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As a career, outside of becoming a music producer/dj? While that would be awesome, I feel that it's something that if it was meant to be, I wouldn't need a university degree to prove it. I'm currently in my first year at Penn State for engineering, and I hate it. It's not my cup of tea at all. I was thinking about looking into software development, but what kind of other things could I do at a company like ableton, propellerhead, image-line, etc (outside of sales/marketing)?

why can't you get a degree and have fun with music at the same time?

are you a studying to be a structural engineer? hard to get a job in that field right now

It may be worth contacting some of there organisations to see if they have any information on positions and careers and so on.

Having said that though I personally would rather keep the whole music thing as a hobby. Professionalism easily turns something fun into work which can kill the enjoyment, and being forced into creativity can be a little crushing for some people (me included. I do aerosol and art design for random shit and where it's cool to get money I rarely actually enjoy it like just sketching or having a paint for the hell of it)

Nah, I'm studying under the College of Earth and Mineral Sciences...new program called energy engineering, works with fuels and things like that. And the reason I mostly can't get a degree in music/arts, is because then I wouldn't have the support of my family financially, i'd be on my own basically. Another sibling of mine went for graphic design, and now they are struggling to find a place to live, and strapped in $25,000+ of debt, with no job. So they want me to go into a field that is a bit more stable haha

Yeah that sucks man. That's actually why I didn't go into graphic design myself. Now I work at an arcade. Lol

Rubik wrote:It may be worth contacting some of there organisations to see if they have any information on positions and careers and so on.

I looked into finding information on ableton's site last night, found this video (can't embed) http://www.ableton.com/jp/developer-jobs. A lot of the guys there just did computer programing as a hobby, and went to school for things like chemistry and engineering, but ended up at ableton. Sounds like a really cool job though, I think it would be neat to work on developing and improving something you yourself use everyday. (even though I use renoise/reason )

well, energy engineering sounds like a well paying future career

you sure you wanna give that up for producing music?

there is nothing stopping you from doing both

FSTZ wrote:well, energy engineering sounds like a well paying future career

+1. We're in a society that needs continual energy, and we don't really have an unlimited supply of oil and gas.

Look at the rest of the curriculum for the next three years. Sometimes the first year is just ridiculous to weed people out. I remember hating the first 1.5 years of my B. Sc. until I finally took one immunology course. That was almost 2 years of my life where I was wondering, is this really what I want to be doing.

If you absolutely hate everything about energy engineering maybe look into other stuff. But I'd say, you came this far, and it seems like you have some support from your parents, so if you think that you might start liking it in the future keep going for it.

I'm not sure, but if you can transfer to computer engineering or electrical engineering there might be some more openings in jobs for hardware manufacturers or for software development. My girlfriends brother is in his third year of mechanical engineering, and he got to take an "acoustics/sound" option. I think it was room acoustics or amp acoustics or something.

FSTZ wrote:well, energy engineering sounds like a well paying future career

you sure you wanna give that up for producing music?

there is nothing stopping you from doing both

yeah, but well paying =/= making a living doing something I enjoy. I don't want to be stuck at a 9-5 everyday, just waiting to get out so I can go do what I actually enjoy. I'd like to be able to integrate what I enjoy into my 9-5, (or not have a 9-5 at all )

no I understand that...

I am in accounting and believe me, I'd much rather be at home making noise

but I get a great salary, I travel a lot, I have good healthcare for me and my daughter

and my extra money goes to gear, mastering, cameras, advertising for my label etc...

I am just playing the counterpoint and letting you know you can live in both worlds

From experience:

I was in for Mechanical Engineering ----- Got obliterated (mostly due to poor academic advising/planning... you know, advanced classes at the same time as foundational stuff, so I would try to learn the application of multivariable calculus, without actually knowing multivariable calculus - was absolute hell).

I switched out and ended up in Physiology and Neurobiology because I really enjoyed the subject matter.

I graduated the winter of 2008, right after everything plummeted, so basically nobody I got out of school with had work. I now work for my fathers business. I do music on the side and am my own boss - I set my schedule and will reap what I sow, but I don't directly apply my degree (for better or for worse).

If I were in your shoes I would just get a business degree if you can't decide on a major that's worth while. I seriously considered going to school for music, and at this point I kind of wish I had, but my life would be so different (woman, career, etc etc) that I can't really say I regret anything.

At least with a business degree I would have known what to expect coming out of college (taxes, money management, etc) and would have had a broader range of application.

But if you like something go for it, cause you never know. I was set on chiropractic school until I heard all about the healthcare system reform and my own chiropractor was advising me to "Run from" the healthcare field...so my plan derailed. But we have a great business opportunity and I can hopefully get a part time position at a studio to learn some recording engineering/post-production/anything to further my path to an (eventual) audio-related job....

Hope my rambling has been somewhat of a help.

