Choosing Not to Look for a 'Real' Job
Most people think my 21-year-old daughter is unemployed, but she’s not. She’s a..
Full-time writer, blogger, and musician. So far unpaid… And so far completely undaunted by this fact.
I love Imogen’s description of herself. I found it on her blog, Write.Rewrite.Read:
Full time musician? Yes, Imogen is recording songs and making music videos. She’s not getting paid for this work, but that’s a minor inconvenience, at least for the moment.
The other day, Imogen suddenly said, “I love my work!”
I know how she feels. I love what I do too. “Just imagine if you could get paid for doing what you love,” I replied.
“I’d have the best job in the world.”
Doing what you love and getting paid for it? Is that an unrealistic expectation? Some people say their work is only a means to earn money. This money allows them to spend their spare time doing the things they really love. But there must be others, like Imogen, who are content to earn less as they continue to pursue their passions.
“How are you going to survive while you work towards your dream?” I ask.
“Frugally,” replies Imogen with a smile.
Yes, my daughter seems undaunted by the fact she earns very little money at the moment.
Not everyone understands what Imogen is trying to do. “Has Imogen found a job yet?” people ask.
I answer indirectly: “She’s keeping busy.”
“It must be difficult being unemployed.”
No, it’s wonderful. She’s enjoying every single minute.
So Imogen is following her dream. She has chosen not to look for a ‘real’ job. Instead, she’s working hard in the hope that one day she will have the best job in the world. And as a parent, I’m choosing to keep trusting and encouraging and helping her.
The unschooling adventure continues!
I hope you’ll listen to Imogen’s latest video: Hallelujah. She’s monetised it. If you watch the ad at the beginning, she’ll earn a few cents, and you’ll be supporting an unschooling online musician who one day hopes to have financial success! (Subscribing to her Youtube channel would encourage Imogen as well.)
And here’s the post video shoot interview. The audio isn’t as good as I was hoping because someone close by was using a chainsaw, and it was impossible to remove this sound without affecting the rest of the audio. Although the buzz might be a bit annoying, it’s still possible to hear everything we said.
We chatted about the difficulties of filming in front of an unexpected audience, the various roles: who does what when filming, Imogen’s next song, and lots of other things. We had a lot of fun recording this interview!
If you’d like to hear more about Imogen’s plans and dreams, you could listen to my podcast episode 62: Young Adult Unschoolers, Dreams, Love, and Marriage.
So what do you think? Are you hoping your unschoolers will step into secure jobs? Or are you willing to keep trusting and help them if they want to continue to follow their dreams? If you’ve already done this, I’d love to hear your story.
Update
Although Imogen is still singing, she has put her musical dream on hold while she pursues her other big passion: writing. In 2018, Imogen published her first YA fantasy novel, The Crystal Tree. She will be publishing the sequel, The Shattering Song, very soon! (Hopefully before Christmas 2019) Why not keep up to date with what Imogen is doing by subscribing to her blog or following her on Instagram?