Should I quit my job in order to progress?

B

bbbcsd87

Feb 18, 2012
9
0
4,591
Philadelphia. PA.
#1
Hello. Currently I am a music performance major and I go part time. I work 5 to 8 hour shifts as a custodian (a job I don't particularly like), practice 3 hours a day (bass guitar and double bass) and I have to include time to study for my academic courses which are a required for me to get the degree. :crying: I am having the hardest time juggling work/education/practice. I have no time to myself at the end of my days. Sometimes I barely squeeze in time to practice because I find myself needing to rest. :atoz: I really want to be top of my game but I am finding myself slowly dwindling away into hopelessness due to my schedule that leaves me no time to embellish my talents the way I want to. Should I resign from my job? I do not intend to be a custodian for the rest of my life. It is killing my motivation. :help:
 
#2
Have you spoken with them about possibly lowering your hours? At least that way you'll still have income and will have more time for studies and practice. Usually an employer will work with people when it comes to education.
 
#3
Yes. I work for the Postal Service, which is more and more becoming a sinking ship. They will not lower my hours. They have offered for me to resign. This is a non-career position and they pay me half the amount they pay the regular custodians hourly-- same responsibilities though. They lay me off after my year is completed -- every year. I am never entitled to wage raises and I don't foresee myself becoming a regular employee with their 5 year continuous hiring freeze for permanent employment. With all of that being said I don't know if I want to sacrifice my progression for a unsatisfying job that will probably end as soon as they need to make more cuts.
 
#4
bbbcsd87 said:
Hello. Currently I am a music performance major and I go part time. I work 5 to 8 hour shifts as a custodian (a job I don't particularly like), practice 3 hours a day (bass guitar and double bass) and I have to include time to study for my academic courses which are a required for me to get the degree. :crying: I am having the hardest time juggling work/education/practice. I have no time to myself at the end of my days. Sometimes I barely squeeze in time to practice because I find myself needing to rest. :atoz: I really want to be top of my game but I am finding myself slowly dwindling away into hopelessness due to my schedule that leaves me no time to embellish my talents the way I want to. Should I resign from my job? I do not intend to be a custodian for the rest of my life. It is killing my motivation. :help:
Click to expand...

Here'a a reality check since you asked--

I hear you and I don't expect you to be ecstatic about a "temporary" job. BUT sorry, join the rest of us adults. Don't throw away an income unless:

a. you have another job that is not as physical and pays the same or better.
b. you have a girl friend willing to support you,
c. you are a trust fund baby, or can live on your parent's couch for the foreseeable future.

One of those options I hope is better to you than others..
 
#6
You are indeed facing a classic dilemma. It is a challenge to be in school, work, and practice to become the artist of your dreams. Most young musicians have this obstacle to overcome. Many fine musicians have worked for the post office. Ideally, getting paying gigs to replace your day job is a great goal. Early on, I worked in restaurants, doing mowing and litter maintenance for a small town parks department (lots of time to think about music and be outside!). Later on as I gigged more, I would supplement my income working temp jobs for an agency. I could call the agency between gigs when the money was getting low. Since the only skills I had were music related, manual labor was what I got called for mostly. The hardest of those was clean up crews for construction and worse still for me was unloading box cars. I remember very well when I quit my last day job in a copy center to play music full time!! At that point I was playing 4-5 nights a week and living very frugally within my means.
If you are able to think about music and practice in your head during your day job, you have a good job. If you can listen to music during your job that is even better! Keep practicing and plugging away at school. It can be hard, but if it were easy, everyone would do it!
Good Luck!
 
#8
Lynn Seaton said:
You are indeed facing a classic dilemma. I remember very well when I quit my last day job in a copy center to play music full time!! At that point I was playing 4-5 nights a week and living very frugally within my means.
If you are able to think about music and practice in your head during your day job, you have a good job. If you can listen to music during your job that is even better! Keep practicing and plugging away at school. It can be hard, but if it were easy, everyone would do it!
Good Luck!
Click to expand...


Lynn, sorry to take you out of context, but I just wanted to hone in the 4-5 nights per week playing.

BBB, I agree it's great to play a lot in the beginning and hone your chops as well as your endurance. Be wary of getting seduced by easy money from bar bands and such. It's not always about the money. If you want to be a serious artist, you may not find a lot of gigs. I did the 6 nights a week for a few years in a road band up in Alaska and Canada when I was younger as well as 13 years in a semi local classic rock band. That was a grind even then. I knew some people who moved to the Nevada circuit and never came back. Look, if I must play out that much, stay local.
My take is to try and keep the job for awhile. Maybe look for something else less depressing and allows you more music time.
There's some great advice on this thread. You'll find the right path, but research this first before any quick decisions. You gotta eat too, buddy!
 
#10
10 years ago I'd have answered this question differently than I'm about to. If you love music and want to make it your life, quit your job. Period.

This is what was told to me 10 years ago, but a very well meaning artist I was performing with. She did exactly that, and she now earns a decent and secure living playing music. All the people I know who earn their money playing music, whether their income be $20,000 a year to $100s of thousands (and yes, I know quite a few doing that), all quit everything else and made music their number one. Anyone else I know, including myself, who put some other money making thing in front of music splits the income at best. Meaning they either wind up doing music as an avocation, or earn very little musically. At the time I was doing best in my life musically (touring and living mostly off music income), music was top priority. As soon as my day job started requiring more time, the inevitable happened. I'm off for the summer right now, and seriously reconsidering all I've done in the past 5 years. I may very well be taking my own advice here in a couple of months... music has always been most important to me. In the few months I have off here things (musically) are already starting to move into high gear, rather quickly too. Anyhow, it's a tough decision, but I think it's best to get clear early in the game.

Do you want a clear and secure path, a settled lifestyle, a wife, kids and storybook family most in life (not that you can't have a wife, kids and music)? If so, hang onto the job. Or do you want music more than anything else this world has to offer? If you want the latter, then make music your life. It's a giant leap of faith, but one that from what I've seen always pays off.

One important note, from what I've witnessed in musicians I've known over the past 30 years. Hard working professional musicians, who don't get involved in drugs, pot smoking, and heavy drinking, generally wind up happy and content with their careers as musicians. All the ones I know (who have been at it for decades) who ARE involved in the party scene wind up bitter. I can say that almost 100%. Some of them earn their living at it, but they're not fun people to be around or work with. And I wouldn't want to live in their shoes.
 
#13
Have you explored financial aid at your college? Are you over 24, or maybe its 26, and considered an independent student? What I learned, going back to a university in mid life, is that there are opportunities even for grants for adults who were working, generous tax credits for being in school, up to $1000 per year, and, of course, loans, although I say that in a guarded way. I actually received grants that pretty much paid my tuition and nice tax credits. If you have not already, fill out a FAFSA for next year. There may or may not be something available to help, but it is worth a try.
 
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