Career Crossroads

Read all of my Seattle Times columns.

How do you walk away from something you’ve spent your entire life preparing for?

A beloved coaching client is a professional musician. He’s played since he was 3 years old, studied music in college, worked in orchestras his entire adult life. He has $80,000 worth of instruments in his music room.

Several years ago he earned a (nonmusical) professional degree and discovered another career that he loves.

For a long time, he balanced both careers: professional job during the day, long drive to rehearsals at night, performances on the weekends and vacation days. He was tired.

And then he and his wife began talking about starting a family.

“This isn’t going to work,” he told me. “I can’t add a baby on top of all of this. I feel sick about this.”

He was at a career crossroads. Here’s how he navigated that excruciating decision:
(Read the rest of the story at The Seattle Times.)