"Two road diverged in a yellow wood, and I..."
I enjoy that quote from Robert Frost. I use it a lot. Here is the full quote from his poem:
"Two roads diverged in a yellow wood, and I...I took the one less traveled by and that has made all the difference."
It's a beautiful poem and a great quote. Very profound. So why didn't I finish it in my subject? Because I'm not sure what I'm ready to do.
I feel like I'm stuck on the road of life. But I'm not really complaining. I enjoy my job more than any I've ever had, I have a safe and secure apartment to come home to, and I have wonderful friends who will always be there to support me.
Lately, there has been a lot of concern from us seasonal folk about being capped at the end of the holiday season. (For those of you who don't know, "capping" is when the company puts a hold on the number of hours seasonal/part-time cast members can work. 24.9 hours, no more.) The capping isn't supposed to last long, but we know a girl who has been capped for months. So, needless to say, there is a bit of concern that if any of us get capped that we will be capped for months on end.
On our salary, before taxes, that's just under $225, assuming we'd be lucky enough to get that many hours. Times four paychecks a month, $900, before taxes. And from that comes rent, utilities, food, gas, student loans, and anything else in the mean time. And I'm well aware how lucky I am that I don't have to worry about paying for my insurance or my car. Could I live on that? Probably, with some effort. But for how long?
The obvious answer to that problem is to get a second job. The long and the short is that I'm nervous about looking into a second job. My work history is limited to retail and a few day care centers/summer camps. I'm not ready to try to be a seating hostess/waitress. I wouldn't know where to start looking. And even if I wanted to transfer inside the company, I wouldn't be able to until late January.
At this bend in the road, I start thinking back to grad school. I really do want to study Drama and Theatre for Youth. I've found a couple of programs around the U.S. that offer that MFA and one that even offers a PhD. A few offer Theatre Education. I don't know the difference between the two, but I like the idea of focusing on youth. I called my college professor for education the other day and told her about the program. Her first reaction was "Oh, my goodness, Nikki! That's perfect for you." And I couldn't agree more.
My problem is that looking into grad schools means moving again. I've already gone from home to college, college back home, and now from home to Florida. And, frankly, I think that half the reason it was easier for me to move than I thought was because of the emotional trauma I was dealing with. My personal life was hanging by a thread in a few cases and Disney had always been like a home to me. Moving to the castle and next door to Mickey was like going home. Yes, I miss my family and the few Ohio friends I have like crazy. But most of my Ohio friends and now spread throughout the state and, in some cases, the country.
I'm not saying that in order to go to grad school I'd have to be on that same personal low. I just don't want to leave the friends I have down here. Some of them have already left the company, some have moved back home, some are finishing school. I really miss the ones who have left already. Laura is doing her wedding planner school online. I don't think I'd like to do grad school online. I don't even know if that's an option. Right now, all I know is I need a GRE score.
I can't decide what to do...how to move forward. I don't want to leave Disney...or my friends.
...I think I want to look into the grad schools further...but I'm scared.
I think I need some help.
"Two roads diverged in a yellow wood, and I...I took the one less traveled by and that has made all the difference."
It's a beautiful poem and a great quote. Very profound. So why didn't I finish it in my subject? Because I'm not sure what I'm ready to do.
I feel like I'm stuck on the road of life. But I'm not really complaining. I enjoy my job more than any I've ever had, I have a safe and secure apartment to come home to, and I have wonderful friends who will always be there to support me.
Lately, there has been a lot of concern from us seasonal folk about being capped at the end of the holiday season. (For those of you who don't know, "capping" is when the company puts a hold on the number of hours seasonal/part-time cast members can work. 24.9 hours, no more.) The capping isn't supposed to last long, but we know a girl who has been capped for months. So, needless to say, there is a bit of concern that if any of us get capped that we will be capped for months on end.
On our salary, before taxes, that's just under $225, assuming we'd be lucky enough to get that many hours. Times four paychecks a month, $900, before taxes. And from that comes rent, utilities, food, gas, student loans, and anything else in the mean time. And I'm well aware how lucky I am that I don't have to worry about paying for my insurance or my car. Could I live on that? Probably, with some effort. But for how long?
The obvious answer to that problem is to get a second job. The long and the short is that I'm nervous about looking into a second job. My work history is limited to retail and a few day care centers/summer camps. I'm not ready to try to be a seating hostess/waitress. I wouldn't know where to start looking. And even if I wanted to transfer inside the company, I wouldn't be able to until late January.
At this bend in the road, I start thinking back to grad school. I really do want to study Drama and Theatre for Youth. I've found a couple of programs around the U.S. that offer that MFA and one that even offers a PhD. A few offer Theatre Education. I don't know the difference between the two, but I like the idea of focusing on youth. I called my college professor for education the other day and told her about the program. Her first reaction was "Oh, my goodness, Nikki! That's perfect for you." And I couldn't agree more.
My problem is that looking into grad schools means moving again. I've already gone from home to college, college back home, and now from home to Florida. And, frankly, I think that half the reason it was easier for me to move than I thought was because of the emotional trauma I was dealing with. My personal life was hanging by a thread in a few cases and Disney had always been like a home to me. Moving to the castle and next door to Mickey was like going home. Yes, I miss my family and the few Ohio friends I have like crazy. But most of my Ohio friends and now spread throughout the state and, in some cases, the country.
I'm not saying that in order to go to grad school I'd have to be on that same personal low. I just don't want to leave the friends I have down here. Some of them have already left the company, some have moved back home, some are finishing school. I really miss the ones who have left already. Laura is doing her wedding planner school online. I don't think I'd like to do grad school online. I don't even know if that's an option. Right now, all I know is I need a GRE score.
I can't decide what to do...how to move forward. I don't want to leave Disney...or my friends.
...I think I want to look into the grad schools further...but I'm scared.
I think I need some help.