Conflicted?
I don't know yet how to make an undercut link, bear the legnth.
To stay in Ottawa or to leave...
The answer seems obvious, stay. Too much awesomeness going on.
The answer seems obvious, go! It would be fun to live in Japan and the timing is good and the money is good...
Any day now I'm expecting an acceptance with Mark into the JET program to teach english together in rural Japan, starting in July.
Three things are keeping me here:
1) Recently I was offered an apprentiship position in the IATSE union (International [North American] Association of Theatrical and Stage Employees). It is difficult to get into! It would also guarantee casual part-time work in any major city in NA for the rest of my life, and more opportunities to work full-time in theater in the future. But to graduate to permanency from apprentice, I have to build 5000 hours, (or 2500 in a full time position), equivalent to almost another year's stay at the GCTC.
Working in theater is fun but not very challenging, and does not pay well where I am. If I stick it out and get the card, casual theater gigs at other theaters pay more ($25-$80/hour), so the IATSE card still has it's appeal.
Staying at the GCTC means that I take on an additional ~8K in debt, because I'll be taking cash advances every month to cover loans already in repayment. If I find a proper career job, or even just take the Japan gig, I'd be able to cover living and debt expences because my take home pay would easily go up 50-100%. I wouldn't be relying on freelance.
2) I can still have the semblance of an industrial design career outside of Japan. I can freelance. I can potentially look for good design jobs while working at the theater. I'm applying to MEC today, they're hiring in Vancouver, and another design house is hiring internationally for a position in Stockholm. There is also a design house in Ottawa I'm dying to work for, and I have enough connections for an introduction, but the chances of them hiring in a small house with at least three permanent and happy staff, during a recession, are slim to none I figure.
3) Sam is a product I've designed that I want to take to market. I have yet to find any solid reason why the business plan wouldn't succeed, and I've already put two years and $5K into it of my own time/money. It may make millions of dollars easily if it works and is managed well, and the government has thrown a bunch of money into small business development which I am eligible for. It would still cost me $2-5K to finish developing, all of which is further debt on my personal accounts and another year or two of unpaid time. New business development is notoriously difficult. Even though I'm only looking to licence the product for manufacturing and distribution instead of doing these things myself, there is a good chance that I will just loose the money and gain only the experience of running a failed attempt. Working on this is certainly challenging, because of the uncertainty involved and my own inexperience. I'd rather have my evenings off to freelance or watch movies with Mark, except that it might be awesome.
(On a side note, something else I've been considering lately is going bankrupt sometime. I'm still carrying school debt, business debt, and debt from being unemployed for 9 months with a bad roommate. It would take just as long to 'recover' from bankruptcy as it would to repay the debts (about 6-7 years), but it would prevent me from running a business for 6-7 years of recovery.)
*Reasons to move to Japan:
- 'Sam' costs money anyway and will likely fail.
- Aikido can wait until I get back
- I will pay down debts instead of racking them up
- there is a good chance of finding someone for the apartment right now for the one year
- I may never use an IATSE card anyways
- My job doesn't cover my debt repayment 'cause it's in the arts
- good cultural exposure as a designer
- I might LOVE IT
- I could stay for up to 5 years if I like it and it pays well
*Reasons not to move to Japan:
- the IATSE card - permanent work opportunities, and easier access to theater work generally, for as long as I keep my union fees up to date (for all time)
- Finishing Sam - one more year and I can start leasing the design or abandon it in good faith
- the Amazing Apartment - almost everything I ever wanted. here. now.
- Aikido practice, good heath, ninja-like skillz, almost at next belt
- keeping the cats socialized and in a good cat space
- if I quit my job, I probably wont get it back, and potentially have no job at all upon returning from Japan
- Japan will still be there if I wait. I can even reapply in two years for the same program
- I don't know if Mark would go with me or not, as he has two federal job interviews coming up
- Japan is struggling painfully, economically and people may be in a less friendly mood?
At the moment my plan is to stay in Ottawa, work at the theater, keep freelancing as much as possible and look for great design jobs all over, applying for every one. If I get the perfect job, I win! And I can build IATSE hours in the meantime.
(My good friends Ed and Laura are getting married in Vancouver in July, I want to go, but the cost of the trip is hard to justify presently. I'm sick of having an indecent salary.)
