# Best jobs for supporting your music career (being in a band etc.)



## Metalus

I've heard retail and call centers are good, and substitute teaching. I've heard good things about best buy. They give leave of abcenses if you're in a band. AT&T also seem to pay well at their call centers. Thoughts?


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## RickSchneider

You could always look into freelance tech work with repairs or engineering or something if you have the equipment and ability though it may not be as reliable as a source of income


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## in-pursuit

RickSchneider said:


> You could always look into freelance tech work with repairs or engineering or something if you have the equipment and ability though it may not be as reliable as a source of income


 
I don't suppose you know of any places in particular to look for that sort of work? I'm actually doing engineering at uni at the moment (electrical/computer engineering). I suppose recruitment agencies or something of that sort would be the first place to look?


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## Ninjahat

Become a drug dealer/get a drug dealer freind


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## Luke Acacia

When I was managing a music store I had the world in my palm. My band would jam in the shop at night once it had closed and just plug into random amps instead of lugging our gear around and being around guitars all day wasnt a bad thing. Most of my job was to service guitars so I would always have my gear 100% perfect all of the time with new strings on all of my guitars pretty much weekly and because we delt in second hand gear also, I picked up some fucking awesome bargains before they would even hit the floor.
Other than the pay, that job was amazing for my musical "career".


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## Stealthdjentstic

The best would be real eatate. You can work for only 6 months a year if you wanted and still do well over 100k a year. But if you're a retard you can still probably make like 40-60k.


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## TemjinStrife

Not law.


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## Drew

TemjinStrife said:


> Not law.



 

Honestly, I wouldn't recommend a call center job or a part time retail job or anything. Will you have a lot of free time to pursue your band? Yes. Will you have a lot of money to support your band? No. And being able to afford gear and practice space and printing up signs and fliers and studio time or gear and everything really does make a difference. 

Obviously there's a tradeoff here, and you're not going to be able to focus on a band if you're spending 60 hours a week working your day job. But there are definitely compromise positions - I do finance stuff, and there are a lot of entry-level and slightly above positions that will give you a good salary as well as a good work-life balance. I've moved past the point I think where I doubt I could support a serious band with the hours I put in at work (the CFA changed that, unfortunately, haha), but I still have plenty of time to play and record music for myself, and I've got a gear whoring budget that I could have only dreamed about back in college. 

The most important benefit of finding a good "real" job with a decent salary but a good work-life balance? Realistically, 99% or more of all bands never go anywhere. Five years down the road, you'll be either a big, rich rock star (very doubtful), or you'll be calling it quits and moving on with your life. At that point, what would you rather have, five years of well-paid professional experience and the knowledge and aptitude that comes with that, or five years of answering phones?

EDIT - and this isn't a knock at YOU, like I don't think you _personally_ can't make it. I just think that it's worth bearing in mind that the odds are so catastrophically stacked against you making enough money to live off as a band that a little bit of planning around that probably wouldn't hurt.


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## iRaiseTheDead

I heard (from my friend) if you work at Guitar Center they allow you to take off for shows/gigs and tours


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## Metalus

iRaiseTheDead said:


> I heard (from my friend) if you work at Guitar Center they allow you to take off for shows/gigs and tours



Yeah I heard the same about Best Buy. I gotta re apply for both jobs


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## iRaiseTheDead

Metalus said:


> Yeah I heard the same about Best Buy. I gotta re apply for both jobs



Heard that man! Best of luck!


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## Soubi7string

I work at Amazon
best job, EVER for a musician.


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## iRaiseTheDead

Soubi7string said:


> I work at Amazon
> best job, EVER for a musician.



How does one do this? I'm in need of a job!


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## Metalus

I too am curious about this. Spill it bro!


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## Wrecklyss

I couldn't really recommend a good job, but don't become a mechanic. Your hands will be too fucked up to hold a guitar pick much less play a guitar. I worked as an Ironworker for about 6 years. Pay was good, got off early afternoon, weekends off (unless they were paying time and a half, but if you already had plans, the boss understood). Is only good when there's work though. 

Maybe military, but your will have to meet musicians on base to play with (actually happens quite a bit). Pay isn't great, but living expenses are so low it's not hard to save up some good money.


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## Metalus

Being a musician is a tough endeavor :/


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## JoeyW

I teach guitar and make the majority of my money working for myself (occasionally I work for my teacher at his studio- which I'll hopefully be working full time at very soon). It's a pretty rad job. I get to play guitar all day, every day and It pushes my playing in ways I would never expect.


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## Speedy Fingers

I work in reservations at a boutique hotel. Although I don't like the hours at all (6 am - 3 pm), it does give me decent flexibility with my band. The money isn't bad either (~$35k).

I also work as a guitar teacher at a local music school about 4 - 8 hours a week for $30 an hour. So all in all I'm making enough to pay rent, student loans, and regular living expenses. Nothing goes into savings though.


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## myampslouder

I work as a wastewater treatment plant operator. I work 12 hour shifts so I only have to work 14 days a month. 

It works out pretty nicely. lots of time to practice and do whatever on my frequent days off and the pay isn't bad


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## Atomshipped

Going to be an engineer of some sort, electrical, civil, or energy... I hope I will be able to support my GAS well


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## Strobe

Atomshipped said:


> Going to be an engineer of some sort, electrical, civil, or energy... I hope I will be able to support my GAS well



I took that route. Works great, until you get married. Good news is I bought a lot of gear before that.


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## Erazoender

I'm currently going into university to study how to be a homeless person (music), as my dream, aside from the whole band shenanigans, is to compose music for video games and/or film. Any suggestions for a backup plan?


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## Babbaloomusic

Erazoender said:


> I'm currently going into university to study how to be a homeless person (music), as my dream, aside from the whole band shenanigans, is to compose music for video games and/or film. Any suggestions for a backup plan?


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## groovemasta

Erazoender said:


> I'm currently going into university to study how to be a homeless person (music), as my dream, aside from the whole band shenanigans, is to compose music for video games and/or film. Any suggestions for a backup plan?



Porn


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## xCaptainx

I wouldn't recommend any bog standard entry level job. Ultimately you might find yourself pissing away 5 to 10 years of a possible 'career' simply because you didnt care enough about your 9-5 to upskill, as you were more focused on your weekend activities e.g. gigs/practises etc. You don't want to be that guy 10 years older than everyone else doing the same job as you. 

