Well, im not an expert, but i say if there are studios you can apply for, then do that. Show them what you know and your showreel and see what comes up.

You actually have the luxury of having studios around you, where i live in the UK, the nearest ones i can think of are in London, 200+ miles away from me, and since im also only 17, it means i dont have a lot to show off to any studios.

Make the most of whats around you, its hard, but you need to be prepared when oppotunity knocks.

Here is what I've learned over the last 3 years on my road to becoming an engineer. I'm still in the slow lane but I see a lot of people doing things that I don't think will help a *career* in recording.

First of all, you have to be genuinely interested in recording. A lot of people do it as a way into the music biz but aren't really interested in how the process works. I started by buying some software, a small mixer and doing some recording. I got the bass all wrong mostly but I was happy to learn that I had ears at least. At the same time I started a one day a week internship at a studio in Boston. One thing about internships: find one where the engineer is interested in teaching. I got stuck with a shmuck who didn't give a shit about me even though I was ten times more eager than most college student interns. The other thing is don't ask a lot of questions. The right engineer will hopefully explain some things to you after the session. There was one guy there who engcouraged me to take advantage of time in between sessions and just run mics through the board, calibrate the tape machine etc... That was cool. You end up taking a lot away from an internship ala The Karate Kid. Remember Wax On, Wax Off?

After that I knew that staying in an intership, waiting to get hired was going to be a LONG process with slow results so when I moved to NY I built my own small studio. All the while I read everything I could get my hands on. I definately have more practical knowledge than any recording school graduate has and that's proven to me all the time when I work with my bud who went to recording school. He's got way too many rules in his head. I know them, but don't necessarily follow them.

Also, the more usefull you are in a studio, the more they'll like you as an intern too. I started with minimal knowledge and couldn't help out much. If I started now, I'm sure I could be assisting with mixes and doing repairs right away. Buy some small GOOD crap, record some friends and see where it can go. Make friends and get noticed. You'll either start interning, freelance engineering or start you own small studio while working a normal day job. In any case I don't think the challenge is getting into the biz, it's staying and making money. Good Luck,

JC

I'd like to include the fact that time is a very necessary commodity, if you don't have ht etime to be in the studio then you won't get anywhere, if your married, or, even have a full family life outside work you'll find it extremely hard to juggle life, the universe, and everything. but if it's what you want, then as everyone else said before, just go out there and show you're motivated and willing to learn.

good luck

As you say, this is an important life decision:

My advice is (and you won't like it; will dis it and are probably to young to understand the truth of it)

RUN AS FAR AWAY AS YOU CAN

Make it a hobby.

Be forwarned. The music industry as it was is no more. It will never come back. Computers and corporations have distroyed it. Engineer's are becoming extremely irrellavant. Everybody with a DAW believes they are an engineer. The pies are getting smaller.

Forget those studios near you that are always working....they'll want you to work for free. If you really look at the cash flow of those "facillities" there a modest income for maybe one or two people or a tax right-off.
You might as well dream of being a rock star &/or winning the lottery...because the odds of success are seriuosly about the same.

And paying $34,000 to full sail? ha ha ha. Come out to the west coast and give me half that money...I'll get you hooked up at a studio faster than the graduating class that you'd be in AND teach you more....

Really though, you may not believe it now but one day you'll want a life, family, kids (or not...I am assuming). The recording industry has always been tough but not like it is now....
...get a solid career and record on the side.... you'll be happier twenty years from now ( and don't say nobody warned you)

Recordman,

That's the best advice I've heard in a long time :w:

What RecorderMan says, but if you insist.... you should drop everything and move to a major recording center such as LA, New York, Nashville or maybe in your case Miami. You should try to secure an intern position at a major studio that is accommodating national artists / projects. Absolutely nothing else will suffice. Do what ever you asked to do and don't hesitatate to jump in if asked. After you accomplish all of these tasks it's still a crap shoot, a "in the right place at the right time" type of thing. My advise is to study electronics and
computer engineering and record as a hobby...Fats

Yeah...I like the run away as fast as possible solution...lmao

work your ass off...that's the best advice any one can give you....make people realize you are a "team" player. That is the key!
Also what everyone else has already said!
Opus

Video killed the radio, Napster killed what was left of profit, DAW killed the engineer, producer and...... Recorderman said it all (So true), however,... life is short and precious.
I did it for more than twenty five years now. I wish I saved my coin along that way (when times were good) and invested it in things people need like real estate etc. Actually I did do that, made good return and like a passionate artist I bought more gear instead of ? Dam music business is our burden in life eh? If we don't do what makes us happy what do we have left? We need to survive and in the end a family means more than it all. Your children become your greatest creation. Now I have a new child coming (number 2) and what I will most likely do is use my skills and studio to produce music for me and my children. Teach them how important music is but to be realistict about it all. If my music doesn't sell, I don't give a dam. It's for me and I don't expect to ever get signed or be famous. This way there are no dissapointments. I'm not a failure, I'm a musician with a cool studio and a life.

