Doubts about career change

[Shadow_Walker]

I was around 19Yo, wage slave, feeling lost in life. Then I thought "what if I buy a bass so I can do some music as a hobby". Some months later I had already decided to pursue music as a career.

This was a little more than 4 years ago. I now live as a full-time musician. This is the dream of many people and I managed to get into it really fast. But hell, it sucks a lot. Always struggling financially, while I can't find a meaning for what I do. When I was 19/21 yo I romanticized being a musician a lot. But now I see: all I do is entertain some drunk people, who want to forget their own miserable lives too.

My actual, ideal career position would be working as a sideman, or teaching music or working with OST for movies and games. Currently, I'm only living doing cover gigs. I don't know if I need more patience cause this is like, the starting point of my career or if I change to do something else.

I have been thinking a lot about studying programming and CS in general.

My biggest fear is not being able to have a comfortable life and being stuck doing cover gigs for the rest of my life. When I was 19 I wanted a career-focused life that made me feel I'm being useful. But now I just want to chill and learn a little about everything while not being stressed about financial problems.

 

[Ex-User (14663)]

Transitioning into teaching doesn’t sound too wildly unachievable, have you tried it before? OST stuff to me sounds like something which would require networking or some sort of exposure, although I have zilch knowledge about the music industry.

Incidentally I was listening to some guy at work earlier today about how he originally went to art school or something but at some point started doing programming stuff on the side to pay for rent, now he’s working fully as a programmer. So it’s definitely doable.

 

[Rebis]

I think programming itself is very easy once it clicks, it's just a lot of documentation and syntax to get through. You do have to keep up with it though or your skills will be lost, it's hard to revisit the logic in programs you created a while back.

In terms of CS vs programming, I think programming would genuinely by achievable as a side hustle, there's many people that do intense bootcamps to propel them into tech fields. Code monkeys are common! I would personally start with actual programming languages instead of mark up languages like HTML, once you learn conditional logic your only barrier will be finding a library with that method (or create your own one) and then the syntax. It is best to keep a diary of methods you find useful, once you get familiar with them you can remove it and add new ones to the list.

 

[Cognisant]

This was a little more than 4 years ago. I now live as a full-time musician.

Dayum you're a real go-getter.

I think you should look into music theory and marketing, it seems a lot of pop music isn't popular due to merit so much as giving people a relatable and easily consumable product. Songs like "Hey There Delilah" and "Somebody that I used to know" were smash hits because many people could relate to the pain of a long distance relationship or breaking up with someone they've known for a long time.

 

[Rebis]

This was a little more than 4 years ago. I now live as a full-time musician.

Dayum you're a real go-getter.

I think you should look into music theory and marketing, it seems a lot of pop music isn't popular due to merit so much as giving people a relatable and easily consumable product. Songs like "Hey There Delilah" and "Somebody that I used to know" were smash hits because many people could relate to the pain of a long distance relationship or breaking up with someone they've known for a long time.

I think you have to be money-centric to achieve that, it seems soulless. Out of all the soulless careers I think a musician producing relatable music instead of expressing their emotions tops the charts.

 

[Ex-User (14663)]

This was a little more than 4 years ago. I now live as a full-time musician.

Dayum you're a real go-getter.

I think you should look into music theory and marketing, it seems a lot of pop music isn't popular due to merit so much as giving people a relatable and easily consumable product. Songs like "Hey There Delilah" and "Somebody that I used to know" were smash hits because many people could relate to the pain of a long distance relationship or breaking up with someone they've known for a long time.

I have an even better idea, he can learn computers science and then learn machine-learning algos that can learn what sort of songs become smash hits and the use that to become an international pop start.

"Yo dawg I herd you like music and computer science so we put music into computer science so that you can do computer science while you do music"

 

[Shadow_Walker]

This was a little more than 4 years ago. I now live as a full-time musician.

Dayum you're a real go-getter.

I think you should look into music theory and marketing, it seems a lot of pop music isn't popular due to merit so much as giving people a relatable and easily consumable product. Songs like "Hey There Delilah" and "Somebody that I used to know" were smash hits because many people could relate to the pain of a long distance relationship or breaking up with someone they've known for a long time.

I know more music theory than I can handle, playing real-time, lol. There is a lot more than that. The production of this music is REALLY heavy, They also have a formula, like the 3 act system of cinema. You will need to be handsome and put a lot of money into marketing. Then you can get some attention for like, 3 weeks before the next big hit appears.

I think you have to be money-centric to achieve that, it seems soulless. Out of all the soulless careers I think a musician producing relatable music instead of expressing their emotions tops the charts.

