My DS wants to be a musician. WWYD?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I would like to point out that pursuing a career in the performing arts does not mean you have to bypass college.

Lupita N'yongo is an A-list actress. She graduated from Yale. Charlie Puth is a successful pop musician and he graduated from the Berklee College of Music.

Pursuing a career in music or film/TV doesn't mean you can't do college. And college can be a useful stepping stone as in the two examples I just shared.

Teens have very limited, narrow mindsets about the path to success and what it looks like.

Yes, but it’s also true that college is by no means necessary and if a teenager says that, it doesn’t mean they have a limited, narrow mindset about the path to success.

College is not necessary for success in life. True. But people who have college degrees have higher odds and rates of successful outcomes. Not being able to recognize that and insisting that the only way to be successful is by avoiding or dropping out of college is a limited viewpoint. For every success story, there are countless people who dropped out or bypassed college and are barely scraping by. We have to stop romanticizing this pathway. It leaves behind a lot of damaged, broken and failed people.

For rock music in particular, I’m not convinced that’s true. If you can prove otherwise, please link to it.

We’re not talking about life in general here. We’re talking about rock music for a kid OBSESSED with it, like OP’s son.

I posted a list of 25 notable rock musicians who got degrees. At best, even if college is not necessary, it's not like getting a college degree has stopped anyone from being a rock star. If it's meant to be, it will be.

If it means giving up a spot in a successful band, it can set someone back. Tons of musicians get their start in their late teens/early 20s. That’s a sweet spot.

Why do think so many musicians either didn’t go to college or dropped out?

And so many musicians look back and regret that they didn't educate themselves because they realized they were taken advantage of in the music business because they lacked education.

You guys have to stop selling the myth that dropping out of school or skipping college in pursuit a career in music is peaches and creams. There are risks and tradeoffs to both approaches. You pick your poison and live with the consequences.

I would never say it’s peaches and cream. Far from it. And making sure you have trusted people helping you is huge.

But if you want to try to make it, hiding in college until you’re 22 could actually hurt you. You’re missing out on important years of gigging and networking.

A good number of the prominent musicians with degrees got them during or after their bands’ success.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I would like to point out that pursuing a career in the performing arts does not mean you have to bypass college.

Lupita N'yongo is an A-list actress. She graduated from Yale. Charlie Puth is a successful pop musician and he graduated from the Berklee College of Music.

Pursuing a career in music or film/TV doesn't mean you can't do college. And college can be a useful stepping stone as in the two examples I just shared.

Teens have very limited, narrow mindsets about the path to success and what it looks like.

Yes, but it’s also true that college is by no means necessary and if a teenager says that, it doesn’t mean they have a limited, narrow mindset about the path to success.

College is not necessary for success in life. True. But people who have college degrees have higher odds and rates of successful outcomes. Not being able to recognize that and insisting that the only way to be successful is by avoiding or dropping out of college is a limited viewpoint. For every success story, there are countless people who dropped out or bypassed college and are barely scraping by. We have to stop romanticizing this pathway. It leaves behind a lot of damaged, broken and failed people.

For rock music in particular, I’m not convinced that’s true. If you can prove otherwise, please link to it.

We’re not talking about life in general here. We’re talking about rock music for a kid OBSESSED with it, like OP’s son.

I was obsessed with anime when I was a teen. I taught myself how to draw my favorite anime characters. I'm glad my parents didn't take my adolescent interests and assume that they had to be lifelong passions.

At one point, I also said I wanted to be a marine biologist. Today, I have zero interest in anything like working with animals full-time.

You do realize how bad teenagers are at knowing who they are and what they want, right? That's why so many of them change majors multiple times in college. If you treat teens like they are adults, you can enable some pretty poorly thought out decisions that they will regret and then later blame you for.

Please stop minimizing the work and commitment associated with playing an instrument well. It is not the same as spending time as a teenager drawing your favorite anime character on any level. You wouldn't say that if the kid had been playing violin since he was 6. You're just saying it now because you don't think that THIS kind of music is worth investing in.

