Hold me

[AlChuck]

Well, hi there, folks. Some of you might know me from my thousands of posts in the Guitar, Cakewalk, Sonic Foundry, Soundcards, MIDI, Newbies, MP3 clinic forums and the Cave. But I've never in almost two years so much as looked over here.

See, I always thought I had almost zero chance of making anything beyond a mere pittance at music and so have not pursued it on a financial level for a couple of decades now. But last week I found myself, along with millions of others, facing the unemployment rolls for the first time since 1991, and all sorts of thoughts are going through my head about what to do with myself.

In the last few years, as a hobbyist I've developed a pretty good level of skill with some computer-based tools of the music production trade, and DV editing tools as well. For a while I've had an interest in scoring for visual media, and took a class in it. I'm a fairly well-educated and accomplished guitar player and composer.

Anyway, it's likely a pipe dream, but I've thought that maybe I could make something of a living from being able to offer a variety of services as a contractor -- edit and sweeten corporate training videos, wedding videos, score independent films, play some duo or solo jazz gigs, teach, whatever.

I'm also a web developer by most recent day-job trade -- I'm a fairly accomplished Perl programmer and JavaScripter, having built several CGI applications that manipulate SQL databases, and I also know enough Java to be comfortable with it. I have also had extensive experience with writing VBA stuff to "smarten up" Word templates and several other such things. I'm the kind of person that has a very firm grasp on the underlying technologies and concepts and can quickly learn particular tool kits and implementations and apply them intelligently and creatively, rather that just regurgitating small variations of some boilerplate stuff I hammered into my skull in some class one time. Before doing the programming stuff, I was a technical writer and have also done SQA work and lightweight UNIX and Windows NT sys admin stuff and a myriad of other related (and unrelated) things.

It's likely I'll end up getting more of that work -- it will be easier and certainly more lucrative right off the bat (assuming I can find any work at all! -- times are bad), but while I'm phasing out of this job and trying to figure out what's next for my career, I can't help thinking that maybe this is the time to start making steps towards doing what I have a passion for, and trying to make some things happen. Or perhaps I can make a hybrid career out of web programming, video editing and scoring, and playing.

I really have no experience in trying to take such steps. In the past I was hopelessly naiive about a music career -- I spent the first ten years of my adulthood playing in rock bands and thinking that one of them would actually be good enough that one day some A&R guy would hear us and be knocked out, sign us, and the rest would be history... all the while playing in dives in crappy bands for peanuts and having to work at a day job the whole time.

Now I'm older, wiser, and better yet, I have a lot of skills and much more confidence in my own abilities and creativity.

Basically I'm just looking for encouragement -- or discouragement.

[Brad]

Consider yourself held.

Hey, get your hand off my lap!!


Sorry to hear about the loss of employment, but who knows, could be a good thing in the long run. I, too, am trying to make headway in some of the same areas (scoring, video editing, sound design, sound editing) after a long love affair with music, but all the while not getting hopes up that music will ever lead to fortune, or at best, a living wage (though it's always been in the back of my mind as a great "what if..." daydream).

(My former english teachers just drove a needle into a Brad voodoo doll somewhere for that run-on sentence)

My thing is the opposite - and I don't mean this to be salt in your wound or anything - but just as I am ready to quit the 9-5 day gig and pursue film/tv scoring or music/sound for media full time, it now looks like things are getting nice for me at work. Possible promotion, blah blibbidy blah. Great, but what about my passion? I am back in school and networking with student film directors and who knows if that will lead to anything. I am torn between passion and neccesity.

Anyway, I am not trying to spill my stuff on you. After all, who is doing the holding here????

Sorry man, good luck to you!


GET YOUR HAND OFF MY LAP!!!

[Phyl]

It sounds to me like you've got the skills side of the equation handled pretty well, and the only thing lacking is a little self confidence, but I suspect you've got that too or you never would have made it as far as you have in the techincal world.

People with your abilities always seem to land on their feet no matter what challenge they take on, they also seem to be drawn like a magnet to challenges like the one you're contremplating.

You don't don't have to jump in with both feet right away. You can always fall back on your techincal skills because people like you are always in demand somewhere. Even if your current situation means that you have to move to another town or state to find steady employment that could be a blessing in disguise too.

Good luck guy!

[stonepiano]

Wow, Alchuck. Bummer about the imminent unemployment.
I'm currently temp'ing while I look for the real thing I haven't had since January.

Suffice it to say, I'm where it sounds like you were ten years ago.

I graduated from college in 2000 with few marketable skills and have been scratching cash together by doing this temp work and night gigs in the middle of nowhere since I lost my "just out of college" job.

Finding this forum has me looking for something in this industry too. Here's hoping we both land on our feet.

miles

[Buffalo Bob]

"Or perhaps I can make a hybrid career out of web programming, video editing and scoring, and playing."

That's the ticket! Get a day job to obtain health benefits, and become a CONSULTANT! In these times, a lot of us are having to juggle two or three jobs. If you can work your passion for music into the equation, you'll have the best of both worlds.
You are erudite, educated and well-spoken. You will succeed in whatever you do.


That will be five dollars. Pay the gypsy woman at the door.

[Track Rat]

Yeah, what Bob said.

[Jack Hammer]

Yeah, the unemployment roles are growing at an alarming rate. I consider myself lucky, sefl-employed. It is not for everyone. Along with the benefits come the burdens. It's all you, you have to pay the bills, the salaries (if any) etc. When the money comes in its great, when it does not, its time to sweat. I think most people are happier with a regular job and paycheck. The pressure can be too much.

But...if you think you one of those that are well suited for self-employment, then join the club. When it works, the rewards are fantastic.

Specifically with reference to the music biz, I have recently launced a new venture that is involved with the music business.

At this point, it appears to be working quite nicely. Of course, I had some connections and help that I was lucky to get and yes, that has made a big difference but, and this is the point. When we fits started out, we were geared towards music production and artist management. Though that is still on the table and we are still doing that, it appears that our business opportunities are in other more esoteric areas of the business.

So, even though you may want to be in one place in a certain industry, it is important to follow the opprotunites. I for one firmly believe that by doing so, you stand a better chance of reaching your ultimate goal than by shooting for the stars right from the gate. Usually, those that do fall on thier face and never attempt again for fear or just out of frustration.

Just a though and while you have the time, keep an open mind about things. the music business is in extreme transition, look for the opportnities, you may be glad you did.