Just some more thoughts, Lynn:

You've gotten some wonderful, practical advice, along with some "go for it" encouragement. The two sides of the coin. I'm wondering what the "fraction of your salary" is. Fractions can be anywhere from 1/10th to 6 or 7/10ths. Having retired a couple of years ago, I must say that the pension I have makes all the difference in the world. My wife and I couldn't live on our social security without government health, and we have retired to a less expensive area. The hard thing to think about when you plan for retirement (if you plan) is that old "fixed income" thing you hear about. Social security has a built in "cost of living" increase, but your cost of living may grow faster than the national average. I know people who are retired who have stopped taking medication because they can't afford it, and have run into serious medical problems. My two friends in the Gospel Messengers who are "retired" and HAVE a pension are still working. Joe is 77 and Frank is 76.

I think the advice to take a hard look at your basic expenses, and what you can realistically count on bringing in free-lancing is very good. Most of the musicians I know who've tried to make a living out of music have some steady income, either through giving lessons, or having a job like your Choir Director one. I have three Mudcat friends who have all made a career change in the last six months and they are all happy with it. None of them are relying on music completely for their income, and all have at least a part-time steady job with an income they can count on. That's probably the best short and long-term solution.

Is there any "fail-safe" position you can take... can you try it on your own for a year, as someone suggested, without throwing away your pension at school? That would be a more risk-free approach.

Jerry