Get a job that ensures you're the subject matter expert within the company. That way you have a great career, paid well and have the flexibility to work out of office and dictate your hours etc. I'm currently on tour over long weekends this month and I take my work laptop with me for any emergencies. 

Retail jobs are the worst, you'll be needed to work on the weekends and things such as annual leave are usually non-existent.


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## Erazoender

What sort of work do you do?


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## JStraitiff

Stealthdjentstic said:


> The best would be real eatate. You can work for only 6 months a year if you wanted and still do well over 100k a year. But if you're a retard you can still probably make like 40-60k.



I dont know man. I know a few different people who are in different sections of real estate and they all claim to be hurting.

My job is great for as long as im playing the local scene. I install office furniture but my hours are from 7:30 - 4:00 so i am easily able to make pretty much any gig. Ive been thinking lately about jobs i can get that i can take on the road with me so we arent dead ass broke, eating dollar burgers, sleeping in a van every day. Im thinking something like tech support that i can do from my phone or maybe ill get back into the freelance programming game. That way i can chill in the van with my 3G data card and do my thing while we run to the next show.


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## xCaptainx

Erazoender said:


> What sort of work do you do?



Digital assets manager for a large insurance company. I update their website and administrate one of their customer management systems. 

Spent my early twenties doing call center jobs so I could concentrate on touring. Which was great until I got to my late twenties and realised the majority of my friends had degrees and careers haha. Joined/started a few bands that were touring less but much more challenging to play and concentrated on a career path for a few years. Happy to say Ive got a role which only I can do and it gives me the flexibility to do what I want.


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## Loomer

Gay porn star.


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## Mega-Mads

Dont join the armed forces!!!


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## groverj3

Do, what I did. Go get a really impressive sounding degree and then make peanuts with it .

Hooray, science.


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## T-e-r-r-y

I've been teaching piano, bass and guitar for 7 years now and last year sealed a teaching gig in a grammar school which pays really well. I only work 3 days a week and teach privately 2 days a week. I also do wedding shows about twice a month (if I'm lucky!) which is a great way to earn some dorra.

The only thing that sucks about the school gig is that it all drys up over summer...


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## Genome

I work in a bar in a music venue. Nice access to the industry people, dead easy although the hours aren't sociable, it's suited me well and they don't mind taking the odd night off for gigs, especially if it's at the actual venue - once I did a shift where I came in for sound check, did a couple of hours work, played the show. Then I loaded up my gear and let my bandmates take it home, and then worked the rest of the night


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## JohnIce

There's a lot of good money to be made as a cover band. If you treat your cover band with the same discipline as your regular band and practice as hard and do the gigs with as much conviction and energy, then making $1000 per night is easy even if you're completely unknown, which is the benefit of playing covers. As an added bonus, you practice your stage persona and stamina which can ONLY benefit your regular band.

There is also money to be made in the live sound business as just hired muscle, regardless of whether or not you have any knowledge of the engineering side of it. There is bound to be a ton of sound & lighting firms around you, as well as symphony orchestras and whatnot, that hire extra muscle to help them build stages, lift PA's, load cases in and out of trucks etc. If you're not a complete idiot or suffer from brittle bones, then you can do that job. Just leave them your number and say you're available, and you'll probably get called pretty soon. 

I do that kind of work a lot and there's usually a good 3-4 boneheads with me who like me are just there to build and tear down. This kind of work gives you a lot of insight into stage design, PA and stage light gear and rigging tips & tricks which will help your own band when setting up gigs, or when choosing which lights to buy to get the most wow-effect on a small budget and/or stage.

Last but not least, and this is *important*: Start a company for your band! The money you make into the band should be handled clean, just like any other company. It makes you seem more professional in front of booking agents and arrangers, it funds your retirement and shows you have an income if you need to take a loan or whatnot, and most importantly, it means you can write off taxes on gear you buy!  I don't know about other countries but in Sweden that's 25% off on EVERYTHING. From backdrops to PA's to strings or a band vehicle, you'll get it cheaper if you have a company, so just do it.


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## CrushingAnvil

Stealthdjentstic said:


> The best would be real eatate. You can work for only 6 months a year if you wanted and still do well over 100k a year. But if you're a retard you can still probably make like 40-60k.



Some dude I grew up with got into real estate.

He is now (nothing has changed, really) the biggest faggot I know.


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## Levanther

I'm going in as an Electricians Apprentice to get my Journeyman's license and eventually Electrical Engineering. Honestly I work 5 days a week Monday - Friday. 7 to 3:30 and have weekends off. Hard work, pays good, and I have free time.


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## Andromalia

As a rule, avoid small companies where you'll be the only guy to do job X. However nice the boss can be, if he needs you during your tour it's bound to cause problems.

Remember you'll be happier as someone with a good job doing music for a (can ve very serious but still is a) hobby, rather than a semi-successful pro musician slaving for a few bucks and ending up at Mcdonald's a few years later.

Sorry to be the curmudgeon but a reality check is often good.


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## -OTW-

Strobe said:


> I took that route. Works great, until you get married. Good news is I bought a lot of gear before that.



Haha...im trying to sneak one more item


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## Stealthdjentstic

JStraitiff said:


> I dont know man. I know a few different people who are in different sections of real estate and they all claim to be hurting.





CrushingAnvil said:


> Some dude I grew up with got into real estate.
> 
> He is now (nothing has changed, really) the biggest faggot I know.




Like all things in life, it depends at how hard you work at it. The great thing about real estate (and sales in general) is that there's no ceiling. I know people with crazy money that only work 4 months a year in real estate, and then I know some guys who barely scrape by. 

A close family friend used to barely scrape by but he finally got a hold of things and has been moving loads of properties and making decent money.


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## Valennic

Target warehousing. They pay great, and I only work 3 days a week. Awesome way to fund way too much gear.


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## sleepy502

I start nursing school next year.

Sounds not very optimistic at all but I'm a realist, I need to get a real job while doing music.


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## 3074326

If you're a good salesman, GC or Sam Ash can pay you surprisingly well. Especially during the holidays. 

I'm not saying you'll get rich, but you can pull in $30k/year not being a manager, just full-time. And those places work around your schedule as much as they can. BUT you have to be a good salesman. Have to go to work every day and treat it like a job, rather than a jam session/hangout like most do. If you can teach a few students on the side and pull in some cash from gigs, you're looking at $35k-$40k. I fucking love my job too. That counts more than anything.