I do believe a new day will come though where we can sell music again. I would love to brain storm on this subject. I've wanted to do this here for some time but I think the reality of this subject keeps most of us from talking about it. At 20 who cares, at 40 you know how hard it is to make a good song heard, it's a lot more than being excellent. Successful business is necessity, luck and hype.

I believe we are in a new era, the days of "big Studios" IMO are slipping away. The computers are taking over jobs that need more than two people to make it happen. Everything is becoming self contained including this business. Where it goes from here I don't know but music will always be here. More tunes will be created. The big question is how do we make money at it?

Cheers

audiokid,
IMO the only way street level guys like us can make any money in recording anymore is in song and talent development. I'm fortunate enough to have managed to secure a few contacts with record labels along the way and to have sold some projects to them. That's the only way I see anything happening. For example... a label I know of in a far away land likes to buy original projects in a certain genre mainly for the publishing rights. They will promote the product and put it out into international distribution but they really only want the songs. If I can find the right artist with enough original material I can get a lable advance of 7 to 10 K if they like what they hear. The trick is to convince the artist to sell their songs to the publisher. I can't tell you how many times I have had a conversation with a songwriter explaining the concept of 70% of somthing is worth more than 100% of nothing. Songwriters all think they have written the next "Yesterday" and are reluctant to part with it. I am guilty of this too. The most foolish thing I ever did in regards to this was turning down a home town aquaintances offer to follow him to LA and record a song for him I had written. I was afraid the guy was trying to get his hooks into my songs and I was overly protective. A couple of decades later he is in LA and is the owner of one of the major recording studios in the southland. His name? Skip Saylor. My name? It doesn't matter, you wouldn't recognize it anyway...... Fats

Geeze guys, you paint it pretty bleak/black.

I wanted to be a rock star when I was 20 too... didn't happen (surprise!) but when I got out of school I got a gig (with my marketing degree) at Diskmakers. They taught me bin loop mastering and from there I worked in a voice-over studio and got some enginneering chops. 10 years later I opened my own studio and have been at it for 13 years now.

I have:

A life
A family
A (mostly) 9-5 job doing sound
A profitable recording studio

I don't have:

Gold records on my wall
Groupies
Gak habit

In my spare time (and at my choosing) I record music projects. I just finished an CD last month.

ChisS, think about what will be "enough" for you to feel successful at what you do. If you need star status, the recording biz may not be for you. There is a lot of competition for the high profile jobs. However, if you like gear, have the chops and want to make a living recording... have a go at it, there is plenty of opportunity for somebody with talent.

Good luck man, and in the meantime see if you can get an internship!

Chris. Follow your dream. It's not the destination it's the journey there. If you have talent and commitment you will get to where you want to be. The computer has changed the recording industry forever but they still have to be operated by humans. Computers don't write songs and nor do they engineer them. They don't have ears and they don't have emotions.

Become an engineer then a producer and then a talent spotter and hitch a ride.

Good luck

we sound like a bunch of jaded burnouts Nothing wrong with a bit of reality now and then, that being said, ya! If I never followed my heart I would have never known the world of music like I do. "an artist goes out into the world, experiences things and comes back to his table and reports them to people through different creative area's like dance, painting, music, stories, comedy etc. If an artist isn't allowed to feel and express the things we see and hear, life would be quite one sided". We are so lucky...

Follow your heart.