Teenagers are not actually terrible at knowing what they want. They are learning what they want. They are developing interests. It makes sense that some of those interests would die on the vine, like your love of anime. It also makes sense that some personal interests would never turn into career interests. It is pretty shortsighted to have a blanket assumption that you should not take seriously the interests of teenagers because you don't share them.

My point is treating the adolescent mind and its opinions as gospel is not wise. They are learning what they want, as you yourself said, so they can and will say one thing is their lifelong passion today and completely drop it tomorrow. You can't take everything they say seriously.

I’m so happy you’re not my parent. And I hope my daughter never meets you.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I would like to point out that pursuing a career in the performing arts does not mean you have to bypass college.

Lupita N'yongo is an A-list actress. She graduated from Yale. Charlie Puth is a successful pop musician and he graduated from the Berklee College of Music.

Pursuing a career in music or film/TV doesn't mean you can't do college. And college can be a useful stepping stone as in the two examples I just shared.

Teens have very limited, narrow mindsets about the path to success and what it looks like.

Yes, but it’s also true that college is by no means necessary and if a teenager says that, it doesn’t mean they have a limited, narrow mindset about the path to success.

College is not necessary for success in life. True. But people who have college degrees have higher odds and rates of successful outcomes. Not being able to recognize that and insisting that the only way to be successful is by avoiding or dropping out of college is a limited viewpoint. For every success story, there are countless people who dropped out or bypassed college and are barely scraping by. We have to stop romanticizing this pathway. It leaves behind a lot of damaged, broken and failed people.

For rock music in particular, I’m not convinced that’s true. If you can prove otherwise, please link to it.

We’re not talking about life in general here. We’re talking about rock music for a kid OBSESSED with it, like OP’s son.

I was obsessed with anime when I was a teen. I taught myself how to draw my favorite anime characters. I'm glad my parents didn't take my adolescent interests and assume that they had to be lifelong passions.

At one point, I also said I wanted to be a marine biologist. Today, I have zero interest in anything like working with animals full-time.

You do realize how bad teenagers are at knowing who they are and what they want, right? That's why so many of them change majors multiple times in college. If you treat teens like they are adults, you can enable some pretty poorly thought out decisions that they will regret and then later blame you for.

Please stop minimizing the work and commitment associated with playing an instrument well. It is not the same as spending time as a teenager drawing your favorite anime character on any level. You wouldn't say that if the kid had been playing violin since he was 6. You're just saying it now because you don't think that THIS kind of music is worth investing in.

Teenagers are not actually terrible at knowing what they want. They are learning what they want. They are developing interests. It makes sense that some of those interests would die on the vine, like your love of anime. It also makes sense that some personal interests would never turn into career interests. It is pretty shortsighted to have a blanket assumption that you should not take seriously the interests of teenagers because you don't share them.

My point is treating the adolescent mind and its opinions as gospel is not wise. They are learning what they want, as you yourself said, so they can and will say one thing is their lifelong passion today and completely drop it tomorrow. You can't take everything they say seriously.

I’m so happy you’re not my parent. And I hope my daughter never meets you.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I would like to point out that pursuing a career in the performing arts does not mean you have to bypass college.

Lupita N'yongo is an A-list actress. She graduated from Yale. Charlie Puth is a successful pop musician and he graduated from the Berklee College of Music.

Pursuing a career in music or film/TV doesn't mean you can't do college. And college can be a useful stepping stone as in the two examples I just shared.

Teens have very limited, narrow mindsets about the path to success and what it looks like.

Yes, but it’s also true that college is by no means necessary and if a teenager says that, it doesn’t mean they have a limited, narrow mindset about the path to success.

College is not necessary for success in life. True. But people who have college degrees have higher odds and rates of successful outcomes. Not being able to recognize that and insisting that the only way to be successful is by avoiding or dropping out of college is a limited viewpoint. For every success story, there are countless people who dropped out or bypassed college and are barely scraping by. We have to stop romanticizing this pathway. It leaves behind a lot of damaged, broken and failed people.

For rock music in particular, I’m not convinced that’s true. If you can prove otherwise, please link to it.

We’re not talking about life in general here. We’re talking about rock music for a kid OBSESSED with it, like OP’s son.

