Musicians: How To Get And Keep A Good Day Job
In a perfect world, the hard work musicians put into perfecting their craft would pay off in the form of financial security, but as it goes with any arts based career – it just takes time. Most musicians are forced to maintain at least one, sometimes several day jobs to support their dream of being full time musicians. It's important to view this necessity as a stepping stone instead of a road block – lest we forget, the Taj Mahal wasn't built in a day.Getting and keeping a solid day job comes along with it's own set of perks – the kind that may really pay off as you advance up the career ladder.
It's important to nail first impressions by staying focused on the jobs your interviewing for. Your interviewee probably doesn't want to know about all the plans you have to tour in the coming months, but they'd really appreciate knowing you're able to keep the many moving parts of running a band in order, mitigating problems between bandmates, and maintaining professional decorum with the staff at each venue on tour. Odds are, if you're gigging at all, you've already encountered and overcome these circumstances. Polish your workplace appeal with these invaluable tips from Benjamin Wheeler-Harsh on MusicThinkTank.com
"Don’t look at needing a day job as a failure. Rather, it is an opportunity to learn new skills and save up some money for your next push into the music business. Focus on work that will give you a degree of flexibility, including extra time off. Then try to supplement your income with freelance work you can do from any location and on your schedule."