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## noUser01

Teaching is the best, steady money. Good money too.


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## Winspear

ConnorGilks said:


> Teaching is the best, steady money. Good money too.



I'd imagine teaching is a great one. Early finish, never in the way of gigs. Summer off every year to record an album..great!


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## djyngwie

ConnorGilks said:


> Teaching is the best, steady money. Good money too.


Works great for me too. Also, I've found I enjoy it in itself, even though I never thought I was going to teach back when I was studying at uni


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## TheChuggernaut

being a Substitue Teacher isnt too bad, 100 bucks a day/1000 bucks a week potentially to be a baby sitter from 8-3, helps toward being a real teacher and you get all the days off as a teacher.

hell thats what im looking forward to after i get my AA this semester.


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## RevelGTR

agree with the above, anything would be better then retail.


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## Powermetalbass

Going to university as a mature student. I'm planning on taking a one year program to become a librarian.....[pauses for the laughter that has ensued]...... after I've finished my 4 year bachelors (in my 4th year now) Yeah. I've seen some very intelligent posts here. Getting a good job to fund the band "till you make it" is probably the smartest move you will ever make for your band. Librarians in Canada make anywhere between $14 and $30/hour, so not a bad job and alot of librarian jobs are part time (20-24hours/week)

I know people 10 years older then me (I'm 30) that are still trying to make it. Working menial temp job after menial temp job to make ends meet. Thats no way to live, and if your 40 and havn't made it.....well chances are your never going to. If your over 27 years old and have no plan to support the band, your in deep trouble. If you didn't make it in your early 20's better start planning for a different future then your 15 year old self had, cause those dreams are slowly slipping away. 

Not saying give up on music. I still play in a metal band, but I'm not a starry eyed kid who thinks he's gonna be a rockstar or make a living off being a musician. Be realistic.


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## SirMyghin

The best jobs are the ones not silly enough to have a music career while holding. Doesn't mean you aren't in bands, or are not playing, but having a music 'career' eliminates most acceptable income jobs. If you want to make peanuts then by all means work where-ever will hire and cater to your musical whims. 

Do yourself a favour and invest in a good career, it won't exclude from music and you won't be eking by. Life is a whole lot simpler when you don't have to worry about where your next meal is coming from.




3074326 said:


> If you're a good salesman, GC or Sam Ash can pay you surprisingly well. Especially during the holidays.
> 
> I'm not saying you'll get rich, but you can pull in $30k/year not being a manager, just full-time. And those places work around your schedule as much as they can. BUT you have to be a good salesman. Have to go to work every day and treat it like a job, rather than a jam session/hangout like most do. If you can teach a few students on the side and pull in some cash from gigs, you're looking at $35k-$40k. I fucking love my job too. That counts more than anything.



30k is good income?  Musicians definitely have an interesting perspective.


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## sage

Jobs that make decent cash that you can get into with a minimum of education and have flexible/shifty type schedules with lots of people to cover you when you need leave:

First aid attendant: construction companies require FA attendants on site and usually stock a pool of them. Get the highest accreditation for this and a special drivers' license and you can also be:

Ambulance driver: Not an EMT, but the guy that drives the bus. Add a bit more training and be in good shape and you could also be:

Fireman: wax your chest, oil yourself up, and get in the calendar and you can moonlight as:

Exotic Dancer: just kidding, however, most firefighters do additional work in construction and have ties to getting great under the table (tax free) work doing other stuff.

X-Ray Technician: not the guy that reads the X-rays, but the guy that puts broken humans on the table and takes pictures of their fucked up stuff. This is my ideal job.

Freelance Designer: get good at photoshop, illustrator and indesign. Find work when you need it. I still do this to supplement income where required (aka, when I have bad GAS).

Freelance Photographer: For about 2K in equipment, you too can pretend to be a real photog. Real photographers will hate you, but you'll be able to fool clients into hiring you anyway.

Freelance Journalist: Believe it or not, you can either go to school for 4 years and get a bachelor's of the arts in journalism, or you can just start writing shit. Either way, you have about an equal chance of getting anything published. 

Janitor: Don't knock it 'til you try it. Get in at a union shop. Make decent coin and have lots of other dudes around who can cover your shifts. 

Actually, anything union if you can get it: Get more pay, more access to overtime, more vacation time, and superb flexibility of schedule. Back in the old days, unions were required to shorten the work day and the work week and to make sure 5 year olds weren't operating heavy machinery. Now, it gets you 10 weeks bereavement leave when a distant friend dies and years of "stress leave" if you can trick a doctor into believing that you now suffer from PTDEFIERHDIQ(*) and that it was caused by your work environment.

(* imaginary disease)

And, last but not least: Bus Driver: Paid training, work 4 days a week, get lots of vacation, get OT if you want it and get that special license that allows you to drive a bus in the event that your band wants to tour and rent a bus.


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## AxeHappy

Hmmm, I actually am a bus driver, and we work 5 days a week. 

You do get tons of vacation but it's all unpaid and the pay rate isn't that great. You will need another job to supplement your income. I teach guitar as well as driving the bus.


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## Soubi7string

scratch working at amazon unless you're a mute.
place is like highschool and prison, if you are doing good someone WILL do their best to get you fired just to get a one up in the place.


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## bigredmetfan

I would say sell your organs for money if you run out

No but seriously, I wouldnt worry too much about it.
Try for that dream of making it, everyone says most
People won't, but I would personally rather die trying then to give up on it

I see it as what else am I gonna do? I love to play music and
Will follow the dream till the grave.

For example: My dad just got diagnosed with a rare lung disease. He is 58 and
was looking forward to retirement, and
Travelling on his motor cycle etc... He can't now, (he is pretty much out
Of breath after walking for 5 min) and probably won't live to see his mid 60's. It sucks big time.....you bust your ass at the daily grind for 35 years only to get this news.
Kind of put my life into perspective....you only live once.

I will stop rambling now


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## DarkWolfXV

Forensic pathologist, helps with death metal 'n' shit.


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## RevDrucifer

No restaurant workers here?

I've been doing the restaurant thing from day one. Most chain restaurants, Friday's, Chili's, Longhorn, Applebee's, etc, you never have a set schedule. You tell them when you're available and they schedule you in.

This goes for both serving and cooking.

