Main Street in Tully, Queensland, home of the Tully Times...my future employer? Only time will tell.
Yes, this is real. The Tully "Golden Gumboot" (A town famous for its rainfall and UFOs...see below) They recently celebrated the town's...er...wetness..at the annual Tully Golden Gumboot Festival
So the job offers just keep rolling in! This morning I had an interview with the editor of the Tully Times, a very, very, VERY small newspaper in an adorable little small town called Tully in northern Queensland. We had a bit of a chat, and at the end he told me that he wants me to fly up in July to start full-time work as a journalist.
I literally haven't even applied for any jobs yet, but they somehow keep managing to find me. Must be infuriating for someone who is desperately seeking employment and finding nothing..sorry! (Especially for those hailing from my home state of Michigan, where unemployment has fallen to 14%...get OUT of there already!)
Last year, I uploaded my resume onto a site called The Brolga Project, which strives to place university students in work-experience opportunities in rural Australia. But the project was just getting going at the time, and few placements were made. Almost a year later, after the program had gotten a bit of a kick-start, companies finally got on board and began actively seeking students and recent grads to work for them. The editor must have found my resume (this is twice in one month; note to job-seekers: the power of a well-formatted, well-worded CV is unlimited, especially when circulated on the world wide web!) because I soon received a call from the managing director of the Brolga Project, who wanted to set up a teleconference with John, the editor.
That was yesterday. This morning was the interview, and at the end of the phone call I was offered the job. Again..these things are all happening so quickly! (A few short weeks ago, as you recall, I was emailed on Tuesday-->"found your resume on linkme.com.au, am keen to have a chat," interviewed on Wednesday, was offered the job on Thursday...started the following Monday.)
THE JOB:
- Journo
- Small newspaper (go ahead--google it--not online yet!)
- Involvement in every aspect of newspaper production, from finding the stories to writing, editing, formatting, advertising, photography, publishing, distribution..!
- (Can you imagine how much experience I would gain from above?)
- I asked about implementing an online version of the paper; he seemed keen for me to "give it a go." How cool of a "side project" would that be?
Tully, Queensland
- ...has a population of less than 3,000. And I thought Trenton, MI was small...
- Interestingly, the town is known as the site of numerous UFO sightings...talk about an unlimited supply of news!
- Not-so-fun fact: the town actually strives to be the wettest in Australia, citing 4,458 mm of rainfall in 2009. Babinda, Australia, proved wetter (but not better) with 4,831 mm. There goes my sunny summer days at the beach..
So now the question remains as to whether or not I'm going to take the job. One and one thing only prevents me from snatching this fantastic opportunity, and my loyal readers should already know, without question, what that one thing is..
YAMAHA. I can't leave my kids! Teaching on Saturday mornings is the highlight of my week; I still get a buzz when a bunch of 4 year olds look up at me with those adorable little eyes and belt out "DO, RE, MI!!" or when they very seriously study their keyboards for about five seconds before confidently and carefully play "fa" on my cue. I'm not ready to give up the look on my 3-year-olds' faces when I sing to them about white fluffy clouds in the bright blue sky, or the wonderment in their eyes when they look up at the ceiling to watch the fairies float above as the music "tings" along..not to mention the sheer joy they get from pounding on drums to the rhythm of marching millipedes or the proud parents that watch their kids absorb Camille Saint-Saens' Carnival of the Animals, listening intently to the double bass belt out the sounds of an elephant.
I can't have any of that in Tully. What I can have, however, is the opportunity of a lifetime to gain all the experience I could dream of having as a journalist. I could take this job essentially any direction I wanted, whether it be in the writing, editing, production or online side of things. The potential to help develop technology in a town that apparently lacks it is quite exciting for me, in particular. Plus, it's a new town: new faces, new places, new beaches, new things to explore, new things to do, new things to see and new adventures to be had. Change is good, right?
Then again, my teaching career isn't too shabby, either. Not only are my two current classes for next term filled up already (everyone re-enrolled) but I have two NEW classes that are filled to capacity as well! (One more Junior Music and one more Music Wonderland.) Whether it be word-of-mouth from the parents or clever online marketing on behalf of Yamha corporate--one thing is clear: more teaching would bring more happiness to Miss Mariah, to be sure.
Then again, I DID just spend $20G (ok, so I owe $20G in student loans) on a masters in Journo and Communications at a top-notch uni in Australia. If I turn down this opportunity on behalf of my music--a skill I've had since the age of 5--would that be a waste of money, a waste of time, and a waste of the past year of my life?
I think not. I know not, in fact. Because if I hadn't stayed in Australia to pursue my masters, I never would have applied for the Yamaha Job. Who knows if there were such jobs available in the states? I'm a firm believer that I am where I am today because the places I've been, the people I've met, and the decisions (good AND bad) that I've made. And if it's taken me thousands of dollars, a lot of confusion, 3 home addresses in 4 months and relocation to a country half way around the world from where I was born and raised..so be it. So what if I've taken huge leaps, giant falls and somehow managed to circle my way around right back to where I started (music)? Life's about the journey, anyway. Right?
When I started writing this entry, I wasn't entirely sure what I was going to do. Now, however, I'm pretty certain that my mind is made up.
"Tiny ants are marching, 1, 2, 3..."
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