I highly recommend reading this book. It helped me realize what I was and why I do the things I do.
The Artists Way

This is the big question that all young people ask....How do I do it? There have been many reply's to your question Chriss, what do you think about what you have read so far? I have been working in and out of the music/live production/recording bizz for all of my adult life and a good bit of my teen years. Some of it full time and some more with a full time job on the side (as I like to put it). Worked with Major act's, companies and small time stuff to, I did go to Full Sail (1997 grad) and I got some education there.
College is just to get you started, don't go to college expecting to go strait to the top. Many very good tech's have got a long way just by working there way there, and you will work for free at lest once. (likely more than once) I think that one reply stated that you need to find the right studio to intern at. This is the most inportant thing, you have to be alert and a fly on the wall. If you do get that great internship and you get to be a part of the creative thing, rember that is just that (creative) so be carful what you say and do.
If you think that you need to be apart of a team then learn how to work with others, follow rules and protocall's. You may not like what some guy (who ever your working with) is doing but you should look watch and learn as much as you can. Education can be a good tool but I feel that I learned more working for a lighting company than I did at school (I like and support my school). If you want to go that way you might want to think about some education in a related area aswell. A room mate I had in college had a BA in Recording Arts before Full Sail's degree, after he graduated from Full Sail he was hired right away by a major film company and got to do some work on a big movie. He did work for a good while (haven't talked to him in a while) for small money but I'm sure he's doing better by now.
I know what your going thru, I have a 20 year old son and was once that age to. The bottom line is you must really want it and willing to work for it.

good luck
Raymond Ward
A.S. Recordig Arts

yes...and then there IS the long hard cold reality that the music industry has become. It has changed drastically in the last 2 years. Period. Those hoping to make a long term career would be very well advised to have a second back-up carrer if their sole intention is to be only an engineer. Those with the requisite talent to be a step up the ladder ( writing/arranging/producing & engineering) are where the buisness is now looking for it's next generation of careerists. They (the marketplace,bottomline,ect) want people that can do it all.
Now this is NOT to say that you cannot make a living in this industry, and the scenerio I'm painting is in transition. But I live and work in LA. Arguably the busiest center of recording in the world (although people love to take shots at us). Nowhere else is there the amount of Album/Film/TV, etc infrustructure located to keep people working. So....if what I'm saying applies here...believe me it's coming to a town near you.

So ...get an MBA...make a bunch of money and do it as a growing hobby on the side. Maybe then, with a hit, you can make your mark.

Lastly....if you REALLY have drive, talent and Luck, then all my advise is just a sobering hurdle to jump over by those that have the it ...and won't quite...although for some the choice is made for them no matter how hard they want it.

The great lie of our society if that of no-limits.
Unlimited growth, and the illusion that if you want it bad enough and work hard enough you will reach you dreams. Well....you don't get there by trying, but there's not room for everyone that wants to be in this buisness.

MORE POWER TO YOU.

...and on the lighter side of the news.....
:c:

I love engineering. Love it. Thank god I'm good at it, or at least have success at it. If people at the labels thought I sucked, and never hired me, well, I'd make demo's on 4 track cassette recorders after a long day of lawn maintenance. I don't care what format I'm stuck on, be it tape, DAW, or adat (well, okay... maybe adat).
Don't goto Full Sail. It's too expensive. Goto a cheaper place, like the conservatory if you feel a need for education. Your true education will come your first year in a studio environment. Aligning tape machines, Digital clocking, signal flow, transfers, effin' up, getting yelled at for effing up, etc... THAT'S where I learned most of my skill. I'd suggest trying to get on with a good studio. Move where there ARE good studios. Most sailors don't live in Kansas. New York, Nashville, LA, London, Tokyo, etc... Good studios usually mean good gear, and good gear usually means good engineers like working there. Assist for the best one you can find. They will be your Yoda. If you get stuck assisting for a crappy engineer, be able to identify the crappy element. Drums don't bang? Overcompression? Tone deaf? Non-creative? etc... And try not to fall into the same traps. Study tape op. Read Mix and other trade zine when you take a dump in case you run out of T.P. And if you don't love engineering, please do everyone a favor, and quit. Most engineers out there DON'T get paid ish.

Originally posted by e-cue:
I love engineering. Love it.

me too, me too. EXCELLANT positive rebuttal to my doom and gloom. very good points. Just the sort of advice for someone that has the drive to get past the picture I paint. A good choice can only be made with all the options... :c:

Ahemm,
There is nothing wrong with painting a picture of doom and gloom about the state of employment in the audio busisness. It's how it is. A standard aproach to students, interns and up and comers; be as negative and discouraging as possible. That way only the ones who really have the fire for it will stick. Might as well weed them out asap. I think the recording business is going to continue to downsize into the home studio. National recording acts, movies, ads and television is where comercial audio is headed IMO. Music is going to be recorded in personal studios because that's the only thing musicians can afford anymore. As a player your lucky to get $50 a night working in clubs. How is the local band going to be able to record a 10k demo on that kind of pay? Videos, MTV, online chat and home viewing of movies have stolen the night club scene audience from the bars and there is just not as much work out there for musicians anymore. This all affects the mid level commercial studio operations, forcing rates up to compinsate for lost business and aggravating the situation. Or the studio owner lowers rates to attract more business and ends up closing the doors because they can't pay for maintaince, tax's, good engineers etc. I don't mean to be a Gloomy Gus but newcomers should know the facts. The dedicated recording engineer is a thing of the past. The ones who will be sucsessful are the ones who have a masters in business or a law degree, arrange music, play piano, guitar, bass and drums, produce and engineer. Get a home recording rig, learn as much as you can about music, computers and electronics. Get an MBA. Learn to earn money. It won't buy happiness but it will make being misirable a lot easier. Fats

Checking these posts I see NY, LA, Philadelphia, England, Australia and North Carolina all represented. What the guys have said is true, every bit of it. Your original question was about making a "major life decision". The hardest thing I ever had to learn, or at least, the lesson that took the longest was and understanding of the word "happy". It's life, liberty and the PURSUIT of happiness. So what makes you happy? What will it take in the future?

I thought I wanted to be a "star" so I put a band together and played central Texas clubs in the '70s. Decided after a couple of years that that life didn't make me happy after all. So I concentrated on writing songs and sending 'em off to Nashville. Dropping them in the trash can would have been a cheaper way to do the same thing ... the results would be the same. At the same time, I ENJOYED making the demos so I kept doing it ... proving that sometimes you don't really have a choice, something within you won't be denied. I went through at least 20 years of the "misunderstood artiste" game ... and then I finally changed my focus from MY material to other people's material (and trust me, there's TONS of great music still being created in Central Texas) and found I enjoyed recording (and sometimes producing) others. Maybe this will never amount to a hill of beans. Maybe one of the acts I work with will get a break and we'll sell millions of records. Or we'll have a demo picked up by George Strait or Bonnie Raitt and turned into a monster. And maybe monkeys will fly out of my butt ......... the point is, one time a couple of years ago as I was pondering all these "maybes" I suddenly stopped and realized that something totally unexpected had happened ... I was happy. The pursuit was over.

So whether it's wife and kids (I have a wonderful wife), money in the bank (I ain't got squat), a flashy car (mine's 12 years old and needs work), or a nifty little project studio in what used to be the garage ... a studio that is turning out better and better stuff all the time (which is what I've got now) ... the biggest question you're ever going to face in life is "what's it gonna take to make me happy?" You don't necessarily need to be in the recording capitals of the world, but you DO NEED to be somewhere where there's lots of talented people who are interested in the same thing you're interested in. The people who gravitate to the music world are incredibly entertaining ... especially if you like your entertainment a touch on the weird side.

Good luck Chris.

Guys, guys, guys!! Come on, now. Let's broaden the scope of what's possible in this industry.

I have a degree in music, was fortunate to intern with an incredible studio in New Orleans with a talented, "come here, let me show you this" minded engineering staff. I had big goals of being a big time music engineer in a big studio. But then I took my first job, loading cassettes here in Denver (not exactly a music studio hotbed). A broken leg put me in a wheelchair for 3 months, which allowed me to move into our studio, the start of a lot of good things for me (breaking my leg was the best career move I've made so far).

Now, here's where I find myself:

1. Recording/broadcasting audio for corporate webcasts.

2. Recording VO's with high profile talent for local, regional, and national radio/tv spots and shows.

3. Doing freelance camera and utility work for all of the local pro sports teams for in game entertainment screens (Jumbotron) and for highlight reels (sometimes on Sportscenter).

4. Recording music when the opportunities arise with my own gear.

oops. I didn't mean to write out a resume or toot my own horn there. I just wanted everyone here (esp. Chris) to realize that "recording" and "audio/video" isn't just about music. There are tons, I mean TONS of opportunities that exist in recording and audio/video outside of the music industry. I'm having a blast doing the things I do. Think about it, every single blurb on the radio, tv, hell, the voice in an airport shuttle train, was recorded somehwere by somebody. The work is out there. And that's the stuff that really pays. Joe Schmoe and his string band are all too often short on cash anyway.

Not to mention the fact that the latest a VO session has kept me in the studio was about 7:30 PM,. :D :tu:

Chris, go for it. But take ALL of the advice mentioned above. Just take those music blinders off and let things roll. You might be surprised where it takes you.