Need a couple days off? 
Either tell your manager a couple days before they do the schedule or if you're already scheduled, other servers are always wanting to pick up shifts. It's as easy as sending a text and seeing if they can pick it up. I've also had gigs come up the day of a shift, called work, told them the deal. If you're in good with a manager, they'll find someone to cover your shift FOR you.

Need extra cash after taking the weekend off? Just pick up some shifts from another server/cook.

Two weeks off for a tour?
Most restaurants have pretty good sized staffs. 25-40 servers and only 4-15 work a shift. Management doesn't give a shit if you take 6 months off. You just won't be making any money. Some restaurants still offer vacation pay, but it takes a while to get that stacking up.

Fringe benefits-
CHEAP FOOD!! 
I've eaten more free food in the last 15 years than I've eaten food that's been paid for. It's generally 50% off during your shift and 25% off when you're not working. This is where it gets beneficial- you can go to any of the restaurants that are under the same company (IE- Pepper Dining/Brinker owns Chili's, Macaroni Grill, Maggiano's.Darden Restaurants own Longhorn, Olive Garden, Red Lobster, Capitol Grill, etc) and get 25% off.

I can eat at any one of those restaurants and get 25% taken off my bill. The discount goes towards the bill itself, not just you personally. So if your whole band goes in to eat, they're all getting 25% off. At ANY of the restaurants across the US (and abroad).

The money you actually make serving varies GREATLY. Even shitty servers make great money if the place is busy enough. Great servers won't make jack shit in a place that doesn't have people coming in. Find a place with a good location. Restaurants by malls are always a good score.

You can be a complete moron and be a server. Trust me, half of them are fucking morons. If you know how to be nice to people and can multi-task, you'll make money. I've rarely worked more than 30-35 hours a week through the past 15 years and I've kept a roof over my head and (most of) my bills paid.

Just an idea of what the cash flow is like, this is what I workd/made
last week.
Monday 11:45am-2:30pm $75
Tuesday Off
Wednesday 11:45-3pm $45
Thursday 5pm-9:30pm $140
Friday 11:45am-3pm $80
Saturday 1pm-6pm $120
Sunday 1pm-9pm $240 

$700 in under 30 hours and I had Friday/Saturday night off. 

Doesn't always work that way. I've had PLENTY of days where I've made $9 and got cut. 

Cooking you get paid hourly and the schedule isn't as flexible as serving. The hours are a lot longer and it's NOT easy work. Serving is the most simple fucking job on the planet. I act exactly like myself to my tables, I just don't fucking curse in fucking front of them (unless they do it first, then it's fair game).

Other bennies-
You make a SHITLOAD of friends who will go to your shows.
You will never have trouble finding people to go drinking with. Restaurant workers are like big families. Most of the employees are fucking each other (met my current girlfriend at a restaurant and 90% of my ex's at one)

And aside from prisons, restaurants are the best place to find drugs easily.


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## sage

^This. Yes. I thoroughly enjoyed being a server/bartender. The only problem I ever had with it is that the best shifts are usually at night, so mashing three rehearsals into a week was a little difficult. But, yeah, making money, not reporting most of it to the taxman, enjoying much free drink and food, and not only are most of the staff doing the hibbity dibbity with each other, but picking up single girls at your tables seems to be a shooting-fish-in-a-barrel simple if you have any sort of charisma.


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## 3074326

SirMyghin said:


> 30k is good income?  Musicians definitely have an interesting perspective.



Late reply, but I didn't say it was good income. I answered the OP's question. I'd rather make $30k per year, love my job and be able to play gigs than make $50+k and be miserable without gigs. $30k for a single dude is plenty. I make a little more than that now and I have more money than I know what to do with, and it's all just getting saved for when I'll need it. 

I have a different outlook about my job too.. I'm looking to move up in the company and actually make what most would consider good income. And I will. Wheels are in motion.


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## punisher911

I'm a contingent nurse. Work when I want and make decent money. I would say no to military. I just left the Army and the moving around every 2 or so years makes it hard to stay in a band. Plus going to the field, random 24 hour duties, and unexpected crap happens to often sometimes.


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## baptizedinblood

Stealthdjentstic said:


> The best would be real eatate. You can work for only 6 months a year if you wanted and still do well over 100k a year. But if you're a retard you can still probably make like 40-60k.



Sorry but no. I know multiple people working all 12 months of a year, and only hitting 70k-80k when working 40+ hour weeks. It's not as easy as it sounds. 

Real estate is hurting badly right now, look at our economy and the insane amount of foreclosures.


Anyways, back on topic; Web Design. Specifically, Freelance Web Design. You need to accumulate about 2-3 years worth of heavy networking and acquiring clients, but once you get to that point, you can do your job on the go. Works well for touring I'd imagine, as you could design sites while sitting in your tour bus/van driving to the next venue.


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## SirMyghin

3074326 said:


> Late reply, but I didn't say it was good income. I answered the OP's question. I'd rather make $30k per year, love my job and be able to play gigs than make $50+k and be miserable without gigs. $30k for a single dude is plenty. I make a little more than that now and I have more money than I know what to do with, and it's all just getting saved for when I'll need it.
> 
> I have a different outlook about my job too.. I'm looking to move up in the company and actually make what most would consider good income. And I will. Wheels are in motion.



50k is still not what I would consider 'acceptable', and there is no need to be able to do it without gigs. With my job I make a very healthy salary, and only work half the year. I could gig pretty hard should I be so inclined. As long as you don't mind living in rudiment and not having any family I suppose you could eke by on 30k a year as a musician, but 30k gross income can hardly be called plenty. Your key word is also single dude, that part would have to remain pretty heavily, indefinitely. Maybe the ground issue here is poor time management if you cannot find '50k+' without losing gigs?


