When talking with the average person, they're always surprised when I tell them that I work from home teaching music lessons in the evenings. Inevitably, this question comes up: "Oh, well do you have a day job?". Ok, I guess I can understand why the average person would ask this. The average person works during the day, 9-5 maybe, gets home, makes dinner, watches TV and goes to bed. I get this probably once a week, even from people who know me very well, but I was asked this just yesterday, and found myself extremely internally frustrated with this person as if they expected that "of course I would have a day job, what else on earth could I possibly be doing during the day", and all I could answer was, "no". She even went as far to say: "This is why you have a husband!" I was so insulted that like an idiot, I giggled and said jokingly, "haha yes". What I should have said was one of two things:
1) Oh, well do you have an evening job? Does your husband have a uni-brow?
2) Well, considering I'm a professional musician and own my own business teaching music lessons in the evening after kids are home from school, and take it very seriously, here's a detailed list of things I could be doing at any given point during each day:
• Practicing
1) Oh, well do you have an evening job? Does your husband have a uni-brow?
2) Well, considering I'm a professional musician and own my own business teaching music lessons in the evening after kids are home from school, and take it very seriously, here's a detailed list of things I could be doing at any given point during each day:
• Practicing
• Marking theory assignments
• Arranging songs and pieces for students and ensembles
• Lesson planning
• Teaching clinics
• Researching new books, teaching methods, and instruments
• Scheduling weekly lessons and make up lessons
• Answering emails, making phone calls
• Writing and designing newsletters, contracts, policies, registration forms, websites
• Accounting and budgeting for my own business
• Building clientele and advertising
So, please ask me again if I have a day job. Listen sister, this is my day job, my evening job, my weekend job. I run my business alone, from top to bottom. I don't have employees with specific titles who can take care of specific individual responsibilities, I do the job 6 people would do, I have to be well rounded, I do it all, I'm it. And while you get to leave your work at work and proceed home in the evening to make dinner with your significant other and wind down in front of the TV, this is what I could be doing:
• Teaching back to back music lessons to wonderful children
So, please ask me again if I have a day job. Listen sister, this is my day job, my evening job, my weekend job. I run my business alone, from top to bottom. I don't have employees with specific titles who can take care of specific individual responsibilities, I do the job 6 people would do, I have to be well rounded, I do it all, I'm it. And while you get to leave your work at work and proceed home in the evening to make dinner with your significant other and wind down in front of the TV, this is what I could be doing:
• Teaching back to back music lessons to wonderful children
• Rehearsals for three separate ensembles
• Concerts for three separate ensembles
• See everything else above
And when you're spending weekends prettying up your garden, drinking cocktails on your deck, catching up on your favourite TV shows and surfing the net, spending time with family and friends, this is what I could be doing:
• Wedding Gigs
And when you're spending weekends prettying up your garden, drinking cocktails on your deck, catching up on your favourite TV shows and surfing the net, spending time with family and friends, this is what I could be doing:
• Wedding Gigs
• See everything else above
And no, I am not complaining. I love my job, I love being responsible for every working aspect of my home business, I love being in control. Because I work for myself, I do manage to find spare time at my own discretion to do the following things which I could be doing at any given point of the day, evening or weekend, which probably gives the average person the impression that I'm sitting on my ass twiddling my thumbs, but be warned, you are wrong:
• Check my personal emails
And no, I am not complaining. I love my job, I love being responsible for every working aspect of my home business, I love being in control. Because I work for myself, I do manage to find spare time at my own discretion to do the following things which I could be doing at any given point of the day, evening or weekend, which probably gives the average person the impression that I'm sitting on my ass twiddling my thumbs, but be warned, you are wrong:
• Check my personal emails
• Make personal phone calls
• Blog
• Watch TV
• Make all 3 meals of the day + snacks
• Eat, shower and use the toilet
• Spend time with friends and family
• Hang out with my beloved husband
• I could find the time to exercise if I wanted to...
• Read books, play sudoku and the occasional video game
• Run errands
• Grocery Shopping
• House cleaning
• Laundry
• Traveling
Now, let me address the reason I have a husband. We met, we became best friends, we fell in love, we have common interests and goals, we wanted to spend the rest of our beautiful lives together. I consider myself financially independant, I did not marry to be supported. Teaching music lessons and playing professionally is an extremely lucrative career, I probably get paid more per hour than you do if you must know. But it's true, my hours are limited and dependant on the schedule of other people. And it's also true that I can't afford to live in this house on my own. But neither could he, and neither could you. So take that, witch.
If only I could have thought that fast, it would have felt like a gigantic slap in the face so hard she'd turn red from the mere thought of it. I suppose I'd then have to explain that I'm not necessarily exploding exclusively at her. I've just simply reached the breaking point, I refuse to let other people make me think that I don't work hard, and I refuse to let them believe the same. I already feel sorry for the next person to tread on this sensative subject, but may the truth be known. I work equally as hard if not harder than you.
Power to the self-employed!!!!
• Grocery Shopping
• House cleaning
• Laundry
• Traveling
Now, let me address the reason I have a husband. We met, we became best friends, we fell in love, we have common interests and goals, we wanted to spend the rest of our beautiful lives together. I consider myself financially independant, I did not marry to be supported. Teaching music lessons and playing professionally is an extremely lucrative career, I probably get paid more per hour than you do if you must know. But it's true, my hours are limited and dependant on the schedule of other people. And it's also true that I can't afford to live in this house on my own. But neither could he, and neither could you. So take that, witch.
If only I could have thought that fast, it would have felt like a gigantic slap in the face so hard she'd turn red from the mere thought of it. I suppose I'd then have to explain that I'm not necessarily exploding exclusively at her. I've just simply reached the breaking point, I refuse to let other people make me think that I don't work hard, and I refuse to let them believe the same. I already feel sorry for the next person to tread on this sensative subject, but may the truth be known. I work equally as hard if not harder than you.
Power to the self-employed!!!!
3 comments:
Oh my God that felt good.
I wish you could've said all of that to her face... especially the part about the uni-brow.
Here is something to cheer you up:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JfGOlEizUUs
-dooland
hahahahahahaha!!!!! What on earth is that cat doing? And why is he doing it over and over?? I'm in love with his little white paws and the hopeful look for approval he gives at the very end. Oh doolypoo, you're the best :)
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