M-F and school Sat and Sun for 31 weeks. When the management piece kicks in that will also mean three nights a week as well. But by this time next year I’ll be about done, so regardless of whether my job gets refunded or not, I’m ready to depart on my own terms.

Deep breath….exhale.