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## Metalus

RevDrucifer said:


> No restaurant workers here?
> 
> I've been doing the restaurant thing from day one. Most chain restaurants, Friday's, Chili's, Longhorn, Applebee's, etc, you never have a set schedule. You tell them when you're available and they schedule you in.
> 
> This goes for both serving and cooking.
> 
> Need a couple days off?
> Either tell your manager a couple days before they do the schedule or if you're already scheduled, other servers are always wanting to pick up shifts. It's as easy as sending a text and seeing if they can pick it up. I've also had gigs come up the day of a shift, called work, told them the deal. If you're in good with a manager, they'll find someone to cover your shift FOR you.
> 
> Need extra cash after taking the weekend off? Just pick up some shifts from another server/cook.
> 
> Two weeks off for a tour?
> Most restaurants have pretty good sized staffs. 25-40 servers and only 4-15 work a shift. Management doesn't give a shit if you take 6 months off. You just won't be making any money. Some restaurants still offer vacation pay, but it takes a while to get that stacking up.
> 
> Fringe benefits-
> CHEAP FOOD!!
> I've eaten more free food in the last 15 years than I've eaten food that's been paid for. It's generally 50% off during your shift and 25% off when you're not working. This is where it gets beneficial- you can go to any of the restaurants that are under the same company (IE- Pepper Dining/Brinker owns Chili's, Macaroni Grill, Maggiano's.Darden Restaurants own Longhorn, Olive Garden, Red Lobster, Capitol Grill, etc) and get 25% off.
> 
> I can eat at any one of those restaurants and get 25% taken off my bill. The discount goes towards the bill itself, not just you personally. So if your whole band goes in to eat, they're all getting 25% off. At ANY of the restaurants across the US (and abroad).
> 
> The money you actually make serving varies GREATLY. Even shitty servers make great money if the place is busy enough. Great servers won't make jack shit in a place that doesn't have people coming in. Find a place with a good location. Restaurants by malls are always a good score.
> 
> You can be a complete moron and be a server. Trust me, half of them are fucking morons. If you know how to be nice to people and can multi-task, you'll make money. I've rarely worked more than 30-35 hours a week through the past 15 years and I've kept a roof over my head and (most of) my bills paid.
> 
> Just an idea of what the cash flow is like, this is what I workd/made
> last week.
> Monday 11:45am-2:30pm $75
> Tuesday Off
> Wednesday 11:45-3pm $45
> Thursday 5pm-9:30pm $140
> Friday 11:45am-3pm $80
> Saturday 1pm-6pm $120
> Sunday 1pm-9pm $240
> 
> $700 in under 30 hours and I had Friday/Saturday night off.
> 
> Doesn't always work that way. I've had PLENTY of days where I've made $9 and got cut.
> 
> Cooking you get paid hourly and the schedule isn't as flexible as serving. The hours are a lot longer and it's NOT easy work. Serving is the most simple fucking job on the planet. I act exactly like myself to my tables, I just don't fucking curse in fucking front of them (unless they do it first, then it's fair game).
> 
> Other bennies-
> You make a SHITLOAD of friends who will go to your shows.
> You will never have trouble finding people to go drinking with. Restaurant workers are like big families. Most of the employees are fucking each other (met my current girlfriend at a restaurant and 90% of my ex's at one)
> 
> And aside from prisons, restaurants are the best place to find drugs easily.



This doesnt sound half bad. Every friend ive had whos dealt with food makes it seem as if its the worst job on the planet


----------



## danresn

I must be retarded but isn't anything under around $80 000 considered middle lower income. I'm planning to study engineering, and if you work in the mines the starting salary for a mechanical engineer is anywhere from $120 000 to $150 000 going up to circa $350 000 for experienced managers. Depending on your schedule you could easily get one week on, one off. Two weeks on, one off.

I wouldn't mind that, two weeks on site 9-5 and then you get a week to go on tour .


----------



## RevDrucifer

Metalus said:


> This doesnt sound half bad. Every friend ive had whos dealt with food makes it seem as if its the worst job on the planet




It's not always a fun job. 

If you can't deal with the public, DON'T GET A JOB IN A RESTAURANT.
If you already believe that the world is full of idiots and assholes, this job will just prove to you that you're 100% right. 

So the customer who is normally just an ignorant asshole in daily life, well, you're now, in some way, in control of the food he will be putting in his body and is paying for. That ignorant asshole (the millions of them) will hold you personally responsible for any and all things unpleasant with the experience of eating at the place ya work at.

I've had a brownie sunday dessert (sold in one of those heavy cast iron skillets on a trivet, like you get fajitas on) thrown at me from across the room by a rather large....fucking gorilla sized guy. It wasn't hot enough.

The cops were called on me by two teenagers who claimed I stole their cell phone. I was questioned by the cop at one of the tables in the station I was working in, surrounded by the guests I was serving. They found the phone in their car.

It's a constant test of dealing with shit under pressure. Extremely fast paced, there's at any given point, 20-70 individual personalities you're dealing with from stressed co-workers to whacked out guests. 

Shitty tips happen NONSTOP. Especially when the economy took a downturn a few years ago. The average tip is 20%. You always expect at least 15%, but the average is 20%. It's hard when you spend 2 hours taking care of a table of 20 people with a $300 bill and they leave you $10. It took time away from your other tables and it also occupied the same space you could have had 4 other tables come and gone in the time they were there.

But...ya gotta brush it off because the hosts are seating you with another 20 top. 

It's rare you find a joint with a great management team. If the restaurant has an employee turn around of 1-2 new people a week because 1-2 people are leaving a week, get the fuck out of there. That comes down from shitty management. They - and to an extent other co-workers - are entirely in charge of how the place runs on a regular basis. If they suck, it all sucks.

Bottom line is that this job has taught me so much about how to deal with life. From dealing with people, connecting with people I have ZERO in common with (you start to find common ground with them after a while), how to think on your feet when rent is 3 weeks past due because you hit a slow season, how to plan your finances, how to work crazy long hours, get zero sleep then do it again the next day, how to bullshit your way to getting what you want....how to cook!

There isn't one way that those things you learn, rather quickly, in a restaurant won't apply to someone trying to make a career out of music. Especially if you want to tour for a living. 

Does it suck? If you don't condition yourself to it, it certainly does. 

Is it a perfect job while you're working on getting your band off the ground? Absofuckinglutely.


----------



## sage

Yeah, there are downsides to serving. Old waiter joke: What's the difference between a waiter and a toilet seat? Toilet seat only has to deal with one asshole at a time.


----------



## SirMyghin

danresn said:


> I must be retarded but isn't anything under around $80 000 considered middle lower income. I'm planning to study engineering, and if you work in the mines the starting salary for a mechanical engineer is anywhere from $120 000 to $150 000 going up to circa $350 000 for experienced managers. Depending on your schedule you could easily get one week on, one off. Two weeks on, one off.
> 
> I wouldn't mind that, two weeks on site 9-5 and then you get a week to go on tour .



