Welcome to the second installment of how I learned that dreams are worth fighting for.

We left off yesterday in January 2008, when I was suddenly made a part-time, weekend radio DJ.

I was absolutely ecstatic.  My dream was coming true, and it was happening faster that I ever thought it would.  Surely, at this rate, I would be a full-time DJ by the time I graduated college, right?  ...Right?

Wrong.

Alas, there was not a full-time job waiting for me when I graduated from CSU in May 2008 (in retrospect, I can't help but look back and think "well, duh Drew").  So, while I continued happily working as a radio DJ on the weekends, I needed to find another job to pay the bills.

Luckily, I was hired by a retail store in July, less than two months after I graduated.  Not too shabby.  At least I wouldn't have to worry about how I was going to pay the rent.  Plus, at the rate things had progressed at the radio station in the past, I probably wouldn't have to work in retail for more than six months or so...RIGHT?

Wrong again, Drew.

Six months turned into 12, 12 turned into 24, and still there was no indication that I might get promoted from part-time to full-time DJ.  My retail job was getting more and more stressful, and I was getting more and more depressed.

Was it not meant to be?  Am I just not cut out to be a radio DJ?  Has everything I've been so sure about for so long...been wrong?  These questions, constantly circling around in my head, brought me to an emotional low I'd never experienced before.

I knew I didn't want to quit my part-time DJ job, but I started letting my mind wander to other possibilities.  What could I do with my life that would be just as fulfilling?  What other career path could I choose that would at least provide some job security?

I had long talks with my family and friends, and ultimately settled on something plausible.

Teaching.

My mother and my wife are both exceptional teachers, who love doing what they do. And my research showed that not only are teachers almost always in high demand, but the pay isn't terrible either.  So, maybe I could make that work, I suppose...

I went back to CSU.  I enrolled in the teaching program, met with academic advisors, and started taking classes.  Luckily, my (future) wife and I were in a class together; so that provided me with some comfort in the face of...y'know...

...giving up on my dream.

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