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Path to a great job in the music industry?

I've looked into several different jobs in the music industry but was wondering what sort of path I should be taking in order to set myself up for the greatest chance of success. #music #career-path

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Ken’s Answer

Congratulations on wanting to have a job in music! It is a very broad field with many opportunities. The most important thing for you to do is to find the application what matches with you and your personality traits, so that you have the maximum opportunity to be enjoying what you are doing.


Getting to know yourself and how your personality traits relate to people involved in various career opportunities is very important in your decision making process. During my many years in Human Resources and College Recruiting, I ran across too many students who had skipped this very important step and ended up in a job situation which for which they were not well suited. Selecting a career area is like buying a pair of shoes. First you have to be properly fitted for the correct size, and then you need to try on and walk in the various shoe options to determine which is fits the best and is most comfortable for you to wear. Following are some important steps which I developed during my career which have been helpful to many .

Ken recommends the following next steps:

The first step is to take an interest and aptitude test and have it interpreted by your school counselor to see if you share the personality traits necessary to enter the field. You might want to do this again upon entry into college, as the interpretation might differ slightly due to the course offering of the school. However, do not wait until entering college, as the information from the test will help to determine the courses that you take in high school. Too many students, due to poor planning, end up paying for courses in college which they could have taken for free in high school.
Next, when you have the results of the testing, talk to the person at your high school and college who tracks and works with graduates to arrange to talk to, visit, and possibly shadow people doing what you think that you might want to do, so that you can get know what they are doing and how they got there. Here are some tips: ## http://www.wikihow.com/Network ## ## https://www.themuse.com/advice/nonawkward-ways-to-start-and-end-networking-conversations ## ## https://www.themuse.com/advice/4-questions-to-ask-your-network-besides-can-you-get-me-a-job?ref=carousel-slide-1 ##
Locate and attend meetings of professional associations to which people who are doing what you think that you want to do belong, so that you can get their advice. These associations may offer or know of intern, coop, shadowing, and scholarship opportunities. These associations are the means whereby the professionals keep abreast of their career area following college and advance in their career. You can locate them by asking your school academic advisor, favorite teachers, and the reference librarian at your local library. Here are some tips: ## https://www.careeronestop.org/BusinessCenter/Toolkit/find-professional-associations.aspx?&frd=true ## ## https://www.themuse.com/advice/9-tips-for-navigating-your-first-networking-event ##
It is very important to express your appreciation to those who help you along the way to be able to continue to receive helpful information and to create important networking contacts along the way. Here are some good tips: ## https://www.themuse.com/advice/the-informational-interview-thank-you-note-smart-people-know-to-send?ref=recently-published-2 ## ## https://www.themuse.com/advice/3-tips-for-writing-a-thank-you-note-thatll-make-you-look-like-the-best-candidate-alive?bsft_eid=7e230cba-a92f-4ec7-8ca3-2f50c8fc9c3c&bsft_pid=d08b95c2-bc8f-4eae-8618-d0826841a284&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=daily_20171020&utm_source=blueshift&utm_content=daily_20171020&bsft_clkid=edfe52ae-9e40-4d90-8e6a-e0bb76116570&bsft_uid=54658fa1-0090-41fd-b88c-20a86c513a6c&bsft_mid=214115cb-cca2-4aec-aa86-92a31d371185&bsft_pp=2 ##
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Paul’s Answer

Hi Mehika! I love everything Ken has to say on the topic. Here's my 2 cents to add on.

1. You need to define what your goals are. "Music Industry" is incredibly broad, and can mean a thousand things. Some things can be accomplished right where you live; many cannot. For example, if you want to be the next Lady Gaga, you're not going to do it in Simpsonville! (No offense to your town, I'm sure it's very nice.) You would need to move to a major center like LA or New York to get things moving. BUT if you wanted to run a local theater, you may have one very close by.

2. Get experience. No offense to my educator friends - I've been a college instructor myself - but the music industry is mostly driven by experience, NOT formal education. That being said, if you have both, you will be a very attractive prospect for future employers. And start now, don't wait. Find out what opportunities there are in your area: community theater, high school musicals, local bands, etc. You can never start too soon.

3. Network, network, network. While you're getting that experience, you're meeting people. They learn who you are, how talented you are, how easy you are to work with, etc. Your next job will often come through someone on your last one. Meet people, remember them, and be the kind of person that THEY will remember.
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