Top: Who What Wear via Target (similar here and here)
Skirt: Charlotte Russe (similar here and here)
Shoes: Kohl’s
Bag: Kate Spade
Necklace: Loren Hope via RocksBox
Bracelet: Kendra Scott via RocksBox
Black Tulle Skirt Outfit
Happy Wednesday!
It’s not very often that I wear black but you can never go wrong with a black tulle skirt outfit, right? I found this top while browsing Target and thought it would be so cute for work! I’ve worn it twice already, once with the tulle skirt above and another time with a black floral print midi. Of course, I can’t just go full on black and white, so I added some fun pops of color! 🙂
So change of pace… I’m going get a bit personal here, but I need some career insight.
I stumbled upon substitute teaching two and half years ago. I had lost my job, just graduated with my Bachelor’s degree in Studio Art and was getting married in less than a month. I applied for hundreds of jobs and when I wasn’t getting anything, my husband suggested substitute teaching. I didn’t go in with the intention of becoming a teacher, but rather it became a flexible job that worked around my guitar lesson schedule and paid our bills…plus it was hard to find a job with my degree and being a sub didn’t require any certain degree specialization. Within the first year, I work three long term jobs (one was for four months) and as a result, I got three internship offers…none of which worked out. Because of these offers, my family, friends and even teachers, students and administration at these schools pushed me to get my credential and become a teacher because I was “good at it” and “the students loved me.” I kept putting off the credential because I knew in my heart that it wasn’t my passion or dream. Fast forward to this past week. After thinking about my situation, I decided that it might be smart financially to go ahead and go through with the program even though I felt like I was settling and just making everyone else happy. I thought that it would be bring stability, make it easier financially and just be the “easy way out” since I already had so much experience. However, a situation came about this past week that completely turned everything upside down. I will not go into details, but I felt betrayed, confused and almost like I’m a pawn in some strange game. This led to extensive research on a teaching career (which I don’t know why I didn’t do before) and I came to the conclusion that I absolutely do not want to do this, something I felt I knew from the beginning. I just feel so much pressure to pursue this career that I never wanted to do and it makes me feel guilty and at the same time, I don’t want to let anyone down.
So here is my dilemma…I’d like to make a career change. I do enjoy subbing for it’s flexibility but to be honest, I can never make this a career. It can be a very difficult job sometimes. There are no benefits or health insurance. There are no job guarantees….in fact, I’m writing this from my couch because there were no available jobs today in the 10 districts I work. I’d like to go back to school and pursue my Master’s but have no idea where to start. The schools in my town don’t offer a degree in anything that interests me and I’d practically be starting from scratch. I’m getting older and know that we may start a family in the next few years. It is very disheartening because I always knew what I wanted to do….I knew it from the day I could hold a pencil, but that dream is out of my grasp and I’m having a hard time deciding where to go from here. I feel like I’ve wasted so much time over the past few years.
Has anyone been in this situation? Any advice you can offer? I’d love hear your feedback! Thanks for listening to me vent. 🙂
xo
so sorry you are having this conflict! I had this happen to me a couple years ago! I wish I had some advice to give you but I pray that everything works it self out! Great look as usual! 🙂
xx, Chanda
http://www.mschanda.com
I’m sorry to hear about what you’re going through! I had a similar situation: I thought I was going to pursue the path of a professional opera singer after paying for my Masters degree in Voice and being successful in school and competitions. I was thrown for a loop when I started having digestive problems that made having stamina for that kind of singing difficult. I kept trying to make it work through many performances for a couple years, but it felt like torture since I was constantly nervous that my body was going to fail me. This year we moved for my husband’s job and I was able to take the time to figure out my health and have basically recovered; the thing is, I now realize that I am much more passionate about songwriting and blogging about my music than I am about opera! I also want a stable, familial lifestyle, and teaching voice and music ministry give me the kind of life that I want. So here I am, changing directions. I have heard from a famous career adviser that the old mantra “do what you love” is overwhelmingly impossible. We love lots of things, how can we pick one? Also, isn’t it unreasonable for everyone to expect to get paid to do their favorite hobby? What we can do is to “do what we are” instead, something we’re good at and that provides stability. Then, you can still do what you love in your spare time. If you love it enough, you’ll make the time for it. So, I’m following that advice by teaching voicing lessons, which I enjoy and I’m good at, and following my songwriting passion the rest of the time. I’ve discovered God’s faithfulness as I’m learning to take my hands off of my life. I’m learning to find my fulfillment firstly in Him, and then vocational fulfillment will follow.
I’m sorry for the struggle. I feel like it’s a rare thing when people can work at what they love—and even when they do, it can become a “job” instead of fun.
Unfortunately there are no right & wrong answers—just remember, you haven’t wasted your time. You’ve had wonderful experiences (even if they were to reinforce that this shouldn’t be your path) and met people who have shaped and affected you!
I feel like it’s never a bad thing to continue your education, even if the subject isn’t exactly what you thought you’d want—but there is a balance. Having too much education and no life experiences isn’t great either (although you’ve been experiencing lately—-so that’s good).
The days will continue to progress no matter what you do, so you might as well do something. Sometimes volunteering can lead to a job?
jodie
http://www.jtouchofstyle.com
ps…I just wanted you to know that I won’t be around for your linkup—I’ll be at my biannual knitting retreat in the mountains….I’ll be thinking of you though!!