Can I come work at a mine over there? They aren't that good here. 9-5 at a mine too? You folks are spoiler. Ours are 24 hour ops. You are missing something important though, you will be staff (aka Salary) and you will have to put in extra hours now and then. That is engineering in a nutshell.


----------



## bob123

danresn said:


> I must be retarded but isn't anything under around $80 000 considered middle lower income. I'm planning to study engineering, and if you work in the mines the starting salary for a mechanical engineer is anywhere from $120 000 to $150 000 going up to circa $350 000 for experienced managers. Depending on your schedule you could easily get one week on, one off. Two weeks on, one off.
> 
> I wouldn't mind that, two weeks on site 9-5 and then you get a week to go on tour .



I'm a mechanical engineer at a nuclear power plant. Your numbers are WAY wrong. Engis start around 70k, lead engineers make around 120k, only PEs that own their own firm make SERIOUS money....

And double no on the time off thing. The joys of being salary, you WORK. Basically whoever is telling you this shit is full of it themselves.


----------



## 3074326

SirMyghin said:


> 50k is still not what I would consider 'acceptable', and there is no need to be able to do it without gigs. With my job I make a very healthy salary, and only work half the year. I could gig pretty hard should I be so inclined. As long as you don't mind living in rudiment and not having any family I suppose you could eke by on 30k a year as a musician, but 30k gross income can hardly be called plenty. Your key word is also single dude, that part would have to remain pretty heavily, indefinitely. Maybe the ground issue here is poor time management if you cannot find '50k+' without losing gigs?



Man, do I wish life were as easy as you make it sound. 50k where I live goes a long way. I have a nice little place, I've bought an EBMM JPX and an Axe 2 this year alone on my 30k salary.

You make more than that and work half the year.. I feel like you're experience is vastly different than everyone I know.


----------



## bob123

3074326 said:


> Man, do I wish life were as easy as you make it sound. 50k where I live goes a long way. I have a nice little place, I've bought an EBMM JPX and an Axe 2 this year alone on my 30k salary.
> 
> You make more than that and work half the year.. I feel like you're experience is vastly different than everyone I know.





Mo money, mo problems. 

Bigger the check, bigger the bills. Id have unreal gear if I didn't have three cars, a morgtage, insurance, taxes... etc, etc. Not trying to show off, just saying how it is.


----------



## SirMyghin

3074326 said:


> Man, do I wish life were as easy as you make it sound. 50k where I live goes a long way. I have a nice little place, I've bought an EBMM JPX and an Axe 2 this year alone on my 30k salary.
> 
> You make more than that and work half the year.. I feel like you're experience is vastly different than everyone I know.




Wasn't easy, had to work damned hard in a lot of less adequate jobs to get my education, which was a large factor in getting my line of work. I put in the work to make these standards a reality, that part is easy to overlook though. 

I was told something in my teens that was very valuable. You can work hard now (while you are young), or you can work hard the rest of your life (see labour). My job, while having very long hours and long stretches (I still work 43+ hours a week if you average it over the year, likely closer to 50) is still much easier than my education (Master's Degree, research stream).

Thing is I have to look forward, have a wife, plan to get a down payment for a house, as well as pay down my and my wife's student debt. Gear is an easy acquisition, despite me not having bought any this year (well I bought 2 pieces coming in Dec, but nothing on my responsibilities.)


----------



## 3074326

I certainly respect that and hope I didn't sound like a dick with my comment. Haha

But I know how comfortably I could live with $50k. I'm awesome with money. I have a bachelor's degree and stupid nice gear without any debt whatsoever. I'll eventually make decent money doing what I love, and I'll probably have plenty of time for gigs. That's enough for me.


----------



## Stealthdjentstic

baptizedinblood said:


> Sorry but no. I know multiple people working all 12 months of a year, and only hitting 70k-80k when working 40+ hour weeks. It's not as easy as it sounds.
> 
> Real estate is hurting badly right now, look at our economy and the insane amount of foreclosures.
> 
> 
> Anyways, back on topic; Web Design. Specifically, Freelance Web Design. You need to accumulate about 2-3 years worth of heavy networking and acquiring clients, but once you get to that point, you can do your job on the go. Works well for touring I'd imagine, as you could design sites while sitting in your tour bus/van driving to the next venue.




This is why americans sometimes piss me off. Believe it or not, not everywhere has a shitty depressed real estate market right now.

Where I live at the moment prices have been sky rocketing for 10 years straight now. Asian countries are also experiencing a huge real estate booms.


----------



## danresn

bob123 said:


> I'm a mechanical engineer at a nuclear power plant. Your numbers are WAY wrong. Engis start around 70k, lead engineers make around 120k, only PEs that own their own firm make SERIOUS money....
> 
> And double no on the time off thing. The joys of being salary, you WORK. Basically whoever is telling you this shit is full of it themselves.



I live in Australia... Queensland, my state is currently experiencing a mining boom that is supporting the entire country, tradesman (diesel fitters, mechanics etc) make over $100 000 a year.

Mechanical Engineer EPCM Mining Options-$288K-139K- Gold on the Horizon... job ($150,000 - $200,000) in Perth Metro, WA ( Engineering:Mechanical Engineering )

This ad is in perth, buts its the same deal, mining pays a lot of money.


----------



## bob123

danresn said:


> I live in Australia... Queensland, my state is currently experiencing a mining boom that is supporting the entire country, tradesman (diesel fitters, mechanics etc) make over $100 000 a year.
> 
> Mechanical Engineer EPCM Mining Options-$288K-139K- Gold on the Horizon... job ($150,000 - $200,000) in Perth Metro, WA ( Engineering:Mechanical Engineering )
> 
> This ad is in perth, buts its the same deal, mining pays a lot of money.




That's... absurd haha. Id need to know more man, there's no way they are hiring non licensed engineers for 200k though. here in america, mech eng salaries don't break 150k, unless you become some kind of director or manage serious projects. 

That aside... looks like I need to move my ass to australia! Haha


----------



## danresn

bob123 said:


> That's... absurd haha. Id need to know more man, there's no way they are hiring non licensed engineers for 200k though. here in america, mech eng salaries don't break 150k, unless you become some kind of director or manage serious projects.
> 
> That aside... looks like I need to move my ass to australia! Haha



It looks like its coming to an end now though. Its just that in mining boom was so large and so sudden. We actually had messages sent to every school in queensland from companies looking for diesel fitter apprentices etc for large salary jobs, because the competition for skilled workers was so large amongst the companies the salaries grew. Its not uncommon for a person to get their certificates/experience and change companies because company B offered a large salary than company A. 

