How I Failed at my Dream Job

Share this with your friends!

Having a dream job would be ideal, especially when you know you can totally rock at it. That was my situation when I got out of high school over twelve years ago. I had a dream job on the side and I “rocked” at it. 

You might say what I did was more of a hobby but to me, it was a career path that I desperately wanted to take.

Background

During high school, a friend of mine wanted to start a band. He played guitar and I had a cornet that used to be my dad’s when he was younger. A cornet is a type of trumpet for those that don’t know. It just looks a little squished compared to a trumpet. I didn’t know how to play but over time I taught myself and took a few lessons from the local music shop.

We formed a Christian ska band called Send Out Scuds. These types of bands were really popular during the 90’s but kind of died off as time went on. A few are still going strong but it’s sad to say the scene is dwindling. I graduated in 2005, I guess we were trying to revive it a little.

We had a few other members join and cranked out a demo. It wasn’t great quality and the music was a bit mediocre but nonetheless, it was our first physical form of music we could sell/ handout at concerts. We were pumped!

As time went on we gained popularity locally and in the Tampa, FL area (2-hour drive). Members came and went but I still stuck with it in hopes we would soon take off.

One of the members is now my husband. When he joined the group we had no interest in each other like that, we were just friends. That’s another story for another post.

Commitment

During that time I decided to take on a lot of responsibility in the band. I took on booking shows, promoting on good old Myspace and later joining the Twitter realm. Facebook emerged and gained popularity so I soon took on that task. I even coordinated T-Shirt designs with our graphic designer and managed the finances. If you think about it I was a manager for my own business. We were later signed to a record label but were unable to put out an album on them. Over time that relationship ended.

So you can see my level of dedication. I wanted to make sure there were plenty of opportunities for exposure. This was going to be my meal ticket down the road so I was certain I was going to make this work.

Lack of commitment from others

If you know anything about ska bands you notice that the majority of them have a ton of members. They aren’t your simple three piece punk band. We usually averaged about 5-7 members during our hype. At one point we had 9 members. Yikes! That was a lot to manage. It was hard to actually get everyone on the same practice schedule. There had to be at least one member a week that wasn’t able to make it. Luckily it wasn’t my job to coordinate practice. I just had to make sure everyone could make it to shows.

Since there were so many members, many of them did not have any responsibilities. If they showed interest in helping out more I would delegate tasks and would hope they would follow through. Most of the time I would end up chasing them down to make them complete whatever it was they promised to do. There were a few good eggs I knew I could count on but it mostly ended up with me finishing whatever they did or didn’t start.

Getting tired

It was six years of this cycle. I pulled most of the weight management wise. For the most part, we all seemed to get along really well. As time went on peoples interest started to change or music preferences evolved. They either got burnt out playing all the time, wanted to play a different type of music, or life took over and better opportunities came forward.

For me, it was a little bit of everything. Especially the getting burnt out part. I took on so much and sometimes would kill myself to try to get everyone on the same page. Some people held the band in high regard and made it a priority and others seemed to only be in it for fun.

I get it. Some opportunities are better than playing music and living the gypsy life. I don’t blame anyone for wanting a change or getting tired of that lifestyle. People need consistency once in a while. This life of playing shows, touring, meeting new people, and trying to keep a good following got tiresome.

So one day we all sat down to try to figure out why we all felt like we were being pulled in different directions. A long story short, a number of us agreed to go our separate ways. One group (the group I was in) decided to keep the same genre of music and name going. The other decided to start a new project with different musical influence. No one was upset with the other, it just kind of needed to happen.

Towards the end

After a period of time, the group I stayed with tried to get everything up and going again. We auditioned new people and got new members. Things were back on track again! Full steam ahead!

A new fire was lit under my butt. I started getting motivated to try to keep this dream going.

Then life happened again and the same tiresome thoughts were going through everyone’s heads. People started disbanding and then new projects would start. The final project I was apart of was called The Shindig. It was fun! We had a good core group. Everyone got along and we were all pretty close.

Then life officially took over. Our drummer at the time was having a baby with his wife and we knew we would not get as many opportunities to practice or play shows. On top of that, I got an incredible job opportunity. The problem was that I would have to move out of state temporarily.

Unfortunately, we all ended the dream of playing music together. This doesn’t mean we stopped playing music only just as an organized group.

What I got out of it

Oh man! What I got out of this whole experience is definitely priceless!

I learned so much. Not only did I teach myself a challenging musical instrument but I learned management skills. I built a little network of friends, fans, and contacts that most of us all keep in touch with. We got to praise God, fellowship, and help lead people to Him in their time of need. It was truly enlightening!

You know how I mentioned one of the members is now my husband? If I had never persevered I probably would have never ended up with him. Well, that is a huge thing I got out it! Without Jeremy in my life, I have no clue where I would be right now. He is my support system and my rock. He’s the sweetest, funniest, and caring person I know. He is a humble man of God.

We have been married six years and finally have a beautiful baby boy. He is fantastic!

Looking back at all of my hard work and frustrations does make me miss having that life. I know that sounds a bit weird. It was a simpler time and I was younger with a lot of ambition. So failure was not an option, it drove me to work harder. Fast forward to now. I now know how to channel that ambition and dedication.

So you see how the dream job didn’t last? I may feel like I failed at my dream job when it was falling apart but I really didn’t. I accomplished so much and I am better for it! You live and you learn.

The following two tabs change content below.

• Bio
• Latest Posts

Kim Calderon

Kim is a wife and a stay at home mom who loves spending time with her little boy. She likes managing her home and seeking out ways to improve her way of living.

Latest posts by Kim Calderon (see all)

• 10 Things to Get Rid of in Your Home - February 10, 2021
• How to Save $1000 Living Paycheck to Paycheck - March 11, 2020
• Need Help Shopping for Healthy Dinner Recipes? - March 7, 2019