I was obsessed with anime when I was a teen. I taught myself how to draw my favorite anime characters. I'm glad my parents didn't take my adolescent interests and assume that they had to be lifelong passions.

At one point, I also said I wanted to be a marine biologist. Today, I have zero interest in anything like working with animals full-time.

You do realize how bad teenagers are at knowing who they are and what they want, right? That's why so many of them change majors multiple times in college. If you treat teens like they are adults, you can enable some pretty poorly thought out decisions that they will regret and then later blame you for.

Please stop minimizing the work and commitment associated with playing an instrument well. It is not the same as spending time as a teenager drawing your favorite anime character on any level. You wouldn't say that if the kid had been playing violin since he was 6. You're just saying it now because you don't think that THIS kind of music is worth investing in.

Teenagers are not actually terrible at knowing what they want. They are learning what they want. They are developing interests. It makes sense that some of those interests would die on the vine, like your love of anime. It also makes sense that some personal interests would never turn into career interests. It is pretty shortsighted to have a blanket assumption that you should not take seriously the interests of teenagers because you don't share them.

My point is treating the adolescent mind and its opinions as gospel is not wise. They are learning what they want, as you yourself said, so they can and will say one thing is their lifelong passion today and completely drop it tomorrow. You can't take everything they say seriously.

I’m so happy you’re not my parent. And I hope my daughter never meets you.

On brand.

[Anonymous]

Being a musician is hard because you're not getting a steady paycheck and life can be very difficult. That being said, if you have a passion for it, it is very rewarding. I am making 500K in a high-tech job but I would give that up in a heartbeat to play gigs all day long for a 75k salary.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Being a musician is hard because you're not getting a steady paycheck and life can be very difficult. That being said, if you have a passion for it, it is very rewarding. I am making 500K in a high-tech job but I would give that up in a heartbeat to play gigs all day long for a 75k salary.

What stops you from doing exactly that?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I would like to point out that pursuing a career in the performing arts does not mean you have to bypass college.

Lupita N'yongo is an A-list actress. She graduated from Yale. Charlie Puth is a successful pop musician and he graduated from the Berklee College of Music.

Pursuing a career in music or film/TV doesn't mean you can't do college. And college can be a useful stepping stone as in the two examples I just shared.

Teens have very limited, narrow mindsets about the path to success and what it looks like.

Yes, but it’s also true that college is by no means necessary and if a teenager says that, it doesn’t mean they have a limited, narrow mindset about the path to success.

College is not necessary for success in life. True. But people who have college degrees have higher odds and rates of successful outcomes. Not being able to recognize that and insisting that the only way to be successful is by avoiding or dropping out of college is a limited viewpoint. For every success story, there are countless people who dropped out or bypassed college and are barely scraping by. We have to stop romanticizing this pathway. It leaves behind a lot of damaged, broken and failed people.

For rock music in particular, I’m not convinced that’s true. If you can prove otherwise, please link to it.

We’re not talking about life in general here. We’re talking about rock music for a kid OBSESSED with it, like OP’s son.

I was obsessed with anime when I was a teen. I taught myself how to draw my favorite anime characters. I'm glad my parents didn't take my adolescent interests and assume that they had to be lifelong passions.

At one point, I also said I wanted to be a marine biologist. Today, I have zero interest in anything like working with animals full-time.

You do realize how bad teenagers are at knowing who they are and what they want, right? That's why so many of them change majors multiple times in college. If you treat teens like they are adults, you can enable some pretty poorly thought out decisions that they will regret and then later blame you for.

Please stop minimizing the work and commitment associated with playing an instrument well. It is not the same as spending time as a teenager drawing your favorite anime character on any level. You wouldn't say that if the kid had been playing violin since he was 6. You're just saying it now because you don't think that THIS kind of music is worth investing in.

Teenagers are not actually terrible at knowing what they want. They are learning what they want. They are developing interests. It makes sense that some of those interests would die on the vine, like your love of anime. It also makes sense that some personal interests would never turn into career interests. It is pretty shortsighted to have a blanket assumption that you should not take seriously the interests of teenagers because you don't share them.

