I have been struggling with this question for a while now, and decided to put it on this board to hear your comments / thoughts on the issue. This is probably something that many of you are asking yourselves – especially on the mature section of this board.

I am currently working at a job that I don’t like that much. I am in my early 30’s, and am trying to think about my future – that is, what will my situation be when I am in my early 40’s etc. I work most of the day just trying to make it in this company so that I have enough money to retire young (or ‘younger’ )

However, there are things that are constantly on my mind – things that I have wanted to do since I was very young. There are certain passions that I would like to pursue – or other activities that I loved doing early on in my life that might be more fulfilling. Now, I am not sure that they are my ‘passions’ or main goals in life, but I will probably enjoy them more than I enjoy my job.

Here is the dilemma: since the other routes that I would like to pursue are more ‘artistic’ than my current job – such as music art etc – I should not expect steady income from them for the time being. I can take them up on the side and allocate more time towards them, but I don’t know if that will lead me anywhere – in a professional sense.

For example – one of my hobbies is music. I have been playing music since I was a kid, and always thought that I will be a musician when I grew up. For personal reasons, I totally quit playing when I was in my 20’s and decided to keep playing as a hobby and to seek a professional career elsewhere. But every time I realize that I dislike my job, the music-bug creeps back and reminds me of what I always wanted to do with my life.

And one final note – you might all be asking what has all this got to do with dating? Well, every time that I connect to my artistic side, I change and get better with women and people overall. Maybe it’s because I project more happiness or maybe because I suddenly have a bigger ‘meaning’ in life etc. – or maybe just because girls like musicians …overall, I feel more like the man described all over these boards when I am pursuing my hobbies – especially music.

The main question that I have: do you guys think that it is possible to ‘make it’ in a big way by pursuing one of my passions? Even though, music for example, is usually a young man’s game? Bands start in their early 20’s and usually play for a while before making it. And many of you know that the older you get, the harder it is to succeed. Not to mention the fact that music is a risky business – success is never guaranteed and musicians usually end up broke.


Appreciate your comments / thoughts.

Zulu

It all depends on how creative you are and how much work you're willing to put into following your dream, NOT how much money you spend on it.

There's no reason why you can't keep your day job and work on your passion after hours. If your passion begins to lead you down a successful path, then you can quit your 5hit job.

Now, to eliminate some rumors:

Even though, music for example, is usually a young man’s game? Bands start in their early 20’s and usually play for a while before making it. And many of you know that the older you get, the harder it is to succeed.

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This is the biggest load of 5hit I hear come out of peoples' mouths. It's just an excuse to give up on yourself when you find that it's not easy.

I know a fella who's in his 80s and plays in a band. He's not mainstream popular, but he's well known around the city, plays for old folks, and makes some decent cash out of it. So don't tell me you're too goddam old, because I won't buy it.

Not to mention the fact that music is a risky business – success is never guaranteed and musicians usually end up broke.

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The ones who go broke are the ones who focussed their energy in the wrong place: spending money to make money. That's like dumping your entire bank account into a slot machine and pulling the lever.

Spend time and energy on your plan and passion instead of throwing money at it. A well played move will get you farther than money.

If you're going to spend money on ANYTHING, make sure you're guaranteed personal satisfaction from it (like new equipment).

Destinova - thanks for your response.

Desdinova said:

Spend time and energy on your plan and passion instead of throwing money at it. A well played move will get you farther than money.

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Very true, however there is something I want to clear up though - I am not worried about spending money on my hobbies - but more about the time spent. The more time I spend on my hobbies, the less time I will have to work at my current job (which as you can tell, is a 24/7 kind of job), meaning the less likely it will make me wealthy.

An obvious route (that I am actually considering) is to quit the current job, find a regular day-job and then do whatever I want in my spare time. However, a regular day-job will not guarantee that I will make enough $$$ down the road.

I always think of it this way:

If you were 80 years old, living in a ****ty apartment with $.02 to your name, but had played your music everday and brought it to lots of people. Would you be happy?

If you were 80 years old, living in a mansion with a $2,000,000 yacht but hadn't played your music for 50 years, would you be happy?

It's a question you need to ask yourself very seriously. A lot of us get 'the grass is greener' feeling in our jobs, wondering if we pursued our writing/acting/singing/whatever would we be happier.

Can you truly be happy if you failed miserably at your music career, knowing that at least you gave it your all? If you could, there is your answer. If not, keep it as a hobby and work long enough to grow your investments to a point where they can support your music.

