I had lunch with two of my colleagues yesterday.  Our conversation turned to life after education because yes, there will be a day when we all make the decision to leave the profession either through retirement or to pursue another career path.

As we were talking, I shared that I’m going to be enrolling in the New York Institute of Photography very soon.  Wow, to have those words roll off my tongue … it was an amazing feeling!

Even more amazing was to see a package sitting on our dining table that I had been impatiently eagerly waiting for.  It is my first published work as a photographer.  I was so excited to see the end result!  I stood beside the dining table, admiring my work, tears forming.  I loved it!  Hub’s my harshest most honest critic and so I waited for him to wake up so I could show him.  He was pleased.  Oh glorious joy!

Mum & Da, don’t worry … you’re getting a copy very soon and I can’t WAIT to see your reaction! 🙂

Hub & I went to the camera store last weekend because I had some questions I needed answers to.  Basically, I couldn’t figure out how to change either the f/stop or shutter speed when I had the camera in manual mode.  I explained to the salesclerk that I want to learn how to shoot in the manual settings but wasn’t sure how to change the settings by myself.  I also shared that the manual that came with the camera wasn’t making any sense to me and I needed a person to show me how to do it.  I felt silly, but I did manage to ask all of my questions.  She was very helpful and, I think, pleased that I’m not just another person with an expensive camera that only uses it to point-and-shoot.

What do I want to do when it’s time to leave my current profession?

I think you already know.