Miguel de Maria -> RE: Would you leave your job...? (Jul. 17 2006 15:42:06)
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Lionel, I empathize with you...my father worked 12 hours a day, 5 days a week, at a job he didn't like. He put two kids through college and then retired. He is enjoying life now, but he worked for 30+ years doing something that had no appeal to him! I admire the discipline, but... I went to school for business administration...got a couple office jobs...wore a tie to work. Then I kind of jumped ship and started waiting tables and bartending! One place I worked happened to be a Spanish restaurant, and they happened to have rumberos playing on the weekends, and it also happened to be a hangout for guitarists to come by and drink after work... Anyway, it seems some people are willing to conform to society's expectations of them. They are willing to go to a job which has little intellectual or emotional value to them and do it for 30+ years. And some people need to follow their dreams, not the path that has been laid for them. Maybe they are the same people, but just a little thing steered each the other way. I made the decision to be a musician and so far it has gone pretty well. You have to be smart about it and realize that it is a business. You don't just go to a commune and wake up and play guitar all day and that's what you do. You have to make money, you have to promote, you have to get networks together. I'm sure this goes for any level of musician, from what I do to what Paco does. I think Ron has a good idea to get an engineering job in Spain. I've seen how the Spanish work--it sure as heck isn't 12 hours a day! More like 5. You'll have plenty of time to practice guitar and soak up the culture. If you practice 4 hours a day and take lessons from the finest teachers, you will probably have a good idea in 3-4 years whether you want to continue. As far as your girlfriend, relationships succeed when the people have compatible values. If your #1 priority is flamenco and her #1 priority is having money to buy Prada, that won't work. But a lot of other combinations will. You both have to compromise some, that's the best way. Shroomy, I hope you go for it. The world needs more musicians, it doesn't need more oilmen. I like to see people follow their dreams because although the way is more obscure, it is not neccessarily harder. What could be harder than 30+ years of hard labor at something you hate? PS (I just saw your new post) Do you have what it takes to be a pro guitarist? the answer is if you have the passion, the desire to be great--if you have the drive to expend the mental and physical energy over a period of years, then YES is the answer! of course, you need 5 fingers, too--if you have that, we're good. Well, actually Django didn't have 5 figners on one hand, so maybe you dont' even need that. There is no guarantee that the job in Spain will be totally easier, but there's agood chance. Especially if it's with a Spanish government or company. Anyway, once you are on the ground there, you can look for other opportunities.
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