Blog 1

My name is Paul Busch, and I have been performing in live bands since 2008. For most of that time, I have also been making my own solo music. Recently, I have shifted to making solo music with split screen video, showing myself performing each part. I compose an instrumental track, map it out in a DAW, record, mix, and master, and then edit the video and put it all together. I am studying audio production at SAE Institute Glasgow to increase the quality of my audio, and because learning about audio is a passion of mine. Improving on this hobby is my primary goal, and is now inevitable. Regarding future careers, I have 5 ideas. Each of the following was chosen because I know that it is both attainable and something I would enjoy doing day-to-day. I have organized the 5 possible career paths into two categories: “Be Ya Own Boss”, and “Workin’ for the Man.”

Be Ya Own Boss:
1. Rehearsal Space. Get a bank loan, get a building, get some drum sets, and rent out specific weekly time slots to local bands, so they have a place to be loud. In addition to this, I can be on hire to do recording, mixing, and mastering, at an additional hourly rate.
2. Equipment Rental. Get a bank loan, and get a ton of equipment for live sound. Keep it in my house, do all the paperwork and communications from home, set up a website, and be available to hire to do live sound mixing. Reach out to local venues, town government, churches, anywhere that needs live sound for music, speeches, poetry readings, karaoke, school dances, anything.
3. Repair from Home. Get some more education in reading circuitry diagrams (I will talk more about my background in electronics repair in the next blog), and possibly get a degree in electrical engineering after I’m finished with Audio Production, and build a home workshop for repairing audio equipment. Microphones, mixers, keyboards, guitars, anything. Also get a travel kit w/ soldering iron and all the tools I’d need, get a utility van, and be able to drive to what needs fixing. Contact local venues, churches, schools, anywhere with sound equipment, and be a one-person-company.

Workin’ for the Man:
4. Refurbish. Get more education, a degree in electrical engineering once I’m done with Audio Production, and work for a manufacturer refurbishing some specific audio equipment– keyboard, mixers, guitar pedals, anything. As I will state in my next blog, I had a very similar job recently. The perk of a job in the “Workin’ for the Man” category is that when I get out of work, I can put it out of my head, and all the time put into it is paid.
5. Post Work for Video Games. Get a steady full-time job doing post-work for video games (or audio-books). Work comfortably on a computer (possibly even from home).

Pro’s and Con’s of each category:

Be Ya Own Boss
Pro’s: The profits are my own, and the schedule is determined by myself.
Con’s: Needing bank loans and/or additional schooling. A lot of time spent working will not be paid, particularly during the setup stage. Keeping everything sorted will undoubtedly add stress to my free time.

Workin’ for the Man
Pro’s: Every hour worked is paid, and when I clock out, I don’t have to think about work until the next shift.
Con’s: Having some CEO benefit more from my labor than I do(most of the time). Having to stick to the schedule made by the company.

One additional consideration I would like to add, in contemplating these possible career paths, is citizenship. When my programme at SAE Institute concludes, will I want to stay in the UK or move back to the dumpster-fire that is the USA? Some of these career options will be more compatible with a work visa than others, and that will be a big factor in choosing one of these 5 career paths.