You're a f*cking fool if you get into music with big money in mind. Trust me. I have experience and contacts in music that go pretty high.

What would you do if I told you I can get you a gig with a very well known national act? You'd be pretty excited, wouldn't you? Well guess what: it don't mean sh*t even if you did play the show. You wont walk away rich and popular. Already had a friend that did it and is still trying, and he's still living with 4 room mates and works sh*tty jobs. He's having a lot of fun and gets laid plenty, no doubt, but he's still living a rough financial life.

The only light in the tunnel he has to cling on to is the hope that some already established national/international act hires him into the band. That's how it usually works in the biz more often than not these days.

Pick up your favorite CD and ask yourself: Would these guys want me in the band? If the answer is "no", keep your day job.

LJC said:

You're a f*cking fool if you get into music with big money in mind. Trust me. I have experience and contacts in music that go pretty high.

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LJC: - I think you misunderstood me.

I have plenty of friends in the music biz and they are all worse off then I am - I know exactly what you mean. When I said 'make it big' in music, I didn't necessarily mean financial success - but just doing what I like and getting recognition for what I do.

The question boils down to - do something you love doing with slim chances of financial success or doing something that you dislike with higher probability of financial success.

I think JC9 put it well - in fact, his post made it very simple, but more or less accurate.

i'm a musicain too djzulu and a dam good one at that! i'm in your situation.
everytime i've worked a job or gone to school, even in the middle of exams i've thought about rock n roll. unless i fail at a rock career, i can't move on with my life.

here's whats going to work for me. i've giving myself 5 years to pen a record deal and if i don't, i can finally move on with my life. i can finally put the guitar away for good. then i won't have excuses anymore.

but at least i'm going after something i love. i would rather fail at something then sit there and think what if.

oh yeah. money doesn't mean anything if your not smiling. do what makes you happy. there's millions of jobs out there. but music is something your born with and not everybody can do it. if you don't succeed at it, at least ya tried

Many musicians I know keep their day job but still have gigs they do once in a while. Life of a musician is very very harsh money-wise, so you should weigh that in. On the flipside are you that unhappy with your job routine?

I grew up playing the trumpet and when I was a teenager, myself and several friends of mine made our rounds in the local underground hip hop scene. To succeed in that, you have to pursue it like you do a full time job. One of my high school buddies has been pursuing the dream for over a decade. He's starting to bubble a little bit but he's far from seeing a financial payoff. I on the other hand earned a degree and I own my own condo and am comfortable money wise.

It's a tough decision, and it was a decision I had to make myself. I chose to get an education and a career and I don't regret that decision. Recently I found another passion that I can actually make good money at, so I'm pursuing it on my days off when I'm not at work.

If you do pursue the music thing, you have to go at it 100%, there's no other way. The risk is huge.

Couldn't help but add to the whole music thing here. Music has always been a big part of my life. I've played with bands, and have had extensive musical training when I was younger. I flirted briefly with the idea of actually trying to make a buck at it, but realized that wasn't the right path for me. There's way too many starving artists out there, and it's more fun as a hobby. Besides, there's plenty of easier ways to make a fortune.

For the past year I've been involved in a business startup. It's just now starting to get profitable, and I'm looking to buy a house by the end of this year. One thing I'd like to do is have this house be out in the country a bit, on a property with a barn or large pull-barn style garage. I want to renovate it by building a stage and stocking it with equipment for live music. Almost like the whole Field of Dreams thing - "if you build it they will come." Of course, I just want a place to rock out by myself at full volume any time day or night, and have a place to maybe throw some wicked parties on occasion. Now, the idea is just taking my hobby to the next level.

djzulu - to answer your original question - I love working on my business, but I'm also going to "make it in a big way" in music... in my own big way. Don't think that fame and fortune is the answer to happiness. Show a love for your hobby, and if you put on a great show you will have fun and attract an audience. Just because you have a passion for something though doesn't mean it's economically productive to pursue it as a career path.

this is intereting thread. I have different problem from you guys. I just want save enough money to buy decent mid size home since the cost is really high in Toronto. Then I would like to settle down with nice woman and enjoy life pleasures such as sports etc... I am not musician. I just want to pursue my sport in mountain biking more seriously. I prefer to go in adventure holiday where I can ride all day in the single track trails. I am getting old thus I want to squeeze out as much of remaining time in simple pleasure of life.