I, too, had the dream of pursuing music as a career back when I was a teenager. After graduating high school, I noticed that all my older guitar buddies (excellent guitar players) were all living out of cars or off a girlfirend. Hmmm. Further, I went and saw this no-name band from Seattle who just killed, doing everything musically I wanted to do. And they could not even get a record deal from any one. Again, hmmm. It was then that I decided to get an electrical engineering degree. I thought that would be a good living and ... besides ... these are the guys that design all that music gear we love. Boy, was that the right move. While it never panned out in terms of crossing over to music (due to my personal choice), it opened the doors to lots of money and some great careers ... while my old guitar buddies were working just above minimum wage wherever they could. For you, you can have both ... go to college with a pre-law major with a minor in music or better yet sound engineering. See where it takes you ...

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Laughing out loud with fear and hope, I have a desperate plan ...

People who think they are musicians are a dime a dozen the ones that can make a living to get through life, RARE

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The strongest reason for the people to retain the right to keep and bear arms is, as a last resort, to protect themselves against tyranny in government.

Thomas Jefferson

Hello folks
new member from the outside world stepping in

Irishmike ... if you can't stand blood the doctor thing is resolved.

All I can say is that if you focus on the things that bring you joy and if you picture yourself where you want to be and EXPECT that the facts of life are going to bring you the chances to get there... you're gonna get there!

What parents usually do is try to avoid that their children go through the same mess they did not understanding that they just contaminate them with their own fears.

It surely is wise to have a backup plan as said before and I am sure that you're good at things other than music... so let me tell you that you can do more than one thing at a time and you can focus on music and you can focus on another subject that resonates with you and that according to society's standards is going to make you a living.

I never had problems with blood, needles etc ...have always been fun stuff for me.. but don't ask me to study that stuff
Don't ask me to study law neither.

But the stuff that I'm passionate about I never studied on books and friends always come to me for advice because a stroke of genius is often around the corner.. and just talking.. ideas and solutions come up like magic

Anyways aren't there new groups coming out every now and then..? there are more occasions today to get out there and be known than there were only ten years ago.
Don't you see people around you that everything seems to go right for them?
And people that everything seems to go wrong?
People that end up in the same kind of relationships?
People that make money in the craziest ways?
People that have degrees and do not find a job?
People that follow society standards and are broke?

It's all about the mind. It's all about your beliefs

Do the easiest thing for you that makes your parents quiet and gives you a backup plan and in the meantime get the most out your music moments.

I'm getting carried away here but...

My life changed dramatically in the last year and it all started when I realized that we are all selfishly motivated in almost every aspect of our life and that anything you want in life is because in the having of it you think you will feel better.

So aren't your parents asking you to do something because it would make them feel better? But who told them to be worried anyways? Can't they just believe that you will find your path and manage your life in one way or another? and be happy about it?

When I stopped worries about the debt my family was in, and I'm talking about be worried as a lifestyle, things started changing almost instantly.

Being worried does not improve the events that surround us. And it didn't get me more money. I said to myself I had to stop it. Just stop it! I am doing all I can do. The day has so much hours and I need to sleep too. I was already doing everything possible plus being worried from the moment I woke up till I got back to bed.
I slowly gave it up.. I distracted myself with the passions I thought I could not afford because 20 or 30 bucks here and there are not going to fix my debt but they could gimme a break.

2 months later an ex colleague called me with a job opportunity that doubled my income! how crazy is that!
But most important - why did it happen now?