My point is treating the adolescent mind and its opinions as gospel is not wise. They are learning what they want, as you yourself said, so they can and will say one thing is their lifelong passion today and completely drop it tomorrow. You can't take everything they say seriously.

Okay, but at what point do you START taking them seriously? This is a kid who is clearly pretty dedicated to his craft, and the response here is basically "take away his guitar, he doesn't really know what he wants."

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Being a musician is hard because you're not getting a steady paycheck and life can be very difficult. That being said, if you have a passion for it, it is very rewarding. I am making 500K in a high-tech job but I would give that up in a heartbeat to play gigs all day long for a 75k salary.

What stops you from doing exactly that?

Family obligations such as mortgage, college tuition, etc... too late for me.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I would like to point out that pursuing a career in the performing arts does not mean you have to bypass college.

Lupita N'yongo is an A-list actress. She graduated from Yale. Charlie Puth is a successful pop musician and he graduated from the Berklee College of Music.

Pursuing a career in music or film/TV doesn't mean you can't do college. And college can be a useful stepping stone as in the two examples I just shared.

Teens have very limited, narrow mindsets about the path to success and what it looks like.

Yes, but it’s also true that college is by no means necessary and if a teenager says that, it doesn’t mean they have a limited, narrow mindset about the path to success.

College is not necessary for success in life. True. But people who have college degrees have higher odds and rates of successful outcomes. Not being able to recognize that and insisting that the only way to be successful is by avoiding or dropping out of college is a limited viewpoint. For every success story, there are countless people who dropped out or bypassed college and are barely scraping by. We have to stop romanticizing this pathway. It leaves behind a lot of damaged, broken and failed people.

For rock music in particular, I’m not convinced that’s true. If you can prove otherwise, please link to it.

We’re not talking about life in general here. We’re talking about rock music for a kid OBSESSED with it, like OP’s son.

I was obsessed with anime when I was a teen. I taught myself how to draw my favorite anime characters. I'm glad my parents didn't take my adolescent interests and assume that they had to be lifelong passions.

At one point, I also said I wanted to be a marine biologist. Today, I have zero interest in anything like working with animals full-time.

You do realize how bad teenagers are at knowing who they are and what they want, right? That's why so many of them change majors multiple times in college. If you treat teens like they are adults, you can enable some pretty poorly thought out decisions that they will regret and then later blame you for.

Please stop minimizing the work and commitment associated with playing an instrument well. It is not the same as spending time as a teenager drawing your favorite anime character on any level. You wouldn't say that if the kid had been playing violin since he was 6. You're just saying it now because you don't think that THIS kind of music is worth investing in.

Teenagers are not actually terrible at knowing what they want. They are learning what they want. They are developing interests. It makes sense that some of those interests would die on the vine, like your love of anime. It also makes sense that some personal interests would never turn into career interests. It is pretty shortsighted to have a blanket assumption that you should not take seriously the interests of teenagers because you don't share them.

My point is treating the adolescent mind and its opinions as gospel is not wise. They are learning what they want, as you yourself said, so they can and will say one thing is their lifelong passion today and completely drop it tomorrow. You can't take everything they say seriously.

Okay, but at what point do you START taking them seriously? This is a kid who is clearly pretty dedicated to his craft, and the response here is basically "take away his guitar, he doesn't really know what he wants."

No. The response is not "take away his guitar." It's "don't let him blow off high school in favor of playing the guitar all the time and if he won't comply, then take away his guitar until he does."

It's hardly an unreasonable stance.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Being a musician is hard because you're not getting a steady paycheck and life can be very difficult. That being said, if you have a passion for it, it is very rewarding. I am making 500K in a high-tech job but I would give that up in a heartbeat to play gigs all day long for a 75k salary.

What stops you from doing exactly that?

Family obligations such as mortgage, college tuition, etc... too late for me.

Then you chose a certain lifestyle over music, which might mean you had a deeper passion for your lifestyle and providing for your family than pursuing a career in music. That was a choice and surely there were things that you cared deeply about that motivated you to make that choice.

Unless you're saying you now regret that choice and wish you'd foregone the family, expensive house and kids?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I would like to point out that pursuing a career in the performing arts does not mean you have to bypass college.

