Abandoning a good corporate job for music

[chas13]

Something to think about is INSURANCE. Most corporate jobs have benefits that you give up when you work for yourself or part time. It all sounds good to say that you would give those benefits up for the good life. I worked 29 years for a fortune 500 company good benefits and good retirement.

I had a two small children and my wife did not work outside of the home for many year. We needed two incomes to maintain our life style. I freelance as a photographer and made as much freelancing as with my daytime job. Photography began as a passion that turned into a profession. All this put guitar playing on hold. Somehow we survived.

Don't give up your day job.

[lodi_55]

I've thought about it.. Many times. I play a lot of weddings and a lot of corporate gigs. I have to get my act together on the "digital" side of things. But I always come back to a couple of show-stoppers:

1. how many gigs would I have to play (yearly) to come close to my current pay
2. The biggie - do I want my passion to become my profession?

The answer to "1" is "too many". I would probably have to start teaching (never done that) to help bring money in. Not a huge deal. My wife and I could cut back.

The answer to 2 is a big "no". I can't imagine ever going to a gig thinking "here we go again". I played at a small microbrewery near my house a couple of nights ago. My wife, her friends, a few of my friends all came out. I put it up there with my top 3 gigs. I would hate to lose magical nights like that because I was so indifferent as it's no longer my passion, it's now my job.

I have the ultimate respect (and envy) for those who ran with it and kept that passion intact. I just don't think I could do that.

So no, I will stay with the corporate scene and be thrilled every time I gig

[DHart]

Originally Posted by ToneSlinger

Interesting comment. Too dicey for "you" or did you feel the guitarist industry was dicey?

I meant that earning a good living as a musician seemed too potentially difficult to me... a prospect that I decided was a less attractive option than the other opportunities that were available to me. I preferred to approach music as a personal passion rather than as my profession.

[Biddy44]

My limited talent and late start wouldn't have allowed it anyway, but my first guitar teacher dissuaded any thinking along those lines. He made it clear that music is a difficult profession in which to make a living,and he was a highly skilled jazz guitarist who in his 60s was teaching night school to make money.

I'm in a lucrative job that's reasonably fulfilling, and I can spend the time and money that I want on my hobby. At 55 I can choose to retire and take it further at that point. No complaints from my corner, but I respect those whose passion took them in a different direction.

Each must make the best decision for himself. Faced with such a decision as a young adult, I chose the conventional route and I'm glad I did, if for no other reason than the security it offered which I now enjoy. I did not go corporate but chose a profession that allowed me my living and security as well as time to enjoy my music, and even to do it for pay when I wanted. I raised a family, have owned a house all my adult life and am about to enter a comfortable retirement. I can even devote more time to music. What could be better?

I have a friend slightly younger than me who made a different choice at his crossroads. He plays every night (he has to) has never put a dime away in savings and actually dislikes music at this point. He does it because he's got nothing else. He never touches the guitar when he's not on stage, he doesn't enjoy it. He does have the satisfaction of knowing he's never had a real job and he's stayed true to his art. I think in a trade such as that, I'll stand pat.

[GibbyPrague]

I plan to do that in 10 years ...

[frankhond]

For over 20 years I had a career in contemporary art. Pretty successful, showed my stuff internationally, won a few prizes, sold some works. Best of all I got to travel a lot to places I would not think of and met lots of wonderful people. My main income was from art.

Now I'm in the midst of a career change. Sick of low income, no security, high workload, and that my passion has become work.

Not the story you want to hear either I guess. I think it is telling that even tremendously talented musicians like Tony Rice struggle when arthritis or other problems prevent them from performing. I'm not sure anymore it's worth it.

[BBWW]

Yes. Be married and make sure your wife has a heath plan. That is at least a half truth.

Plan on finding multiple income streams. For me teaching didn't do as well at first so I found a good way to supplement my music income was to sell guitars, I developed a long time relationship with Breedlove guitars, I went from endorsing artist and then talked them into allowing me to sell guitars. I also had a long time passion for "The Tree", (Google Quilted Mahogany, The Tree if you don't know of it.) I turned that passion into an income stream with some hard work and a lot of looking. This also opened up relationships with other builders for me.