Edit: @the posts since I've been transcribing my diaries - 9-5 is pretty much par-for-the-course. If you can get paid decently and consistently for only 40 hrs/wk and have all that free time for music then hands down go for that. Otherwise you'll probably be constantly working and not have time to do what YOU want to.

I came from the same sham that you are (as it seems to me at least) of "Love your job". What a crock. Make as much money as possible with as few hours and do what you really want to outside of it.

Not that that's much motivation to make it through a degree.

I worked in an office for the first few years of my working life, did my head in and
I made a brave move, paid off, would never look back. Don't underestimate the hard work
you need to put in to succeed fully in a creative industry. It can be done. Go with your gut, or postpone it and
follow what you are doing through first and then re-assess your feelings.

cheers

Rubik wrote: Professionalism easily turns something fun into work which can kill the enjoyment, and being forced into creativity can be a little crushing for some people (me included. I do aerosol and art design for random shit and where it's cool to get money I rarely actually enjoy it like just sketching or having a paint for the hell of it)

This. So Hard.

Being in a Creative Writing Masters program/being a writing teacher has pretty much destroyed my will to pursue my own writing. The business of art is business. The English Department doesn't really care if students learn how to write or not, all they care about is pleasing the big wigs. All they care about is if I'm meeting course goals so they can tell the state "Look, see, we are doing what you said now give us money!"

During my masters program I worked with several "literary" publishers and found out that the academic/literary would of publishing is (like everything else) about who you know more than your talent. A lot of "you scratch our back we'll scratch yours" publishing goes on between universities with publishing houses. It's way for all of them to continue to fake the talent of their tenured faculty.

In fact, the University of Akron (Ohio) English department just sent out a recommendation this semester that we encourage students who we suspect will not pass our course to remain in the course regardless of the fact that they have no chance of passing for whatever reason. The department claims they think it helps them pass the next time around. Regardless of whether or not the latter is true this policy would have several other effects--getting extra money out of a lot of freshmen because they are retaking the course multiple times and because they are earning more failing/low grades a lot of students will eventually take extra "buffer" classes to boost their GPA thus generating more money.

Gotta keep that money machine rolling!

Prolific___ wrote:As a career, outside of becoming a music producer/dj? While that would be awesome, I feel that it's something that if it was meant to be, I wouldn't need a university degree to prove it. I'm currently in my first year at Penn State for engineering, and I hate it. It's not my cup of tea at all. I was thinking about looking into software development, but what kind of other things could I do at a company like ableton, propellerhead, image-line, etc (outside of sales/marketing)?

Get back to studying.
You'll have plenty of time for fucking off later.
That degree is going to open doors that would otherwise not exist.
Just because you get the degree, that doesn't affix the ball and chain of a nine to five.

Also you're in first year... you haven't a clue what your cup of tea is yet.

Alot of nice advice on here, if you want to make money cause you feel you want to support a family then keep doing the course your on. Music should be a hobby really unless you want to work in a studio.
I woke up one day and thought.. making music is such a selfcenterd egotistical way to spend my life.
Im now looking into musical tangible user interfaces for helping people with learning difficulties understand abstract concepts.

As mr grimes jr says your in your first year, explore live and work hard, youl find your path eventually wish you all the best with what you choose.

start a homemade subwoofer career and charge people $200 for each one

make electronic love babies!

Rubik wrote: Having said that though I personally would rather keep the whole music thing as a hobby. Professionalism easily turns something fun into work which can kill the enjoyment, and being forced into creativity can be a little crushing for some people (me included. I do aerosol and art design for random shit and where it's cool to get money I rarely actually enjoy it like just sketching or having a paint for the hell of it)

Playing the devil's advocate somewhat, I write/produce for a living, love it to bits and it's never hampered my ability to write for myself at all.

As for the OP, I'm with the stick with engineering, music as a hobby crew on this one.

Shum wrote:

Rubik wrote: Having said that though I personally would rather keep the whole music thing as a hobby. Professionalism easily turns something fun into work which can kill the enjoyment, and being forced into creativity can be a little crushing for some people (me included. I do aerosol and art design for random shit and where it's cool to get money I rarely actually enjoy it like just sketching or having a paint for the hell of it)

Playing the devil's advocate somewhat, I write/produce for a living, love it to bits and it's never hampered my ability to write for myself at all.

As for the OP, I'm with the stick with engineering, music as a hobby crew on this one.

+1 on Shum's take. sometimes work is just work. And trust me, even the best gigs have tremendous downsides... 4 days of getting off-stage at 3 and getting a 6am flight will wear you out. but if you decide to do music, it's part of what you do.

with that said-- sound design, acoustics research, synth design, music supervision, industrial design... lots of ways to work in music w/o being a musician, producer, or performer.

I took engineering at school... hated it to bits while I was there
Here I am 4 years later after graduating, i'm really enjoying my job and i'm making pretty decent money
And now that I have the decent job and money it makes it alot easier to work on my music hobby in my spare time

I say stick with it and use it to power your hobby