Lupita N'yongo is an A-list actress. She graduated from Yale. Charlie Puth is a successful pop musician and he graduated from the Berklee College of Music.

Pursuing a career in music or film/TV doesn't mean you can't do college. And college can be a useful stepping stone as in the two examples I just shared.

Teens have very limited, narrow mindsets about the path to success and what it looks like.

Yes, but it’s also true that college is by no means necessary and if a teenager says that, it doesn’t mean they have a limited, narrow mindset about the path to success.

College is not necessary for success in life. True. But people who have college degrees have higher odds and rates of successful outcomes. Not being able to recognize that and insisting that the only way to be successful is by avoiding or dropping out of college is a limited viewpoint. For every success story, there are countless people who dropped out or bypassed college and are barely scraping by. We have to stop romanticizing this pathway. It leaves behind a lot of damaged, broken and failed people.

For rock music in particular, I’m not convinced that’s true. If you can prove otherwise, please link to it.

We’re not talking about life in general here. We’re talking about rock music for a kid OBSESSED with it, like OP’s son.

I posted a list of 25 notable rock musicians who got degrees. At best, even if college is not necessary, it's not like getting a college degree has stopped anyone from being a rock star. If it's meant to be, it will be.

If it means giving up a spot in a successful band, it can set someone back. Tons of musicians get their start in their late teens/early 20s. That’s a sweet spot.

Why do think so many musicians either didn’t go to college or dropped out?

And so many musicians look back and regret that they didn't educate themselves because they realized they were taken advantage of in the music business because they lacked education.

You guys have to stop selling the myth that dropping out of school or skipping college in pursuit a career in music is peaches and creams. There are risks and tradeoffs to both approaches. You pick your poison and live with the consequences.

I would never say it’s peaches and cream. Far from it. And making sure you have trusted people helping you is huge.

But if you want to try to make it, hiding in college until you’re 22 could actually hurt you. You’re missing out on important years of gigging and networking.

A good number of the prominent musicians with degrees got them during or after their bands’ success.

Are you a 40 year old dude still gigging and networking and waiting for your big break?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I would like to point out that pursuing a career in the performing arts does not mean you have to bypass college.

Lupita N'yongo is an A-list actress. She graduated from Yale. Charlie Puth is a successful pop musician and he graduated from the Berklee College of Music.

Pursuing a career in music or film/TV doesn't mean you can't do college. And college can be a useful stepping stone as in the two examples I just shared.

Teens have very limited, narrow mindsets about the path to success and what it looks like.

Yes, but it’s also true that college is by no means necessary and if a teenager says that, it doesn’t mean they have a limited, narrow mindset about the path to success.

College is not necessary for success in life. True. But people who have college degrees have higher odds and rates of successful outcomes. Not being able to recognize that and insisting that the only way to be successful is by avoiding or dropping out of college is a limited viewpoint. For every success story, there are countless people who dropped out or bypassed college and are barely scraping by. We have to stop romanticizing this pathway. It leaves behind a lot of damaged, broken and failed people.

For rock music in particular, I’m not convinced that’s true. If you can prove otherwise, please link to it.

We’re not talking about life in general here. We’re talking about rock music for a kid OBSESSED with it, like OP’s son.

I posted a list of 25 notable rock musicians who got degrees. At best, even if college is not necessary, it's not like getting a college degree has stopped anyone from being a rock star. If it's meant to be, it will be.

If it means giving up a spot in a successful band, it can set someone back. Tons of musicians get their start in their late teens/early 20s. That’s a sweet spot.

Why do think so many musicians either didn’t go to college or dropped out?

And so many musicians look back and regret that they didn't educate themselves because they realized they were taken advantage of in the music business because they lacked education.

You guys have to stop selling the myth that dropping out of school or skipping college in pursuit a career in music is peaches and creams. There are risks and tradeoffs to both approaches. You pick your poison and live with the consequences.

I would never say it’s peaches and cream. Far from it. And making sure you have trusted people helping you is huge.

But if you want to try to make it, hiding in college until you’re 22 could actually hurt you. You’re missing out on important years of gigging and networking.

