I could be a doctor, I guess. The only time that ever even crossed my mind is when I was mid-series in "Grey’s Anatomy" on Netflix. I could be a lawyer. I could probably even be a teacher, I'd be alright at it, but I'd hate every minute.
I’ve spent my entire life hearing the “encouragement” to pursue a “reliable” career. I put “encouragement” in quotes, because I perceive it as the total opposite. I’ve never taken a liking to people telling me what I should be, whether they believe it’s for my own good or not. So when it came time for me to start deciding what was for my own good (which happened pretty early on for me, thanks to my trusting and supportive parents), I chose a path that I have never once regretted.
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I’m currently about halfway through my undergraduate studies at Berklee College of Music in Boston, Massachusetts. If you told the me from three years ago that this is the way my life was going, I’d believe you. If you told sixth grade me about the path post-sophomore year of college me is on, I wouldn’t question it for a second. If you asked kindergarten - sitting on the toilet, singing, until my legs fell asleep and there was a line outside the bathroom at daycare - me what I wanted to study in college… I would have said music.
Kindergarten me had it figured out.
But, seriously. I’ve always been so lucky to know what I wanted to do. And sure, unexpected things happen, and things end up being harder or easier than I thought they’d be. But I don’t question where I am and what I’m doing. I’m one of those spiritual types that believes the universe will balance itself out and that everything that’s happening is supposed to be at the right moment.
So, it’s always been such a pet peeve of mine when people have told me that music isn’t a reliable career option. I’m just like, excuse me? Who do you think wrote, recorded, sang, played, promoted, produced and mixed and mastered the songs they play on the radio every single day on your commute to work? Who do you think manages these crazy hippie musicians and books their gigs that you pay money to see? Who do you think wrote that super catchy jingle that you can never get out of your head?
Adele’s music did not just fall out of the heavens into your earholes, even if it sounds like it did. Led Zeppelin did not just decide to pick up some guitars and play a couple casual stadium shows. Beyonce didn’t decide, “Hey, I think maybe I’ll just headline the Super Bowl Halftime Show tomorrow night?”
I’ve mostly heard people try to steer other hopefuls away from careers in the arts, rather toward things like medicine or engineering. Applied sciences like these are considered to be more “reliable,” right? Just because someone goes to medical school, doesn’t mean they will be a successful doctor. Just because someone goes to law school, doesn’t guarantee a successful career at a law firm or a shot at the presidency.
I firmly believe that no field is more important to a functioning society than another. I’m also just going to take the opportunity to point out that my job wouldn't be so reliable if I didn’t put in adequate effort due to a lack of passion and commitment. I’d rather be financially struggling while doing something I love that is self-fulfilling than doing something just for the comfort of living luxuriously.
Everything takes time, everything takes dedication.
