Tuesday, February 20, 2007
Rock doc
Dear Pud,
I'm a sophomore in college studying computer engineering. My passion is music, but I wanted to be financially secure. Plus, I'm sort of good at math and physics.
But now I wish I hadn't put so much stock in my fear of being poor, because I absolutely can't live without music. I wish I could drop out right now and form a band and play bass, but my conservative judgement says otherwise.
What do you think?
Sincerely,
Ben
19 years old
St. Louis, Missouri
Ben,
Unfortunately, you don't have what it takes to succeed as a professional musician. Or rather, you have TOO MUCH.
With very few exceptions*, ask any professional musician what they'd be doing if they weren't doing music. The typical answer? "I dunno... working at a gas station? Maybe fast food. I have no idea."
Having a successful career as a professional rock musician is about as likely as hitting the lottery. And when you have math and physics to fall back on, you'll likely fall back on them. It's just so much easier.
Rock on,
Pud
*notable exception includes the singer of The Offspring, who was a Ph.D. candidate in molecular biology when his band made it big. also his old drummer, who's a gynecologic oncologist. may they bring you inspiration.
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