I'm open to anyone's thinking about the situation.
To stay in Ottawa or to leave...
The answer seems obvious, stay. Too much awesomeness going on.
The answer seems obvious, go! It would be fun to live in Japan and the timing is good and the money is good...
Any day now I'm expecting an acceptance with Mark into the JET program to teach english together in rural Japan, starting in July.
Three things are keeping me here:
1) Recently I was offered an apprentiship position in the IATSE union (International [North American] Association of Theatrical and Stage Employees). It is difficult to get into! It would also guarantee casual part-time work in any major city in NA for the rest of my life, and more opportunities to work full-time in theater in the future. But to graduate to permanency from apprentice, I have to build 5000 hours, (or 2500 in a full time position), equivalent to almost another year's stay at the GCTC.
Working in theater is fun but not very challenging, and does not pay well where I am. If I stick it out and get the card, casual theater gigs at other theaters pay more ($25-$80/hour), so the IATSE card still has it's appeal.
Staying at the GCTC means that I take on an additional ~8K in debt, because I'll be taking cash advances every month to cover loans already in repayment. If I find a proper career job, or even just take the Japan gig, I'd be able to cover living and debt expences because my take home pay would easily go up 50-100%. I wouldn't be relying on freelance.
2) I can still have the semblance of an industrial design career outside of Japan. I can freelance. I can potentially look for good design jobs while working at the theater. I'm applying to MEC today, they're hiring in Vancouver, and another design house is hiring internationally for a position in Stockholm. There is also a design house in Ottawa I'm dying to work for, and I have enough connections for an introduction, but the chances of them hiring in a small house with at least three permanent and happy staff, during a recession, are slim to none I figure.
3) Sam is a product I've designed that I want to take to market. I have yet to find any solid reason why the business plan wouldn't succeed, and I've already put two years and $5K into it of my own time/money. It may make millions of dollars easily if it works and is managed well, and the government has thrown a bunch of money into small business development which I am eligible for. It would still cost me $2-5K to finish developing, all of which is further debt on my personal accounts and another year or two of unpaid time. New business development is notoriously difficult. Even though I'm only looking to licence the product for manufacturing and distribution instead of doing these things myself, there is a good chance that I will just loose the money and gain only the experience of running a failed attempt. Working on this is certainly challenging, because of the uncertainty involved and my own inexperience. I'd rather have my evenings off to freelance or watch movies with Mark, except that it might be awesome.
(On a side note, something else I've been considering lately is going bankrupt sometime. I'm still carrying school debt, business debt, and debt from being unemployed for 9 months with a bad roommate. It would take just as long to 'recover' from bankruptcy as it would to repay the debts (about 6-7 years), but it would prevent me from running a business for 6-7 years of recovery.)
*Reasons to move to Japan:
- 'Sam' costs money anyway and will likely fail.
- Aikido can wait until I get back
- I will pay down debts instead of racking them up
- there is a good chance of finding someone for the apartment right now for the one year
- I may never use an IATSE card anyways
- My job doesn't cover my debt repayment 'cause it's in the arts
- good cultural exposure as a designer
- I might LOVE IT
- I could stay for up to 5 years if I like it and it pays well
*Reasons not to move to Japan:
- the IATSE card - permanent work opportunities, and easier access to theater work generally, for as long as I keep my union fees up to date (for all time)
- Finishing Sam - one more year and I can start leasing the design or abandon it in good faith
- the Amazing Apartment - almost everything I ever wanted. here. now.
- Aikido practice, good heath, ninja-like skillz, almost at next belt
- keeping the cats socialized and in a good cat space
- if I quit my job, I probably wont get it back, and potentially have no job at all upon returning from Japan
- Japan will still be there if I wait. I can even reapply in two years for the same program
- I don't know if Mark would go with me or not, as he has two federal job interviews coming up
- Japan is struggling painfully, economically and people may be in a less friendly mood?
At the moment my plan is to stay in Ottawa, work at the theater, keep freelancing as much as possible and look for great design jobs all over, applying for every one. If I get the perfect job, I win! And I can build IATSE hours in the meantime.
(My good friends Ed and Laura are getting married in Vancouver in July, I want to go, but the cost of the trip is hard to justify presently. I'm sick of having an indecent salary.)
I'm open to anyone's thinking about the situation.