career decisions

I've come to a point where I need to make a decision that will change the course of things from here on out. The dog walking & overnight pet sitting gigs keep coming my way by means of Bill and Jan. I almost have enough clients to say I have my own dog walking service. I've been hesitant to commit to something permanent, but the random gigs are giving me enough cash to stay afloat for now. If I take on just a few more clients, I'd make a decent living and might be able to pay off some bills, especially since I don't have to pay rent.

I had an in depth conversation with Cadrian yesterday about our photography careers. We both admitted that we aren't taking advantage of the tools we have right in front of us to become successful in our fields. The pet portrait business I've been working towards is okay for now, but I didn't go to The Academy of Art University to make a couple hundred dollars a week taking portraits of the family pet. I need to go bigger. I need to go where the commercial work is. I need to let the ad agencies know about me. Maybe I don't have a studio or all the best equipment right now. But I need to get myself out there. I have to connections and tools to make it happen, but I'm not making it happen!

So here's the dilemma- My heart lies in dog walking and the pet care industry, a very valid and lucrative profession here in San Francisco. If I commit to doing this, that means less time for photography, and traveling can be hard to do if people are relying on you to take out their dog. Maximum career advancement for my photography means lots of research, marketing, and traveling to LA or NY. The thought of this terrifies me...BUT this is what I went to 4.5 years of school for! This is why I paid to go to this school- NOT TO WALK DOGS!