I teach a little, play as much as I can, I've done a score for a movie and I'm not ashamed to to 40 buck and a muffin gig while on the road between better gigs. Any gig can expand an audience. If I limited myself to no travel, I have very little performance income. I play any venue where I think I can gain a fan. I don't do bars generally, if I do they have a strong listening element or listening room.

Keys are don't leave your day job with DEBT to pay off. If you can have a life debt free it is so much easier…especially with healthcare and a "supportive" spouse. I don't mean that she supports you financially so much as supports your goals. If you don't have a partner and can find health insurance then if you think you can do it, go for it. You CAN have a modest career in the arts. Many on this board have a modest career. If you expect 6 figures, you expect way too much.

Maybe though have a CD or two done while you have a day job. :-) When possible don't put your CD's on a credit card. It will kill you.

PS: I had kids at 20! They were out of the house at forty, I had worked my way through school doing covers in bars, my first wife put a stop to that, even though it was the job I made the most doing…and inflation adjusted it would would be $65,000 a year when she made me stop. The job I moved to inflation adjusted would be $18,000 but I didn't have women hitting on me. (Not much of a problem for me these days) So choose wisely in all things. You will screw up, get over it and live to screw up again. You're a musician, sometimes you will be loved, sometimes not so much.

[LionEyes]

I know several working musicians. They're all darn good. And they all have day jobs too.
It's hard to make a living soley as a musician/vocalist, unless you are lucky and hit it big time.

[Silly Moustache]

I didn't give up my corporate life for music - but I worked with IBM for twenty years and was paid pretty well- albeit for a lot of very hard work - butthey looked after us well.

In '83 I got very ill and went back to work far too early (afraid of losing my job/abilities) and really didn't perform well as I was in great pain exceeding tired and in retrospect - affected my career. It had also denied my playing for ten years.

In '93 IBM realised it wasn't making a profit (I told 'em two years before what was going wrong - that didn't help either) but they set up a Voluntary redundancy programme - offering an severance pay of one moths pay for every year of service, plus legal statutory redundancy pay and an enhanced pension.

I wasn't enjoying what I was doing at the time, and had concerns about how we had changed our business methods, so after fretting over it for some time - I took the plunge.

And then, whilst having more cash than I'd ever had before, I entered my first ever period of unemployment. It was a nightmare, and I'd never waked so hard, but I did start to learn top play again.

Eventually I settled into working at a Quango - managing funds and services for a national programme to help and encourage small businesses.
They dumped me after seven years - again because I didn't easily fit in with the way our then government was misusing the programme, and also because my salary had got too high - so they chopped a certain number and got cheaper people to do their bidding. I worked self employed doing similar work until 2007 and after my heart "event" - which made me rethink about how much more I needed to work.
Being unemployed for three years taught me how to carefully manage money without debt - so I retired.

Never been a pro muso - mixed with the best of them in the R&B boom of the '60s and '70s in London nearly made it but like every other job - there are aspects that are less attractive than one imagines.

I went for the day job. Now I'm old and grey but I run a club and three bands and get out as much as I can - I don't worry about being paid for gigs - I just like to be up there performing.

[Kh1967]

I have thought about leaving corporate as many times as I have eaten dinner. However, as much as I dream about pursuing creative pursuits (writing for me, not music), I end up staying put.

Life is hard enough with money, it is harder without. Not being able to pay bills is insurmountable stress.

My alternative is to suck it up for as long as I can take it, live very simply, save as much as I can, and build enough reserves, so when I do make a move, I am not worrying about my family's well being.

To the OP; sometimes it "takes balls" to sacrifice for awhile to position yourself so you can have your passion and career be as one.

All the best to you and your decision.

[zabdart]

"Follow your bliss." -- Joseph Campbell