Common, It's not that soulless. You need to love music really deeply to be able to enjoy doing that, of course, there are money, fame, and chicks, but touring is hell, imagine doing that for these reasons, I wouldn't. Also, being a musician is egotistical. You can decide if you will do something relatable and gain money with it, or doing for pride and ego, expressing only what you think and feel. My view as an instrumentalist is that, as long as you put a sincere effort to make good music, it doesn't matter what you will say in the letter.

I have an even better idea, he can learn computers science and then learn machine-learning algos that can learn what sort of songs become smash hits and the use that to become an international pop start.

"Yo dawg I herd you like music and computer science so we put music into computer science so that you can do computer science while you do music"

Lol, you know people are already doing that, don't you?

 

[Ex-User (14663)]

Lol, you know people are already doing that, don't you?

I know

 

[Shadow_Walker]

Transitioning into teaching doesn’t sound too wildly unachievable, have you tried it before? OST stuff to me sounds like something which would require networking or some sort of exposure, although I have zilch knowledge about the music industry.

Incidentally I was listening to some guy at work earlier today about how he originally went to art school or something but at some point started doing programming stuff on the side to pay for rent, now he’s working fully as a programmer. So it’s definitely doable.

Hmm... I think I will invest some time in learning it. At least as a plan B, this way I can feel that I have more control, while still pursuing this career.

I think programming itself is very easy once it clicks, it's just a lot of documentation and syntax to get through. You do have to keep up with it though or your skills will be lost, it's hard to revisit the logic in programs you created a while back.

In terms of CS vs programming, I think programming would genuinely by achievable as a side hustle, there's many people that do intense bootcamps to propel them into tech fields. Code monkeys are common! I would personally start with actual programming languages instead of mark up languages like HTML, once you learn conditional logic your only barrier will be finding a library with that method (or create your own one) and then the syntax. It is best to keep a diary of methods you find useful, once you get familiar with them you can remove it and add new ones to the list.

Thanks for the tip! I had been visiting the Odin Project to learn full-stack web development but HTML and CSS is boring af. I tried Python before, really easy to understand. Maybe it's a good idea to get back into learning it and looking more deeply into it.

 

[Rebis]

It's all consistency, set aside a few hours a week for programming challenges. You can find many online, calculator this output that, GUI, Game etc. I made a program in a lab session to separate bits into bytes and then XOR the bit and a cipher to an ASCII character. I only finished a bit earlier than others but it meant I didn't have to do a lot of paperwork. One of the few programs that had a easier practical use for, even if it was just a day.

I could send you my lectures for this year if you want? We get challenges every week. It's for java, it could be a good insight.

Sent from my H3113 using Tapatalk

 

[Shadow_Walker]

It's all consistency, set aside a few hours a week for programming challenges. You can find many online, calculator this output that, GUI, Game etc. I made a program in a lab session to separate bits into bytes and then XOR the bit and a cipher to an ASCII character. I only finished a bit earlier than others but it meant I didn't have to do a lot of paperwork. One of the few programs that had a easier practical use for, even if it was just a day.

I could send you my lectures for this year if you want? We get challenges every week. It's for java, it could be a good insight.

Sent from my H3113 using Tapatalk

Wow thanks! Of course I want it.

 

[Cognisant]

I have an even better idea, he can learn computers science and then learn machine-learning algos that can learn what sort of songs become smash hits and the use that to become an international pop start.

That's not really how that works, knowing what was popular isn't going to tell you what will be popular because the zeitgeist changes hence why music has changed over time, everything that is exists in the context of what has been. It's like playing battleship and every time you hit something it immediately moves to another part of the map, in this case all a search algorithm can tell you is where the ships are not located and on the practically infinite map of musical possibilities that information is practically useless.

Don't believe me? Pick the number one song right now, change it just enough to avoid copyright issues and then seek out people's opinions on it, almost universally they'll think that the song is boring and derivative, because it is.

To make something that's going to be popular you don't look for what is popular but rather try to understand why it's popular and as I've said if you want to make popular music make something that's relatable and easily consumable, the quarter-pounder with cheese of music.

I know more music theory than I can handle, playing real-time, lol. There is a lot more than that. The production of this music is REALLY heavy, They also have a formula, like the 3 act system of cinema. You will need to be handsome and put a lot of money into marketing. Then you can get some attention for like, 3 weeks before the next big hit appears.

So you're saying if you can't hold the number one spot for more than three weeks it's not worth it, really?

You don't need to be pretty to make good music, if you want to be in a boy-band maybe but that's not really about the music is it?