One more thing I've thought about since that last post:

Hands down, the internship, paid or not (most likely not), is the most important aspect of a start in the business. But several posts here have recommended making sure that you get into an environment with engineers who are willing to teach. While this holds true, that statement as it stands alone places the burden of teaching (and thus learning) on the engineers in that studio, which shouldn't be the case at all. They'll only teach if you have a strong desire to learn, and that's a desire that must be demonstrated on your part. I made it a habit early on in my internship to sit at the back of the room with a notepad and a pen. Throughout sessions I would compile a list of questions to ask the engineer afterwards. It was an effort that paid off in many ways. You gotta show a love for this stuff (engineering) for anyone to be willing to share a little wisdom with you.

Not very profound, but noteworthy, IMO.

Dear Chris,

I shall call them like i see them.

I am known for this.

Just like my Father, I do not believe in politics.

Recorder man can kiss my ass!!!!! He appears as some "WANK" on the internet, without an identity.

If you want it for the music, bust ass! Never give up! Use your ears! (also "ALWAYS PROTECT YOUR EARS") If you have the passion and the talent, you will make a living.

If you want it for the money, "There is no money in the music industry." (A quote from a very good, talented, and successful man.)

I went to Full Sail, in 1984. I completed the basic course, and I started working in L.A. I had one major advantage; I lived here with my parents. I had two major disadvantages, I was 18 which in '84 was very young to be in a studio, and (for those of you who know) nobody wants to hire an attorney's son to abuse as a "Go-fer", especially when said attorney is a legend.

When I started, a degree in recording engineering did not existent. I took any class that could possibly have anything to do with The Reording Arts and Sciences.

Education is important!

If the music industry is really your passion, go for it. I had an engineer or two ask me if I finished my homework for my next class in the middle of a session.

There are a lot of wonderful people in the music business. We care about the music.

It is hard work, long hours, low pay, and very fulfilling (if you LOVE it)!

However, you may not want to listen to me. I am just some guy who was recording digitally at 100kHz and to 2" a dozen years ago, and I am not terribly impressed at the current "leaps and bounds" of the technological marketing.

Back to the salt mine. Music for life!

------
RADAR

P.S. What should somebody do if they have a dozen years of samples and recordings at 96kHz? (not me, just some guy who is truly a mad man)

don't let the music die

i'm 23 and doing the same thing.

1. GO TO REGULAR COLLEGE. get a good liberal arts degree. major in something you love. not engineering. do that as much as possible on the side with as many pros as you can. live sound [w/ear plugs!], radio, etc.

1. A. avoid recording school like the plauge.

2. move to NY, Nashville, LA.

3. Live somewhere with yr friends dirt cheap.
get an internship.

4. get noticed. get a GA job, or something in client services.

5. keep busting yr ass.

6. you can make money in audio post. people with ad budgets have money.

have a back up plan. again, please spare yrself the agony of doing this full time unless you love it. you will find out really quick while interning.

good luck, god bless.
--o

LOOKING FOR INTERSHIP

I AM A SERIOUS, PASSIONATE AMBITIOUS AND TEAM PLAYING CANDIDATE FOR AN INTERSHIP ANYWHERE IN THE WORLD. I CURRENTLY LIVE IN MONTREAL CANADA AND HAVE RECENTLY GRADUATED FROM RECORDING ARTS CANADA...I HAVE A LOT OF EXPERIENCE WITH PRO TOOLS, MPCS, PATCH BAYS, NEVE CONSOLES AND DIGITAL CONSOLES SUCH AS THE DB8 FROM MACKIE..PLEASE CHECK OUT MY WEBSITE AND MUSIC AND LET ME KNOW IF YOU KNOW ANYTHING, OR ANYWHERE I COULD FIND AN INTERSHIP...THANK YOU

http://WWW.SOUNDCLICK.COM/C4ENTERTAINEMENT

kid_capri@hotmail.com

Ya know...I've read a million reasons why I shouldn't try making audio my life choice, but I'm going to do it if it kills me. I'm 22 years old, I don't know shit about shit, but I do know that life is too short to worry about what how much money I'll have in the bank when I'm 50 and if audio is going to put that money in my pocket. I could die in a car wreck tomorrow driving my miserable ass to school for a degree in a field that I don't give a rats ass about.....or......I can wake up, set up my gear, get paid jack shit by a lame local band, and at the end of the day go to sleep knowing I'm doing what I love to do.

