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Had to make a career choice recently.

Mark Wilson

Mark Wilson

Supporting Member
Jan 12, 2005
13,006
556
39
Toronto, Ontario
Disclosures
Endorsing Artist: Elixir® Strings
#1
Waddup OT.

Some of you might know me, and some of you might not. But I need a place to type this out and kind of make sure i'm making the right choice.

I work. A lot. As we all do.
I play. A lot. As we all do.

However, a lot of my friends have been moving up and I feel as though i'm not. Friends of mine now playing gigs I dream of; Alessia Cara, Shawn Mendes, etc. And I feel so close, but not close enough.

I love cooking, but I'm exhausting a lot of energy into something for JUST a pay cheque, and I can't do it anymore.
So, I went from 50+ hours of work in a kitchen to a max of 20. Two shifts a week. 10 hours each. It starts next week, and I am taking a huge pay cut to focus my energy on music.

Has anyone else had to make a choice like this? How did it turn out?
 
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#2
I am in the midst of a situation sort of like yours. I turned down a full time job with excellent benefits in order to start my own business. Walking away from a healthy paycheck was not an easy decision.
So far, it's going good for us. I'm not making as much as the job I turned down, but I'm also not working 40+ hours a week for someone else.

-Mike
 
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#3
I had a job that I really liked and was good at, but it was 50-70+ hours/week. It was making me miserable because it was the only thing in my life.
Being miserable and having no life eventually resulted in my termination.

Now I only work 30-40 hours/week, but I absolutely hate my job and barely make enough money to get by and feed my GAS. Overall, I am just about the same level of miserable.

Nope, I can't figure it out.
 
#5
I was working 60+ hours a week for a large corporation managing a crew of 18-24 people. It was a horrible place, lots of politics, deceit and backstabbing.
Quit that and started a wholesale bakery, something I love. People loved my products but I am a lousy business man. Had that business for a year or so until I ran out of the money I had put aside. Sometimes I worked from 3 am until 9 pm and got up the next day and did it again. I loved every minute of it and have no regrets.
When I was done I went back to my old trade in telephony but not in management. I was much happier.
 
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#12
I'm retired now but man was I ever lucky in my working years. I fell into several very good jobs related to computers & computer gaming (I was in IT, not design). I mostly looked forward to going to work every day. This fostered a good attitude on my part, which lead to movers/shakers taking notice, leading me to even better positions.

But it wasn't always about money. In 1990 I quit a $70K job in California, cashed out of a house with some money, moved to Oregon with no firm job lined up. Found a decent IT job paying only $27K but worked hard. In 3 years one of that company's clients hired me for a little more money. It was a dream IT gig in computer game development. Took a few years but worked my way back up to the $65K level.

Blah blah.

I guess my main point is if you enjoy your work, and do it well, the right people will notice and that opens other doors for you.

Well it did for me. Again, I know I was very lucky. But good attitude and good work ethic will help you a lot in getting where you want to be.

Jeez, re-reading my post, it may not make much sense. Apologies & Disregard if that's the case.
 
#14
Money isn't everything, but is still essential. Finding ways to supplement your new income with semi-flexible work would help.
eg. small online business, teaching a few motivated students, well-paid casual work in a friends' business when things are quiet, etc.

Also, develop a financial plan that will ensure you can maintain the lifestyle you want ie. more time & energy to play music. Anything is possible, so go for it.

I work my butt off Mon-Thurs, & doing two gigs this weekend. Livin' the Dream!!
 
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#15
Mark Wilson said:
Waddup OT.

Some of you might know me, and some of you might not. But I need a place to type this out and kind of make sure i'm making the right choice.

I work. A lot. As we all do.
I play. A lot. As we all do.

However, a lot of my friends have been moving up and I feel as though i'm not. Friends of mine now playing gigs I dream of; Alessia Cara, Shawn Mendes, etc. And I feel so close, but not close enough.

I love cooking, but I'm exhausting a lot of energy into something for JUST a pay cheque, and I can't do it anymore.
So, I went from 50+ hours of work in a kitchen to a max of 20. Two shifts a week. 10 hours each. It starts next week, and I am taking a huge pay cut to focus my energy on music.

Has anyone else had to make a choice like this? How did it turn out?
Click to expand...

Unless you try, you'll never know whether a career in music was meant for you. Consider it a sabbatical. If it doesn't work out, go back to your previous career with good memories and new experiences.
 
Last edited:
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#17
I've never been more than "don't quit your day job" good at music so I haven't. Though I'm at the point where I seriously need to start planning for retirement from said day job.
 
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#18
I lost an incredibly cushy graphic design job when MCI went bankrupt. I used my severance pay to subsidize an apprenticeship in a woodworking shop where I made $7 an hour.

Fast forward a few years, and I had networked my way into a cooler job with better pay (prosthetic fabrication), and the skills I had picked up along the way allowed my wife and I to buy and restore a historic farmhouse largely by ourselves and now I work part-time building leg braces and full-time on our farm and raising our family.
 
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#19
When i became unable to do what i'd always done for a living, i converted a couple of hobbies into for profit ventures. It didn't completely make up the lost income but it keeps the wolf from my door. Maybe you've got a hobby you can convert in to a part time job?
 
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#20
Mark Wilson said:
Waddup OT.

Some of you might know me, and some of you might not. But I need a place to type this out and kind of make sure i'm making the right choice.

I work. A lot. As we all do.
I play. A lot. As we all do.

However, a lot of my friends have been moving up and I feel as though i'm not. Friends of mine now playing gigs I dream of; Alessia Cara, Shawn Mendes, etc. And I feel so close, but not close enough.

I love cooking, but I'm exhausting a lot of energy into something for JUST a pay cheque, and I can't do it anymore.
So, I went from 50+ hours of work in a kitchen to a max of 20. Two shifts a week. 10 hours each. It starts next week, and I am taking a huge pay cut to focus my energy on music.

Has anyone else had to make a choice like this? How did it turn out?
Click to expand...


Well, I tried to steal a gig from this Canuck I know, but it didn't work out....
 
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