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This was really great. Very well written story.

The fact that he was able to re-invent himself so many times is a testament to human will and adaptability. I'd wager his violin training in some way prepared him for "what it takes" to change careers, or to excel at a new endeavor.

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And wouldn't it be wonderful if those he sought employment with made that very simple, obvious calculation you just made? The article doesn't go into his years at the hotel and how he may have tried other things first before accepting that job- but getting perhaps turned away because of his non traditional background. I suppose we can look at it as his resilience as his ultimate triumph, but he seems to have been partially crushed by it. I feel for him. I do wish and hope that parents of kids who think they want to be pro musicians read his story correctly. It would probably make him feel good to rescue a life from what he endured. And I also hope that someone who is in charge of tech hiring at a company reads this story right, and one day makes the same calculation you did about a person from a non trad but highly rigorous educational background.

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