Just 2 cents from an ignorant but determind idiot.

there is no set way to do it you have to go out and work and put all you can into it its not always about what you know or who you know thats only part of it now getting in the music industry is luck it is all about being in the right place at the right time so take that go to fullsail do whatever you want and just do what you love dont let these people tell you its not gonna happen or next to impossible because if you love doing it and it is supposed to be it will happen just go try to fix there coffee for them(intern) and work your way up from there

I would like to say something about roads , Im not a sound engineer really but a musician.
There are two different roads that crosses eachother all the time and that sometimes you take one , sometimes you take the other and sometimes you take both.

The one is about motivation and why you want to do what you do and what is passionating you. What you like or apreciate And It is important that you have a wheel on that one most of the way.

The other one is about the world , other people and limitations like styles money and public oppinions.
This road it will be hard not to take so you might as well find some motivation there.
No freedom without limitation.

But it can go into an extreem.

Ive seen alot of musicians and soundengineers trying so hard to please the demands of the public opinions of how it is supposed to be according to...
Untill they forget what motivated them and become bitter perfectionists....
If you meet these people they are like vampires on your motivation so take care , sometimes they are even teachers, so keep your eyes on the music.

Im into learning too , and the best advise to a student will be to hang with people that are good what you want to learn and catch every detail of what seems to be working.

If you are to be soundengineer the first thing I would get is a Fast Computer , some professional software, and a good pair of Studio Monitors

Follow your passion, follow your heart. If you can make a career out of it you will eventually give advice about how hard it is, like Kurt and Recorder man, but deep down they know they would not have done anything else with their life, nothing else would have made them happy.

I know some dudes that went the mba way, quit music and went into the business world... guess what, now they are middle age and they are back into music doing weekend gigs and wishing they would have done it (music) from the begginning. If music is in your heart, and you are a music man nothing else will do. sorry, your heart is taken. I don't care what anybody says. if you are a true music man and you quit music to pursue the world you will be unhappy, guaranteed. and we'll see you in your middle age hauling amps to weekend gigs...

I think I agree with almost everything that has been said in response to your question. Different strokes for different folks. There are many opportunities out there,especially when you consider television, film, commercials, etc. In my short experience those people seem to have more normal lives than the music guy in a studio at 2am on a Tuesday :) If you encounter alot of negativity and cynicism, don't take it personally. You'll understand it oneday. For engineers working in music, there isn't much difference b/t Monday and Saturday, 10 in the morning or 10 at night, and you will never "master" the job and the work never ends. Add some hit records and some big checks and these feeling will lessen a bit. Until you have to make another hit to pay that mortgage :) If you are still undetered by all the comments you've read, then good luck and we're proud to have you onboard.

Don't know how spiritual you are kid, but if you've been to Church or Sunday School a few times then you've heard the story of the the 3 servants and the master (The Parable of Talents). The master left his home to three servants. Each servant was given a different amount of talent (money). The master left for a period of time and returned to find that two of the servants were productive with their talent and actually produced more than was given. The one servant that was not productive buried his talent; therefore, he was scolded by his master(Matthew 25:29). A lesson to learn here is this.... GOD Almighty put a special thing in every Man when he was created. And to deviate from it will bring you a lifetime of regret. The good thing is that youre at least conscious of your desire and are ambitious about it. 90% of the people in our society are simply clones; they have no true identity so their personality becomes an amassment of bullcrap assembled from excessive television watching. Make a decision kid and do what you are going to do and you'll find out what's right for you. Life has a funny way of purging and reinforcing.

i think the whole DAW at home thing is going to die out when people realize their stuff is not as good as they think it is. the internet went through this in the past 10 years and people know better now. only the most hardheaded people throw up a frontpage site for their business, most know to go to someone who knows what they are doing.

what im saying is, the thrill will die down, the only people left will be hardheaded idiots who wont get anywhere, or the people who persisted through it and actually LEARNED how to correctly use their tools. the downside to the internet thing is, theres a lot more web developers in result of what happened, but theres still market out there.

i agree with the career statements, at LEAST have a backup plan if you do go all out. my main career goal is my band, as well as audio engineering. but.. im MAJORING in web design. if everything fails, i can always get a job as a web designer. not just that.. but i wont need to pay someone to build a band website for me, and i can build sites for other bands as well. so even if i never have a job as a web designer, i will still be making very good use of the skill. any degree you get will teach you skills that will be valuable at some point or another.

i wouldnt go so far as to tell someone to ditch a career in the music biz and take it up as just a hobby, but i will say find what your true passion is, then find something else you like to back it up.