This Monday afternoon I will attend the first day of orientation at Flashpoint Academy. It's a trade school for students interested in Film, Animation, Recording arts, Video Game development, and Broadcast media. I'm going to be a Recording Arts student. It is my hope to one day become a sound designer for film and/or video games.  Eventually, I'll be taking some lessons in music composition as I would love to be able to improve my skills as an amateur composer.

Recently I left graduate school to start over and pursue something that has always been dear to my heart. I love music. I love playing the piano (when I was actually good). I love soundtracks. I have always envied the guys that have worked on film to record symphony orchestras. I thought it would be best to pursue a career in medicine in order to be secure. But after struggling with the clinical experience for so long, it was quite clear that I was neither going to be happy nor successful as a physician. Of course, that's assuming I would have made it out alive as a medical student.  Since pursuing the wrong career since 1996, I have gained 100 lbs, my brain had been wracked with depression. I found my self-confidence had been whittled away to absolutely nothing. I felt trapped with a huge burden of financial debt on my shoulders.  But as significant as the debt is, I did not spend my days thinking about it. Instead, I found myself feeling quite lethargic and hopeless. It was a struggle to keep my spirits up everyday. 

One day I asked myself, if I died to natural or unnatural causes, did I die knowing that I was doing something that I loved?  That question had shed a new light on my problem. Suddenly I was no longer trapped and spinning my wheels in a school that was destined to fail me.  I realized that not being a doctor is not the end of the world! Who knew?!   Upon realizing the simple notion that I did not HAVE to become a doctor, I became completely relieved. I committed myself to passing all my coursework to date ( that's the short story... the long story is pretty pathetic but in the end I regained control of my life and was finally able to leave school on my terms which had to be on good academic standing).  I was reminded by Smeagol's elation when he separated himself from his evil persona, Gollum in The Two Towers. Joyfully, I hopped around my bedroom saying, "I don't have to be a doctor!" . I was no longer a prisoner to a profession I could not master.   Then I asked myself, "How cool would it be if I was actually a composer or a sound designer, or music editor, or sound editor, or a foley artist?"  That's when I started researching other schools.  Well, first I researched Salaries of those guys and it varies widely. My goal is to someday break a 100k a year. But I'll probably earn half that if I'm lucky when I graduate.  I didnt want to get too bogged down in earning potential. I was comfortable with the possibility of making a good living in the end. 

Since I am married with no kids. My options are somewhat limited to Chicago. My wife loves her job and I love Chicago. Flashpoint Academy had just finished its first year since its inception.  I took two tours of the school back in January of 2008. One by myself and once again with my wife. We were both thoroughly impressed with the facilities and the students. It took a while to convince my parents to help support my mid-life crisis.  With God's blessing, they came around and helped. My mother is a nurse and told me a few days ago about a conversation with a doctor she works with. He told her that if he had the opportunity to do it all over again, he would not have become a physician knowing what he knows now.  The money is barely decent enough to justify the amount of work. It clearly takes not only a very skilled and talented human being to thrive in medicine but a very patient person willing to sacrifice a lot for his profession.  I consider myself a patient fella and I've certainly sacrificed a lot to try to become a doctor.... but skill and talent.. hmmm... that's debatable.

Who knows, I may not even be talented enough to become a successful sound designer/editor/composer... etc. But at least I have the passion for that stuff which is something I never really had in medicine.  It is my hope to become an outstanding student and not just a good one.  This is my one and only chance in pursuing a dream.  I will try to keep this blog updated with my adventures at Flashpoint Academy so that one day I can look back and see how far I have progressed. (see... already thinking positive!)