I better stop my chatting.. so good luck and be understanding with your folks.
They're only human.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T1g3ENYxg9k

Yeah but personally I don't care if I am playing on stage, being a producer, setting up the guitars or whatever as long as I'm in the music business setting and making a living

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Guitars: Hamer Daytona, 1995 MIJ Fender Tele, Squier Bullet Strat, Dixon Se, Fender Acoustic

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100000428444940

me, i've always wanted to be an indian chief. i'm satisfied to work in construction and pay my bills. music is a passion but i'll never support my family playing guitar. do what you enjoy as long as you can pay the bills.
i've grown fond of the roof over our heads. that's what makes me get up every day at 5 in the morning.
the older i get, the more i know my parents were right. most of the time anyway. wisdom is a cool thing.

i AM GOING TO make my living as musician... i dont care if i have to play 3 gigs a day every day, have a job at taco bell, and live with a room mate in a $#!t apartment... its what im doing; its all i really enjoy

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Favorite bands:

Melvins
The Jesus Lizard
Cows
Big Business
R***man
Minutemen
Flight
Minor Threat
Big Black
Shellac
Karp
Scratch Acid
Wipers
Pixies

Parents just want a secure future for their kids, not a risky "dream" where most people who follow that dream cannot adequately support themselves. It's easy to "dream" when someone else is paying for the roof over your head and the food on the table.

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"Life is like eating jalapenos. What you do today may burn your arse tomorrow"

+1, i dont care about what other people think, i am doing it no matter what. I'm gonna move to america, as thats where all the good record labels are, make a band and rock out 24/7

EDIT: Actually, take that back. I'd love to become a grunge musician, but the only thing holding me back is my dystonia. At the moment i cant even play, its killing me.

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riley

Just a note ... if you are working at Taco Bell, then you are not "making a living as a musician". That is EXACTLY my point I was trying to make earlier ... If you are going to do something on the side for money, why not do something that PAYS real well? And nothing opens doors and gets the pay rolling like a 4-year college degree. I got my EE degree specifically because of the ties to the music industry. For the youngling who mentioned that their parents want them to be a lawyer, let me tell you ... the music industry is full of lawyers. My point is that there are a zillion ways to be in the music industry that allow well-paying stable jobs besides the guy who is on the cover of Guitar Player. And, for the most part, your amount of education is porportional to how much you will make. That is why I strongly recommend getting a 4-year degree in something, but perferably pre-law, pre-med, business, or anything technical ...

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Laughing out loud with fear and hope, I have a desperate plan ...

Well said 01GT. And Floyd, you HAVE to think long term. three gigs a day and a fast food job is do-able in your 20's (it's pathetic but it's do-able). But in your 40's you'll more than likely be homeless and living out of a shopping cart. I've seen it happen.

Try the music as a living thing, but don't put all your eggs in one basket. Get an education as a back up plan.

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"Life is like eating jalapenos. What you do today may burn your arse tomorrow"

Chiming in again....

The other thing about being an artist is, a real artist really just has to do their art, whether they get paid for it or not. So, being an engineer, or a physicist (I'm both), or an accountant does not keep you from pursuing your art. It might keep you from becoming "famous", but again, if you're doing it to be rich, or to be famous, whatever it is, you won't be happy.

I'm happy doing rocket science, I'm happy practicing my guitar. But if I'd gone into any of them for the sake of making millions, or winning a Nobel prize, or playing the Astrodome, I'd be miserable - and probably not as good at what I do.

i know i SHOULD go to college, and part of me says to, but im just to lazy... i know someones going to say "then how are you going to do the fast food job and tons of gigs?"... its hard to explain... i want to do that... college and school in general just arent my thing

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Favorite bands:

Melvins
The Jesus Lizard
Cows
Big Business
R***man
Minutemen
Flight
Minor Threat
Big Black
Shellac
Karp
Scratch Acid
Wipers
Pixies

If you don't want to go to college, and have other careers in mind, that's fine. It's a sad fact in our (American) society that college degrees are required for jobs that don't need a college education.

The important thing is to find what you don't mind doing for 8 hours a day - but understand that a vocation and an avocation are different. You can be passionate about a hobby, but still not want to have your paycheck dependent on it.

I like art, music, and track and field, but I also know that if I had to do any of them to put food on the table, they'd lose their glamour.