Also our costs of living are way higher over and so are our normal wages. Teachers make around $70 000 a year. Beer is way more expensive and our music prices seem ridiculous compared to america, Schecter hell raisers are over $1000.


----------



## ShadowAMD

Umm I got into IT and audio R&D / Soft dev.. 120K USD + a year so I can buy tons of equip ..

Work comes in waves and droves, so sometimes I spend a lot of time on music others I don't..

Contractors can earn 250 - 300K USD, but in this climate I wouldn't think of this as an option..

You will find that only 1.5% earned more than 250K and above in the US rated in 2005. 15.93% earned 100K or more: the national median is around 44K.. My wife earns 40K and after taxes and bills she still has over a $1500 left a month so 40K is an excellent wage..

Teachers in the UK earn 50K USD, but it all depends where you live.. In London the cost of renting a small flat can nearly be 2.5K a month... Up north it costs 1.5K and that's for a fair sized house.

I live in the UK but comparing to US..


----------



## Saidincontext

xCaptainx said:


> I wouldn't recommend any bog standard entry level job. Ultimately you might find yourself pissing away 5 to 10 years of a possible 'career' simply because you didnt care enough about your 9-5 to upskill, as you were more focused on your weekend activities e.g. gigs/practises etc. You don't want to be that guy 10 years older than everyone else doing the same job as you.
> 
> Get a job that ensures you're the subject matter expert within the company. That way you have a great career, paid well and have the flexibility to work out of office and dictate your hours etc. I'm currently on tour over long weekends this month and I take my work laptop with me for any emergencies.
> 
> Retail jobs are the worst, you'll be needed to work on the weekends and things such as annual leave are usually non-existent.




-No.
If you were studying to be a lawyer, would you have a back up plan? Hell no. Cuts your focus in half and let's you think it's okay to fail. Give it your 100%!!!
Dimebag sold pot


----------



## ArrowHead

Metalus said:


> This doesnt sound half bad. Every friend ive had whos dealt with food makes it seem as if its the worst job on the planet




It is. And restaurants are busiest on nights and weekends, which means you'll be kissing your friday and saturday nights goodbye if you want to make any money and get on the schedule.

I went into the restaurant industry in my early 20's and had a 12 year career. I absolutely believe it KILLED my musical life, both performing/playing and going to see shows.

And having been a restaurant manager, in charge of staffing, I disagree that it's easy to get time off for music. I had a lot of musicians work for me over the years, and few lasted long as they tend to need too much time off, making MY job infinitely harder making the schedules, especially with the Friday and Saturday nights, the two shifts where you DO need everyone working that can.


----------



## RevDrucifer

ArrowHead said:


> It is. And restaurants are busiest on nights and weekends, which means you'll be kissing your friday and saturday nights goodbye if you want to make any money and get on the schedule.
> 
> I went into the restaurant industry in my early 20's and had a 12 year career. I absolutely believe it KILLED my musical life, both performing/playing and going to see shows.
> 
> And having been a restaurant manager, in charge of staffing, I disagree that it's easy to get time off for music. I had a lot of musicians work for me over the years, and few lasted long as they tend to need too much time off, making MY job infinitely harder making the schedules, especially with the Friday and Saturday nights, the two shifts where you DO need everyone working that can.




Guess we all have different experiences in them. 

I currently don't work Fri/Sat nights and still generally take home $4-750 a week. 

Maybe I've lucked out, in the past 15 years, I've never had a problem getting my shifts covered either by a manager or another employee picking them up. Only when I was working as a cook, did I have issues, but that's because most restaurants have half the amount of cooking staff as they do servers.

That's a bummer the industry "killed" music for ya. The job gets me down at times, but it's always something temporary like an idiot customer. 

I've been offered a management spot several times from different places, but I've never had an offer above $40K salary come my way so I've turned them down. I refuse to work more than 40 hours a week, while 85% of managers I've worked for are working 40-75 hours a week.


----------



## xCaptainx

Saidincontext said:


> -No.
> If you were studying to be a lawyer, would you have a back up plan? Hell no. Cuts your focus in half and let's you think it's okay to fail. Give it your 100%!!!
> Dimebag sold pot



Cool man, enjoy being the 35 year old dude working at 7-11. 

Most of the professional/semi full time bands I've had the pleasure of touring with, or have been in, have all either been self employed in various areas where they were extremely skilled (IT, Construction, Banks, Tattooists, Sound Engineers etc) or unemployed and broke 24/7.


----------



## Overtone

IT/programming work where you can set your own hours and even do work on the tourbus seems like the ideal situation out of everything I've seen musicians do. Devin Townsend also mentioned in a few interviews that producing other bands is really what puts bread on his table and lets him take on his own projects without worrying as much about making it profitable. Amazing dude, and I swear it's like all the support he got since Ziltoid from his expanded fanbase has gone straight into making more music, better. Much of the same can be said of Steven Wilson. But planning to be like them or Guthrie is a little unrealistic. 

Another idea is to make yourself enough of an asset at your dayjob that they are willing to be flexible with you once they understand that music is a part of your life that is important to you. Doesn't happen often, but it does happen to varying extents from time to time.


