Where Are Your Talents Taking You?

Recently I was looking at some research about The Julliard School. For those that are not familiar, the Julliard School is one of the world's premier conservatories and is celebrating its 100th anniversary this year. Some of the great musicians of our time have graduated from this school. In 1994 there were 44 instrumentalists that graduated that year. Two of the graduates are currently concertmasters with the Metropolitan opera. Others, such as Gwen Appel who played the clarinet at Julliard, is now a diamond grader and saleswomen for Tiffany Jewellers.

Here is what some of the Grads are doing now:
Software engineer
Music Therapist
Insurance Underwriter
Network Engineer
Fitness trainer
Art Museum bookkeeper

Nora McInery who graduated as a violinist is now in PR with Time-Warner Inc. she said "there were a lot of hours, a lot of sacrifice to get where I was, at a certain point you have to decide is this what I want?" What many have learned over the past 10 years is that it takes more than talent to be successful.

For many such as Nora and Gwen, understanding this has been part of their journey towards a different life than they expected, both still play, but only as amateurs. Some of the graduates have moved beyond their identity as a musician, while others have had a difficult time in transition and have struggled with letting themselves evolve.

Julliard's president quoted about the research said "They come in as 18yrs olds, talented and focused, but at the same time they are becoming you adults and finding themselves in ways that may not have anything to do with music" "We provide the tools and the experience, however there are no guarantees"

No matter how talented you are there are many issues that come with the career journey. It is important to constantly allow yourself to evolve and grow both personally and professionally. If you are unsure of what your talents are, consider taking steps to uncover them-you never know what they might lead to!