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Re: College--Auditions, double majors, etc.

Author: EEBaum
Date: 2009-01-18 06:12

Voodoo brings up a great point, and I've been stumbling over the same problems over the past few years. Having degrees in both fields, I still tried to pursue both music and computer science after graduation. Combined with a social life and some down time (I burn out if I don't have quite a bit of time to unwind), I began to see my skills in both fields languish simply from lack of attention. For a while, my "day job" (the computer end) took priority, as it will tend to when your presence is required 8 hours a day.

After 8 hours at the office, I'd arrive home drained, more mentally and creatively than physically. Computer science is all about figuring out different ways to put things together, and the last thing I wanted to do was come home and figure out different ways to put notes together. So my music suffered. Writing has been procrastinated nearly to death (down to a piece or two a year, though they're big-ish), and practice became something that happened on occasion.

Unlike voodoo, though, I've found that I can let my computer focus go. I'll always have it to fall back on, to pay the bills if music falls through. But I'm fine doing it only a few hours a week, or not at all. The music would hurt too much to give up, for me. So I have my grad school apps out, and I'll be going that route, or at least seeing how far it will take me. The people at my work have been more than cool about things, and I've gotten myself into more maintenance-oriented than creative-oriented tasks, and have flexible work hours that have allowed me to get back on a regular practice schedule without going crazy.

But yeah, there's no way I could go after both at the same time at the level I want to. I don't regret the double major at all, because whichever I pick to focus on, I can use the other in (I've written tunes and done sound design in my computer job, and I can do all sorts of computer stuff on the music end). But I have to pick one or the other to focus on or I have a combination of regret that I'm not giving proper attention to either, and a complete lack of time to do anything else.

I found it much easier to do two things at a time in college than after graduation.

==

As for "loving music", I "loved music" in high school. When I got to college, I realized that my definition of "loving music" was much more along the lines of "play music for a hobby and like it." And I was content with that for a couple years. Then I actually discovered music and found out what "loving music" meant, and the possibilities of me having a long-term career in computer science were utterly ruined.

==

And as for a music minor and taking classes as a non-major... I initially signed up as a music minor because all the coolest-sounding classes said "for music majors and minors only." It was simply a formality for me to get into the good stuff. Had no idea it would turn into a major. The thought of spending 7 years in college was unacceptable. IMHO, a decision like that may be best made a couple years into college, if conditions allow.

-Alex
www.mostlydifferent.com

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