KVR Audio

arkmabat · Post by **arkmabat** » Sat Dec 06, 2014 5:19 am

Hello, so I'm sort of going through a midlife crisis in my twenties. My belief system has been completely switched around. I dropped out of college programming. I want to work on music more but I currently work mon-fri just to pay the bills (I'm single with roommates). I could move to another state with higher minimum wage, look for a better job... I need advice though. How do you guys support yourselves and make music? How do you find energy to work when you feel drained out? Should I try and be a coffee boy for an audio engineer? I don't know what I'm doing with my life. KVR is the only constant in my boring, everchanging struggle for survival.

woggle · Post by **woggle** » Sat Dec 06, 2014 5:32 am

no point putting this here

cryophonik · Post by **cryophonik** » Sat Dec 06, 2014 5:43 am

Yup, I'm with woggle. Go back to college, get your degree (maybe even a grad degree), and prepare yourself for a career that will support you, your hobbies, family (if that's the plan), etc.

DJ Warmonger · Post by **DJ Warmonger** » Sat Dec 06, 2014 7:07 am

If you dropped programming and now want to work for minimum wage, there's certainly a flaw in your plan

Programming is not only well-paid job, but also can be helpful in music production.

mutantdog · Post by **mutantdog** » Sat Dec 06, 2014 8:27 am

I had what you might call a mid-twenties crisis myself a decade ago. I basically threw away my career i had worked toward since 15, quit DJing and went travelling. I don't actually regret it as there were a lot of other factors at play (depression, drugs etc) although with the benefit of hindsight i may not make the same exact choice.

Incidentally, i am currently working minimum wage knowing full well that i could do better, however i work 3 days a week doing 12 hour shifts. That gives me 4 days to focus on music and a part-time maths degree. Right now that is best for me. I can't tell you what you should do, but if you feel you need some sort of change then maybe you should. I'd always say try not let money dictate your life choices any more than necessary.

werp · Post by **werp** » Sat Dec 06, 2014 8:54 am

I've had a mid-life crisis once a week since I was 12. I figured you can't have had a full and meaningful life without one and I'm a stickler for accuracy.

My dad has a couple of maths degrees (he thought there was safety in numbers) but he never could add up his golf score card properly.

The OP should develop some kind of decent career so he doesn't wind up washing dishes or directing traffic at age 70 in order not to be evicted from a rented premises.

I'm in the process of evicting a family that is over six months behind in rent and it isn't much fun....but, my own kids are my priority, not someone else's.

kelvyn · Post by **kelvyn** » Sat Dec 06, 2014 9:12 am

It's extremely difficult to find happiness if you are not being paid for what makes you happy. Maybe college is a necessary evil that in the long run will put you in a position to attain the goals and therefore the peace of mind that you desire.
JD Salinger once told a young author to write but not publish - he understood that happiness comes from loving what you do and that being in a constant flow of creativity without external input was how he wanted to live, much like the artist Frank Auerbach - It's an admirable goal and one that more people should strive for, but it's easy to say when you don't have to worry about paying bills. I suppose having an obsessive character helps with regards to working days and creating when you are not.
It's a very difficult question to answer but like most things the solution lies deep within yourself.

Me! I would suck the sour lemon for a while and then see what my options are.

Good luck and fortitude...

woggle · Post by **woggle** » Sat Dec 06, 2014 9:21 am

no point putting this here

Doug1978 · Post by **Doug1978** » Sat Dec 06, 2014 9:23 am

Some excellent posts above, especially woggle's.
Our economies and job markets (at least in my home country, the UK) are up the creek at the moment, and it could well get worse before it gets better.

Not sure if the OP has a degree, but as a native English speaker with any degree you can travel the world and teach English abroad - particularly in Asian countries.
(The Japanese and Koreans etc just want to see a certain level of dedication to study from their potential teachers, rather than a specific English-language related degree per se).
It might also be possible to teach abroad without a degree, though the jobs and agency support will be much harder to find.
Teaching abroad is ideal for anyone in their 20s and even early 30s (like me), as it gives you a chance to enjoy a new profession whilst exploring new countries and yourself etc.

Moving away from that (and I'll try to stop sounding like an advert for English teaching, sorry!), many degrees and higher education certificates are worthwhile but only (clearly) if there is some hard-nosed benefit to the outlay of cash at the end.
Some industries rely on degrees and relevant experience, whilst other jobs don't require such a higher level of learning but want to see employees with initiative and drive.

It might well work contacting a few audio engineers to see if they're looking for work experience / coffee boys etc.

Perhaps a change of state would prove fruitful.
But there is also a lot to be said for being around family and long-standing friends (if you're lucky to have supportive ones) during these difficult times.
It is much easier to have increasing mental health problems when you are isolated.

Even if you find yourself 'stuck' in your current setup for the foreseeable future, there are ways to bust out.
Evening college courses, membership of a sports or hobby club, going out and meeting new people etc.
The trick is somehow to still feel human and not stuck in a box.

(Not sure if any of this post actually answers the OP!)

Turello · Post by **Turello** » Sat Dec 06, 2014 9:43 am

Oh guy, do not complain too much, I'm (a 33 old) unemployed and the only thing I would be rich should be the time instead (busted sleep, coffee, cigarettes, 0 inspiration to compose etc etc) ...
... If I can give some advice ...
... Use the weekend to calmly concentrate on your projects ...
20 years should be a good age and stay here is better than taking drugs, alcohol or others bad ways (especially if you can meet gentlemen as Werp or Mellotronaut)...
Do the coffee boy is not so bad, sure better than do the bricklayer (my work), is the first step to learning live a lot of things...
Personally I am a serial reader and I read a lot but, whatever you do, try to do something constructive... I know times are hard but, hold on!
Good Luck Guy!

PS: Increase\rediscover (live) communication!

RunBeerRun · Post by **RunBeerRun** » Sat Dec 06, 2014 2:57 pm

College is excellent, security. At least then you can relax.

arkmabat · Post by **arkmabat** » Sat Dec 06, 2014 3:33 pm

Thanks for all the input. I honestly don't know what I will choose but this helps a lot. I'll finish this year as planned but start making new plans for next year.

Tricky-Loops · Post by **Tricky-Loops** » Sat Dec 06, 2014 4:21 pm

Whenever I worked full-time, I had enough money to buy some stuff but not enough time to use it.

Whenever I didn't have a job, I had enough time but not enough money to buy the right stuff.

Now I work part-time and I neither have enough money nor enough time...

Shortly said, if there are only worse alternatives, at least don't choose the worst of them!

Septimon · Post by **Septimon** » Sat Dec 06, 2014 4:39 pm

I guess the way to go is to get a job that gets you enough money, even if you reduce hours. (I know, that this is not easy, but maybe going back to college will help. There is a huge need for programmers, at least here in Germany.)
If you can afford it, I would recommend anybody not to work fulltime.
And yes: making music with others is just awesome compared to sitting in front of a screen.

debra1rlo · Post by **debra1rlo** » Sat Dec 06, 2014 4:49 pm

eh, now that I am older, I wish I had not listened to everyone who told me to go to college when my heart really wasnt in it. I wish i had gotten in my VW van and played music and toured, etc. I am fortunate now to get a second chance to make music at a professional level, but not everyone is so lucky. I try not to have regrets in this life, but if I do, not following my muse earlier in my youth would be one of them.

As far as a "real career" yeah, probably has to be done but no reason it can't be something you like. If you really have the drive to make music, yeah intern at a studio or take some audio production training classes. Local colleges and community theaters need people to run sound, lights, etc. for productions, there are lots of opportunities out there.

What should I do with my life? (How to have more time for music.)