The problem here is that he isn't learning any of those topics; he TOOK music.
This is not a great time to be looking for a job -- particularly with a
liberal arts degree. My suggestion is to look for a practical application
for that degree (e.g. teaching, not playing in a band).
indeed, I can see a band being a hard bargain at the moment, but its still something I want to do. In the meantime I'm seeing about maybe journalism, music therapy, or radio and television broadcasting as possibilities. I have a degree, so its a good base to put a master on when I decide what I have to do.
4th - Work on interviews. Nail your dress, appearance, how to act, and all that stuff. Plenty of stuff online. Get a blue suit and a good pair of black dress shoes.
I have a black tux, black suit, black pants, tie, black shoes, etc. My interviewing is clean, humble, and courteous. I'm looking into maybe editing my resume (seasonal employment for the last 5 years may need some revision)
Ummm... to the OP, you graduated in the middle of a recession. There are no good jobs. Any job is a good job under these circumstances, just keep your head above water till things gradually turn.
Not making friends, well, that's definitely up to you. Think about what you're interested in and go to the places where other people interested in that hang out. Books? Volunteer at your local library, join a reading club. Music? Go to open mikes and jams, buy someone from a band you like a drink. Religion? Pick a church. Outdoors? There are lots of outing clubs and things out there. A lot of those can end up with networking opportunities for careers too (a member of your book club is getting married, she needs a band to play the reception...).
well, in the middle of a recession I almost kept a job bringing in 36.5K so it couldn't have been that bad. I do have to look into the money ops and see where the best places to play out are. I'm currently seeing about learning acoustic guitar to sort of "hold my own", as any Joe Guitar plays acoustic and has a repertoire of songs he can play that will grab a few extra bucks.
That's well put...although this is not technically part of your education, it's a service provided by most institutions. Many people never make use of the career center or related services - but they definitely should! Training in interviewing and job-seeking is a real asset, and job listings that come in through the institution are worth pursuing.
I mentioned about 5 times now I've been getting career counseling and job seeking counseling.
theater and cruise ship work if you can. It's work for someone who can read, and it's one of the most likely places for horn players to find work. There is actually a lot out there.
Cruising is definitely possible. Two things concern me: 1. as a horn player they want me playing 3-4 instruments fluently (flute, clarinet, trumpet, AND sax, for example. I don't think they would gun for a horn player that just so happens to play bass.). 2. I'm concerned that its going to become a gig that I'm sucked into and that when I reach my older years (give or take twenty) that I may just be ejected once again without another employment opportunity. That being said I've applied with Royal Caribbean and Carnival. Carnival, the time back when I did apply for it, gave a pretty strict phone interview. Hopefully I'm going to be able to see about it.
Huh? Did you mean to write that you were "not one of the few students flailing like a paraplegic"? Or do you think that "flailing around like a paraplegic" is a trait that makes for a good conductor?
Thanx for notifying me of that, Febs. That was an error. "was one of the few students NOT flailing" was the intention in my words
