sloop_john_b wrote:
Meanwhile, I work in the construction industry for ****** money while my friends who chose useful majors are buying homes and worrying far less. Ask Collin about this.
I don't know if you are actually seeking advice or just wanted to start a thread for the hell of it, but MAN, please consider a useful major. Keep music as your fun side hobby.
Sage advice here, Jake. Not sure if you were looking for any advice in this thread, but those of us on the "other side" are glad to give input, if it can help at all. Picking a career path is one of the toughest decisions you'll face in life.
I spent years in college and I changed my major about four times before settling on English. I completed that degree, only to add on a double-major in Communications (PR), which extended school another 1.5 years.
I was into writing and language, but it would have been hard to get a proper job with an English degree alone, so I added another degree that could compliment my first degree and broaden my skill set. It worked and I had a job right out of college at an advertising/PR agency.
That doesn't mean that I worry less than others, and I have to deal with the stress of the corporate enviroment, but at least I get my bills paid. Plus, I can turn to music and guitars to help escape the rigors of working life.
My dad would always tell me, "don't mix business and pleasure, son." I think he was saying that making a career out of your passions has the potential to ruin what you love. I wouldn't say this is true for everybody, but you need immense dedication to pursue a career in the arts, with the possibility of it never paying off. The key is finding that happy medium of something you're good at, that you like doing, that pays your bills and allows you to pursue interests that you're passionate about.
Regardless, it's great that you're going to the next step in your education. Heck, you could major in basketweaving or bowling and the experience and knowledge you get from GE courses alone are still an invaluable resource. Knowledge is power!
If you have solid, long-term goals for music composition, and want to make that your career path, then go for it, but if you are choosing this purely because it's the only thing that interests you, give it some real thought. I have plenty of friends who have expensive degrees from high-end universities in theater, film, fine arts, music....and many of them have enormous student loan debt and work at the mall for $9/hr, or they're unemployed. That's just a huge waste, IMO.