You’ve heard all the cliches – ‘if you love what you do you’ll never work a day in your life’, or ‘you spend the majority of your adult life working so you may as well find something you enjoy doing’.
It was brought home to me when I was 25 – after finishing college, travelling for a bit, working in a few odd jobs, not really sure what I wanted to do, I went to a recruitment company.
They got me a job in data entry with a construction company. I can remember cycling 45 mins there, not really sure what data entry was but determined to give it a go. By lunchtime I knew it wasn’t for me, so I made my apologies and left.
By the end of the cycle home that afternoon I had resolved to give music a go. I had no idea if it would work out or not, but it was the only area I could think of at that time in which the prospect of a day’s work excited me. And here we are.
It’s not all roses, like any job there are days which you can’t wait to end, but I’m always trying to shape the work I do so that those days come around as little as possible.
At the other end of the scale, some of the most rewarding work I do is with the teenage musical community of Sligo. I have worked with a wonderful community of over 70 15-18 yr-olds over the last few months, culminating in a two-day show this weekend in the Hawk’s Well Theatre where we will present 24 songs of Irish origin with a teenage choir, orchestra, instrumentalists and singers.
I love to see them making friendships, encouraging each other, getting a buzz from the shows going well. I can see them growing in confidence both on and off stage, and I hope that what they are learning by taking part in these shows will stand to them in many areas of life.
This is the most ambitious show yet, with more rehearsal and preparation time than ever before. Eamonn in EJ Menswear deserves huge thanks for supporting us in this project and allowing this extra rehearsal time with some of Sligo’s top professional musicians to happen.
Data entry wasn’t for me, no more than working with teenagers isn’t going to be for others. If you haven’t found it yet, keep looking for your niche, and if it’s wrong, don’t be afraid to leave by lunchtime.
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