A job opportunity has opened up for me next year. I would be running a music program in a small town near to my hometown. Dopers on here know I long to get closer to my home turf. It would be an hour away from home rather than the 2 1/2 hours I am right now. That also means I am only an hour away from my girlfriend. The cost of living is way lower there, and I could probably enter the real estate market.
The only caveats are that is a very small town, about 2000 people. But it’s so close to home I could always go home on weekends. I could make some decent $$ over the next few years. I went to the schools and they were not as well funded as where I am now, but the kids seem very nice and warm. It also seems quite cultural for a small town (there is a dance hall there and lots of people play music)
It seems really awesome! I could imagine myself going there for three years buying a small house and then hopefully selling it when I leave to go on further adventures! I could build up my music / media studio. Another bonus is it will be grade 5 - 12 music and band, and hence my resume will be STACKED upon completion. I hope to be very hireable after.
It seems pretty awesome to me! But i’ve never lived in a town that small, what do you dopers think?
ooh, I should also mention my wedding / dance band would only be an hour away and so there is lots of oppurtunitys for me to gig there in the weekends and maybe even the weekdays. I could even teach guitar lessons there…it seems like a great oppurtunity!
I was waiting for a but.
When you list off that many good things, there’s supposed to be a but.
I would absolutely go for it. It sounds like everything you like, want, and need. Living in a small town is nice although it’s not for everyone. You don’t plan on staying forever though so I don’t think you should let it deter you.
Go for it!!
The but is that it’s a really small town. That’s not really that much of a but though. I say go for it.
I didn’t really consider that a but since he didn’t express any distaste at the thought of living in a small town.
Now that I read back over it though, you are correct. That was a but and definitely not a big one.
Sounds like a dream opportunity. Go for it!
Go for it … it sounds good to me, and many times small towns are a bit more forgiving of medical issues … and it seems that it is a fairly lower stress position than RT…
Hard to see a downside, just a whole buch of ups.
Good luck.
I’m glad to hear such a small town is committing to a music program.
And please keep posting your experiences. (I have a college Music ed sr.)
Sounds faboo! I just moved to a small town (5000) and love it. I’ve lived in cities and suburbs all my life and, other than the dog getting sprayed by the occasional skunk, I’m adjusting well That said, I do commute to Portsmouth to work so I have access to loads of stuff there. I don’t know where your small town in located…
I grew up in a small town (1947 people in 1980 and dwindling) and it’s fine. My small town was 30 minutes from larger towns and 2 hours from Minneapolis, so we could easily get to movies, dining, shopping, and all that. It’s nice.
While I’d never live in my small town again (too cliquey), I’d definitely live in a small town again.
I guess another but is that it is an itinerant position (I would be teaching in 4 towns, but my homebase town is close to home, and the furthest town is about 1 1/2 hours away from home) I wonder about the stability of the program too. But no risk no reward right?
Another unique advantage to the job is that the school division would pay my travel mileage (Around 880$ a month) which gives me immediate short term money. My car is an 09 so that upfront money could be useful to save for another car one day…one that I could pay for upfront.
Still have a few months to mull it over.
I’m still not seeing a downside here. You get to live in a small town, without all the hassles of city life, doing work in your field, and building your resume for the future.