A good number of the prominent musicians with degrees got them during or after their bands’ success.

Are you a 40 year old dude still gigging and networking and waiting for your big break?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:College is not necessary for success in life. True. But people who have college degrees have higher odds and rates of successful outcomes. Not being able to recognize that and insisting that the only way to be successful is by avoiding or dropping out of college is a limited viewpoint. For every success story, there are countless people who dropped out or bypassed college and are barely scraping by. We have to stop romanticizing this pathway. It leaves behind a lot of damaged, broken and failed people.

There are many college grads with useless degrees working at Starbuck, just saying.

Telling a 15 years old boy to cutback on his practice is not going to happen, not after he hung out with his successful musician uncle and saw so many beautiful women after his uncle. I know I wouldn't. Boys at that age are motivated by girls too. That has a lot to do with it.

[Anonymous]

Adam Duritz from Counting Crows has talked a lot in interviews about what he got out of his college education and how it helped his music. He studied English at Berkeley. (He didn't graduate, but was one paper shy.) His music really does reflect his education.

Adam has also been very candid about how music goes from a passion to a job once you make it your career.

You might do a search for interviews with Adam Duritz.

I'd keep reminding your son that music is better when you have experiences and knowledge to write about. Literary and historical references make music richer, but you need information in your head to do that. He needs to educate himself.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I would like to point out that pursuing a career in the performing arts does not mean you have to bypass college.

Lupita N'yongo is an A-list actress. She graduated from Yale. Charlie Puth is a successful pop musician and he graduated from the Berklee College of Music.

Pursuing a career in music or film/TV doesn't mean you can't do college. And college can be a useful stepping stone as in the two examples I just shared.

Teens have very limited, narrow mindsets about the path to success and what it looks like.

Yes, but it’s also true that college is by no means necessary and if a teenager says that, it doesn’t mean they have a limited, narrow mindset about the path to success.

College is not necessary for success in life. True. But people who have college degrees have higher odds and rates of successful outcomes. Not being able to recognize that and insisting that the only way to be successful is by avoiding or dropping out of college is a limited viewpoint. For every success story, there are countless people who dropped out or bypassed college and are barely scraping by. We have to stop romanticizing this pathway. It leaves behind a lot of damaged, broken and failed people.

For rock music in particular, I’m not convinced that’s true. If you can prove otherwise, please link to it.

We’re not talking about life in general here. We’re talking about rock music for a kid OBSESSED with it, like OP’s son.

I posted a list of 25 notable rock musicians who got degrees. At best, even if college is not necessary, it's not like getting a college degree has stopped anyone from being a rock star. If it's meant to be, it will be.

If it means giving up a spot in a successful band, it can set someone back. Tons of musicians get their start in their late teens/early 20s. That’s a sweet spot.

Why do think so many musicians either didn’t go to college or dropped out?

And so many musicians look back and regret that they didn't educate themselves because they realized they were taken advantage of in the music business because they lacked education.

You guys have to stop selling the myth that dropping out of school or skipping college in pursuit a career in music is peaches and creams. There are risks and tradeoffs to both approaches. You pick your poison and live with the consequences.

I would never say it’s peaches and cream. Far from it. And making sure you have trusted people helping you is huge.

But if you want to try to make it, hiding in college until you’re 22 could actually hurt you. You’re missing out on important years of gigging and networking.

A good number of the prominent musicians with degrees got them during or after their bands’ success.

It's 2023. You don't HAVE to quit college to do gigs and build up your audience or following. Social media makes that completely plausible and possible.

In fact, many people build their careers by tapping into their college markets and audiences.

For example, look at rapper Ludacris:

Chris Bridges studied music management at Georgia State University and landed an internship at Atlanta’s influential radio station Hot 97.5. There he became the popular on-air personality "Chris Lova Lova" and eventually began promoting his music under the name Ludacris, launching his rap career in the process.

You can write songs, produce songs, and release while in school. Music doesn't have to be pressed on CDs and shipped to record stores anymore. You can take gigs on the weekend or summer.

It's not like how it was back in your day. Wake up.