School rant/seeking advice/whatever

So I'm basically asking everyone I know about this, or whining to them about it. I'm graduating from Community College with my AA soon and I'm really interested in music business. Problem is, not many schools have this as a major. I can only find this one, Musicians Institute, which teaches a 30 unit 6 month program. It would cost me about $10,000 not including living fees, books, etc. When you graduate the course, all you get is a certificate. I could always just major in Business at a University but my best friend is doing this right now and she tells me all about her projects and it just doesn't really seem to be what I wanna focus on.

There is a guaranteed internship, so something could come out of that but it's not a guaranteed job. So I'm just worried of finishing the course, not having a job, being $10,000+ short, and just having my AA. I don't know what to do I really want to have a career in music, but this seems like a huge risk for me. But part of me is saying do it, and the other part is saying don't. I'm torn. Advice?

This may or may not help.....but when I was working as a sound guy, I was working with this old guy who actually owned a huge production company that worked all over, and he was hanging out with me, smoking, and telling me how he remembered being my age, and doing all the bitch work I was doing, and how it led him to where he was......anyway....

He said that he's worked with a lot of guys who have graduated from those schools where they teach you about production and recording and all that, and he said that without fail they are useless. The best thing in the world to do, if you want to do something, is to do it. It'll probably be harder than just going to school for two years, but you'll actually get experience, and people will actually want to hire you because they know you've done stuff instead of read a book about it.

So take your AA, take a couple of classes, go to a uni and get a BA in music theory or anything at all, and spend your time working in studios. Volunteer. Get people coffee. Find some studio nearby where they'll let you just wind up cords or sweep the floor. DO what you want to do. It's cheaper, and you might even get a paycheque to do it. It's win/win. In two years of actually working in music you seem more impressive on paper than someone with a degree who is looking for a real job in a studio somewhere.

That's true, I could always go to school for business or communications stuff and then in my spare time volunteer anywhere I can. It just seems like going to that school I could get the connections that I need but in the long run it wouldn't help me? I dunno But thanks for writing all that out, I appreciate it. It's nice to hear other people's opinions on it.

lex wrote:

That's true, I could always go to school for business or communications stuff and then in my spare time volunteer anywhere I can. It just seems like going to that school I could get the connections that I need but in the long run it wouldn't help me? I dunno But thanks for writing all that out, I appreciate it. It's nice to hear other people's opinions on it.

You should try to make connections where you can. And to be honest, I don't think making connections with professors or students will help in the long run. Best to go out and get a job doing stuff. Or if you can manage school and working at it, but unless you can put in full time and a couple of hours overtime to get the work done, you probably won't be doing it right.

....God, I'm such an old man.

Smoke weed and sleep 'till noon! I forgot to add that.

Yeah I could go to our local venue and see if they have any spare jobs. I love wrapping cables, no joke. We have competitions in my recording class with who can wrap the fastest. It's pretty lame. It sucks though because I'm pretty shy, and not the type of person to go look for something, I just wait. But I'm working on that! I'm trying to be more outgoing and stuff, it's hard shit though.

go to SDSU and major in Music Business (like what Andrew has his degree in) and then, we can hang out and be BFFs

My friend works for Adeline Records and Pat's Management Company/Record Company and she started off as a summer intern. I'm sure there are rad labels you could intern at over the summer to at least get your foot in the door. Look into it.

*cough* asian man records *cough*

impact wrote:

go to SDSU and major in Music Business (like what Andrew has his degree in) and then, we can hang out and be BFFs

They have that major? Sweeet.

i've run a label/production company for over a decade. don't major in music industry. if thats what you want to get into... major in business, and intern as a couple labels. The "industry" is a horrible mess right now and no one knows what the hell is going on.