Detour Footnote

Perhaps my post about leaving New York was sorta vague. I had this great idea in my head how coming to New York was like a detour, something that had to be done because the direct route wasn't an option, but the words in my head didn't quite come out the way I wanted them to when I started typing. I'm not quite sure the idea and symbolim of a Detour came across. So now I'll elaborate on why I'm ready to leave New York.

When I came to New York I had these grand ideas of working in the film/movie/tv industry. I didn't really know what I wanted to do, just that I loved movies. And this was my basic problem, and something I came to realize while I was in New York. Yes, I love movies; I love learning about them, talking about them, and experiencing them. But I do not love making them, or having them be a commercial and business property when to me it's just art and entertainment. I knew that working in entertainment was not for me.

But what was I going to do instead? For a long time, probably since around last July, I knew I needed to do something to take my life and career in a different direction and to feel like I was progressing forward. Education seemed like the best route to take. I almost started an MBA program in Pennsylvania, but it just didn't seem like the right choice, and was made more out of a desperate need for something to happen than a logical choice.

What I needed to figure out was what I was passionate about, what could I do for a career and feel good about. It was no longer film and business just seemed like the wrong choice for me. This is when I realized I was interested in recycling, public transportation, city infrastructures, all things I became fascinated about because of living in New York.

I've been researching Graduate programs in City and Urban Planning, and if I had been a person more on the ball, and not distracted by things like Sundance and Tribeca, I could be starting school this fall. But all of those things happened for a reason, and I can now take my time and really do some research to pick the right school.

There are many reasons why it's better for me to be in Salt Lake rather than New York to make this transition, like not having to pay through the roof for rent while trying to save for grad school, being a less competitive environment with less people so I can get some experience in the field, Salt Lake has more room for growth while the MTA here in the city is facing huge deficits and raising costs of Metrocards, and the couple of contacts that I have in Salt Lake. And, most of all, it just feels right.