What are the pros and cons of making it into the music industry?

This is a great question and one that different people will have a variety of answers for. This will change based on personality, but for me (musician and private instructor):

Pros -

1) The further you get in the industry, the more you get to travel with someone paying enough to make it worth it, or paying for the travel itself. That's the best way to see the country/world.

2) Being self employed and making it will instill a kind of pride no other career can come close to providing. Others might go into panic when they get laid off, but you know that you can make a living without reporting to a company.

3) Having tons of audiences give you a standing ovation every month is spectacular. There is nothing like live music, and you get to be in the middle of it every day!

4) The friendships you make and the people you meet. As fun as performing is, most of my found memories come from rehearsals or during breaks because of these interactions.

Cons - No career is perfect. Often times the pros become the cons.

1) Unless you win an audition, you're on the road a lot and will get tired of living out of a suitcase. Traveling isn't as fun when you've been there a dozen times.

2) Being self employed means that nobody is paying your health insurance for you, or dental. You do all of your taxes or pay a lot more for an accountant because you're now a company, not an individual. There's no paid vacation or any other benefits a company would provide.

3) People will always try to pay you less than what you're worth. They shop for cost instead of quality which makes it very difficult to survive when you specialize on quality. This also opens the door for you to be replaced by a CD player.

In the end, it depends on what kind of steady income you can get going and if it's dependable. When things are going well, it's the best career in the world. When things fall apart, it can feel like one of the worst. But these pros/cons are some of many from a freelance performer/instructor perspective. I'm sure the list would change drastically for someone in music education at a k-12 school vs working for Spotify/Amazon/etc, or a music retail store. Try to find people with experiences in the areas of the music industry you are most interested in, as well as people in parts of the industry you've never thought of. Hopefully some people with other experiences can also chime in. Good luck!