Gorillaz is a virtual band where the music is made by one guy (and various guest artists) and I have no idea what he looks like nor do I care and as effective a marketing tool as his music videos are they're not actually why I buy his music.

 

[Shadow_Walker]

I have an even better idea, he can learn computers science and then learn machine-learning algos that can learn what sort of songs become smash hits and then use that to become an international pop start.

That's not really how that works, knowing what was popular isn't going to tell you what will be popular because the zeitgeist changes hence why music has changed over time, everything that exists in the context of what has been. It's like playing battleship and every time you hit something it immediately moves to another part of the map, in this case, all a search algorithm can tell you is where the ships are not located and on the practically infinite map of musical possibilities that information is practically useless.

Don't believe me? Pick the number one song right now, change it just enough to avoid copyright issues and then seek out people's opinions on it, almost universally they'll think that the song is boring and derivative because it is.

To make something that's going to be popular you don't look for what is popular but rather try to understand why it's popular and as I've said if you want to make popular music make something that's relatable and easily consumable, the quarter-pounder with cheese of music.

I know more music theory than I can handle, playing real-time, lol. There is a lot more than that. The production of this music is REALLY heavy, They also have a formula, like the 3 act system of cinema. You will need to be handsome and put a lot of money into marketing. Then you can get some attention for like, 3 weeks before the next big hit appears.

So you're saying if you can't hold the number one spot for more than three weeks it's not worth it, really?

You don't need to be pretty to make good music if you want to be in a boy-band maybe but that's not really about the music is it?

Gorillaz is a virtual band where the music is made by one guy (and various guest artists) and I have no idea what he looks like nor do I care and as effective a marketing tool as his music videos are they're not actually why I buy his music.

No, I never said that it's not worth it. I was explaining that it is a lot harder than just learning theory and marketing.

I already have thought about making my own music and it would be something like Tame Impala or Gorillaz(one-man-band)but I don't believe that this is something reliable. It's really hard to gain some attention and therefore money with it. So I prefer to follow the small but doable career path(teaching, side-man gigs, session gigs)

 

[Kormak]

I was around 19Yo, wage slave, feeling lost in life. Then I thought "what if I buy a bass so I can do some music as a hobby". Some months later I had already decided to pursue music as a career.

This was a little more than 4 years ago. I now live as a full-time musician. This is the dream of many people and I managed to get into it really fast. But hell, it sucks a lot. Always struggling financially, while I can't find a meaning for what I do. When I was 19/21 yo I romanticized being a musician a lot. But now I see: all I do is entertain some drunk people, who want to forget their own miserable lives too.

My actual, ideal career position would be working as a sideman, or teaching music or working with OST for movies and games. Currently, I'm only living doing cover gigs. I don't know if I need more patience cause this is like, the starting point of my career or if I change to do something else.

I have been thinking a lot about studying programming and CS in general.

My biggest fear is not being able to have a comfortable life and being stuck doing cover gigs for the rest of my life. When I was 19 I wanted a career-focused life that made me feel I'm being useful. But now I just want to chill and learn a little about everything while not being stressed about financial problems.

Start a youtube channel. Educate yourself on the legal rules of what you can play to avoid copyright problems, check out other music channels and see what you can come up with as content. Start small, don't buy gear for quality right off the bat. the internet runs on memes, viral impressive stuff, and funny shit. You will also have to learn how to make quality thumbnails, titles, how the video structure should be... generally learn how to make videos that ppl will see in their feeds. There are yourube channels out thetre that explain all this in detail.

Produce your own music and sounds, sell them online. Create a website and write about music and so on. If you manage to build a brand you can even sell merchandise.

Make a video course about learning to play music & sell it on coursera or udemy and so on.

I think over time you'll be making more of an income from online work. You can do this on the side while you learn something else as well. Its not that hard if you have a skill through which you can make content (which you have).

Endless possibilities. You can scale digital content, you can't scale direct services such as in person teaching or playig a gig.

 

[Cognisant]

No, I never said that it's not worth it. I was explaining that it is a lot harder than just learning theory and marketing.

Of course it is, trying to become a successful full time musician is one of the hardest possible career paths because there's so many people who want to do it.

I already have thought about making my own music and it would be something like Tame Impala or Gorillaz(one-man-band)but I don't believe that this is something reliable. It's really hard to gain some attention and therefore money with it. So I prefer to follow the small but doable career path(teaching, side-man gigs, session gigs)

And I'm not saying you shouldn't, but at the same time you should be building your own artistic portfolio because there's a world of difference between a content producer and a service provider, teaching and side gigs aren't things you can scale up, you can do those things for thirty years and still be in much the same position as when you started.

