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New Year, New Plans

This fall was a respite of sorts from academia while I concentrated on writing and considered my path ahead. For the last few months, I've been working on a mix of screen and stage projects, while also collaborating on some creative writing projects.

As December ends, I'm returning to both academia and corporate life, which will reduce my creative output significantly for at least 2016. I'll be completing my MFA (master of fine arts), something I started before my doctoral studies. If I complete the program, I'll have an MFA in Film and Digital Technologies, which will complement my interest in screenwriting and "transmedia" theatrical productions. At the same time, I'll be doing some corporate consulting to pay for classes and some home renovation projects.

My consulting work will be as an ADA compliance expert for Web, application, and new media content. This work aligns wonderfully with my doctoral research and my dissertation. Working on projects that help people with special needs will be rewarding. I have done a great deal of speaking and consulting on ADA issues, and educational accommodations, but this new assignment will be particularly challenging because of the nature of my client.

These two parallel paths should let me pursue teaching again by 2017, along with creative writing in all its forms. Ideally, I [finally] will be able to pursue teaching within "Digital Humanities" or "Media Rhetoric" instead of composition. (I love teaching almost anything, but I am not at home within the "college composition" community.) Plus, working on ADA compliance will exercise my Web and development skills, something many colleges will appreciate.

And so, as 2015 comes to a close, I am reminded that plans keep changing for some of us. I have friends, and a wife, who have spent years working for a single employer. I envy that stability. Ideally, 2016 leads to that sort of long-term stability for me in the years ahead.

Even if I end up freelancing and teaching as an adjunct after 2016, at least I should be working in the fields and on the projects I enjoy.

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