Last week I turned down two gigs totaling over $2,000 in fees, which pretty much broke my heart. At a lot of schools, that would be 70 to 100 hours of studio accompanying. However, taking the gigs would require clearing my calendar of prior commitments, which I consider to be unprofessional. Risk-averse as I am, I prefer to fill my calendar with steady gigs that provide a reliable trickle of income instead of hoping for get-rich-quick opportunities.

Am I crazy to turn down higher-paying work when I have scheduling conflicts?