But if you spend just ten minutes a day developing your own music and putting efforts towards making your own brand as an artist then it will accumulate over time, sure it won't pay your bills but eventually you'll have your own style, your own repertoire of songs, your own album, your own small fanbase and it snowballs from there.

 

[Minuend]

Oh god, 23 and motivated. Learn programming for sure, before you become a tired old thing. Learn useful things that make money because, as it turns out, you can get fucked pretty quick and easily. And not in the way you want.

Then, make music and get all the money and fame

Unless you're born into being rich, usually you need to sacrifice comfort for a few years to build your fortune and make preparations to set up the kind of laid back life you want later on. Learn how to invest wisely, learn skills that will make you money, those type of things.

 

[Rebis]

Still planning on sending this to you, it's just a lot of repetition to download all the lectures and the examples. Have to load a webpage everytime and there's like 5-6 pieces of content per lecture

 

[Shadow_Walker]

Start a youtube channel. Educate yourself on the legal rules of what you can play to avoid copyright problems, check out other music channels and see what you can come up with as content. Start small, don't buy gear for quality right off the bat. the internet runs on memes, viral impressive stuff, and funny shit. You will also have to learn how to make quality thumbnails, titles, how the video structure should be... generally learn how to make videos that ppl will see in their feeds. There are yourube channels out thetre that explain all this in detail.

Produce your own music and sounds, sell them online. Create a website and write about music and so on. If you manage to build a brand you can even sell merchandise.

Make a video course about learning to play music & sell it on coursera or udemy and so on.

I think over time you'll be making more of an income from online work. You can do this on the side while you learn something else as well. Its not that hard if you have a skill through which you can make content (which you have).

Endless possibilities. You can scale digital content, you can't scale direct services such as in person teaching or playig a gig.

Ingenious insight. I already have a blog and thought of doing videos for Youtube too. But I think this is something for the long term. I decided that if I learn to play guitar consistently and teach people the basics while charging real cheap, maybe I can get some attention and people will start to come at me.

And I'm not saying you shouldn't, but at the same time you should be building your own artistic portfolio because there's a world of difference between a content producer and a service provider, teaching and side gigs aren't things you can scale up, you can do those things for thirty years and still be in much the same position as when you started.

But if you spend just ten minutes a day developing your own music and putting efforts towards making your own brand as an artist then it will accumulate over time, sure it won't pay your bills but eventually you'll have your own style, your own repertoire of songs, your own album, your own small fanbase and it snowballs from there.

Yeah, what you said made sense. I think I should start working on making my own music now.

 

[Shadow_Walker]

Oh god, 23 and motivated. Learn programming for sure, before you become a tired old thing. Learn useful things that make money because, as it turns out, you can get fucked pretty quick and easily. And not in the way you want.

Then, make music and get all the money and fame

Unless you're born into being rich, usually you need to sacrifice comfort for a few years to build your fortune and make preparations to set up the kind of laid back life you want later on. Learn how to invest wisely, learn skills that will make you money, those type of things.

I'm too stubborn to completely follow your advice. I know I can make it as a musician, it's just hard and some times it gets depressive lol. But I'll try to force myself into learning to program because it can pay off later.

Still planning on sending this to you, it's just a lot of repetition to download all the lectures and the examples. Have to load a webpage everytime and there's like 5-6 pieces of content per lecture

Thanks man!

 

[Inexorable Username]

I was around 19Yo, wage slave, feeling lost in life. Then I thought "what if I buy a bass so I can do some music as a hobby". Some months later I had already decided to pursue music as a career.

This was a little more than 4 years ago. I now live as a full-time musician. This is the dream of many people and I managed to get into it really fast. But hell, it sucks a lot. Always struggling financially, while I can't find a meaning for what I do. When I was 19/21 yo I romanticized being a musician a lot. But now I see: all I do is entertain some drunk people, who want to forget their own miserable lives too.

My actual, ideal career position would be working as a sideman, or teaching music or working with OST for movies and games. Currently, I'm only living doing cover gigs. I don't know if I need more patience cause this is like, the starting point of my career or if I change to do something else.

I have been thinking a lot about studying programming and CS in general.

My biggest fear is not being able to have a comfortable life and being stuck doing cover gigs for the rest of my life. When I was 19 I wanted a career-focused life that made me feel I'm being useful. But now I just want to chill and learn a little about everything while not being stressed about financial problems.

Send me a private message if you want and I can try to give you my perspectives. I'm a professional media marketing agent. I can make some suggestions for you as to how you could make money off of this dream, and what that would entail, and you can decide for yourself if any of my advice seems worthwhile to you. Basically, it's like a free consultation