How much are you willing to sacrifice for your art?

One thing I have been struggling with during my job hunt is whether to continue trying to find arts and culture journalism jobs, pursue hard news reporting, or apply for jobs in my other area of interest and major - marketing.

I recently read a blog post on the site MetalSucks.net, in which Eyal Levi (guitarist of Daath), asked readers, what they thought sacrifice really means and the lines people draw when deciding what to sacrifice for their careers (he takes the angle of struggling musicians / artists, but really could apply to any job with long hours, lower pay than desired, etc.) It really is worth a look.

It started to make me think about my goals as I prepare to embark on an important part of my life in settling down at a career (I know, your first job isn't your last, but I still like to believe in a thing called loyalty and sticking with a job for awhile). I went into college with the dream of writing for a music magazine, so I signed up as a journalism major, took several classes, and wondered if the stressful life of a journalist was for me. I then added a second major in marketing as a back-up plan.

Later I took a class with an inspiring professor by the name of Don McLeese, who has written for The Chicago Sun Times and Rolling Stone, among other publications. He pushed me to believe in my writing ability and motivated me to apply at the campus newspaper, The Daily Iowan. At the paper I made a lot of new arts-loving friends, improved my writing technique, and even worked my way up to editor of the section in one year. It was both stressful and rewarding, but rarely boring.

I also had some amazing marketing professors, who encouraged my writing, in addition to helping me develop my public speaking skills. I really enjoyed most of the marketing classes I took and began to see it as another very plausible career choice for me.

So now, I am in a position where I am balancing applying for jobs in both fields. Part of me feels like doing anything but writing would be like selling out. But another part of me likes the idea of using my talents to work for a marketing firm (or for a music label / magazine / innovative company).

While times are confusing, I feel I have the ability, personality, and motivation to land a job in this tough economy and no matter whether it is in journalism or marketing, I will accomplish work I can be proud of.