----------



## Cynic

RevDrucifer said:


> No restaurant workers here?
> 
> I've been doing the restaurant thing from day one. Most chain restaurants, Friday's, Chili's, Longhorn, Applebee's, etc, you never have a set schedule. You tell them when you're available and they schedule you in.
> 
> This goes for both serving and cooking.
> 
> Need a couple days off?
> Either tell your manager a couple days before they do the schedule or if you're already scheduled, other servers are always wanting to pick up shifts. It's as easy as sending a text and seeing if they can pick it up. I've also had gigs come up the day of a shift, called work, told them the deal. If you're in good with a manager, they'll find someone to cover your shift FOR you.
> 
> Need extra cash after taking the weekend off? Just pick up some shifts from another server/cook.
> 
> Two weeks off for a tour?
> Most restaurants have pretty good sized staffs. 25-40 servers and only 4-15 work a shift. Management doesn't give a shit if you take 6 months off. You just won't be making any money. Some restaurants still offer vacation pay, but it takes a while to get that stacking up.
> 
> Fringe benefits-
> CHEAP FOOD!!
> I've eaten more free food in the last 15 years than I've eaten food that's been paid for. It's generally 50% off during your shift and 25% off when you're not working. This is where it gets beneficial- you can go to any of the restaurants that are under the same company (IE- Pepper Dining/Brinker owns Chili's, Macaroni Grill, Maggiano's.Darden Restaurants own Longhorn, Olive Garden, Red Lobster, Capitol Grill, etc) and get 25% off.
> 
> I can eat at any one of those restaurants and get 25% taken off my bill. The discount goes towards the bill itself, not just you personally. So if your whole band goes in to eat, they're all getting 25% off. At ANY of the restaurants across the US (and abroad).
> 
> The money you actually make serving varies GREATLY. Even shitty servers make great money if the place is busy enough. Great servers won't make jack shit in a place that doesn't have people coming in. Find a place with a good location. Restaurants by malls are always a good score.
> 
> You can be a complete moron and be a server. Trust me, half of them are fucking morons. If you know how to be nice to people and can multi-task, you'll make money. I've rarely worked more than 30-35 hours a week through the past 15 years and I've kept a roof over my head and (most of) my bills paid.
> 
> Just an idea of what the cash flow is like, this is what I workd/made
> last week.
> Monday 11:45am-2:30pm $75
> Tuesday Off
> Wednesday 11:45-3pm $45
> Thursday 5pm-9:30pm $140
> Friday 11:45am-3pm $80
> Saturday 1pm-6pm $120
> Sunday 1pm-9pm $240
> 
> $700 in under 30 hours and I had Friday/Saturday night off.
> 
> Doesn't always work that way. I've had PLENTY of days where I've made $9 and got cut.
> 
> Cooking you get paid hourly and the schedule isn't as flexible as serving. The hours are a lot longer and it's NOT easy work. Serving is the most simple fucking job on the planet. I act exactly like myself to my tables, I just don't fucking curse in fucking front of them (unless they do it first, then it's fair game).
> 
> Other bennies-
> You make a SHITLOAD of friends who will go to your shows.
> You will never have trouble finding people to go drinking with. Restaurant workers are like big families. Most of the employees are fucking each other (met my current girlfriend at a restaurant and 90% of my ex's at one)
> 
> And aside from prisons, restaurants are the best place to find drugs easily.



This is the other guitarist in our band. Haha

I, however, work like a fucking mule in retail, for minimum wage. Very jealous.


----------



## feraledge

Graphic design.


----------



## slenderman

Work at a place like Vans or Zumiez man. (depending on your age) they're super cool.


----------



## goldsteinat0r

When I was in HS and college I did the server thing, and the irregular schedule made it really hard to fit in time for the bands I was in at the time.

I have a 9-5 job now (as does everyone else in my band) and its great because we have nights and weekends for rehearsal, gigs, and general chillage a large portion of the time. I would recommend that, honestly, especially since you're studying something that is conducive to it.

However I will say this: my singer and I have staggered "busy" seasons and it sucks for band stuff. I'm an accountant, so Mar/April and Sept/Oct (and sometimes even parts of december) are crazy for me time-wise. I work weekends and long hours during the week. My singer has busy season in the summer and he works 60 hours a week easily, sometimes up to 80. He's always exhausted and stressed out.

Also my bassist is working 7 day weeks right now. He's a leather-worker covering the horse shows in the area right now. Dude is insane.


----------



## Wings of Obsidian

Full-time student at college, I work at a restaurant 3 nights a week and I work at a grocery store 4-5 nights a week. No wonder I never have any free time to jam with a band anymore..... (Might pick up a third job at a Hookah Bar...)


----------



## Ill-Gotten James

I'm a nurse. I only work 3 days a week and make a nice chunk of change, plus benefits.


----------



## lametacomeat

Got a degree in industrial and systems engineering and started working as a quality engineer. Getting off work at 3:30 PM weekdays and not working weekends is pretty nice.
Weekday gigging sucks though when you have to get up at 5:30 in the morning.

Too bad (thankfully?) my wife doesn't let me buy whatever gear I'm having GAS for...


----------



## xCaptainx

btw I've got a bassist who is a server/bar tender and it's a huge pain in the ass. Can hardly come to practise due to constantly changing shifts, it's always an ordeal for him to get a weekend off to do out of town shows. 

Any customer service role that relies on night work would not be a good choice. Again, a field where you can become an subject matter expert (and preferably work from home on a laptop, or on the road) would be ideal.


----------



## budda

danresn said:


> I live in Australia... Queensland, my state is currently experiencing a mining boom that is supporting the entire country, tradesman (diesel fitters, mechanics etc) make over $100 000 a year.
> 
> Mechanical Engineer EPCM Mining Options-$288K-139K- Gold on the Horizon... job ($150,000 - $200,000) in Perth Metro, WA ( Engineering:Mechanical Engineering )
> 
> This ad is in perth, buts its the same deal, mining pays a lot of money.





bob123 said:


> That's... absurd haha. Id need to know more man, there's no way they are hiring non licensed engineers for 200k though. here in america, mech eng salaries don't break 150k, unless you become some kind of director or manage serious projects.
> 
> That aside... looks like I need to move my ass to australia! Haha



Did you guys realize you're throwing numbers around in two different currencies? 

I don't know what the big bands do. One of my friends owns his own coffee shop (I think) in Calgary. His first band was successful, called it a day. His second band was a bit less successful, called it a day. First band reunited for tours this year. I have another friend who was in the 2nd band, and he does website design stuff. Lives in TO, seems to be doing ok. I have a friend who runs his own print/press store (does most of our merch). He seems to be doing ok, but for all I know he lives at home .

The singer for The Flatliners does graphic design and bartends when he's not on tour. Somehow I doubt he's making mad money, but he's definitely doing what he loves.

IMO, the best job you can have is one with a steady schedule, optional OT, with transferable skills. I work in a warehouse, and I'm looking to get a job in my field that I got a diploma for sooner rather than later. I needed a job, and it pays the bills - but I won't make "real" money, and there's no real room to move up. The day shift supervisor and warehouse manager both work insane hours... on salary.


----------



## SirMyghin

budda said:


> The day shift supervisor and warehouse manager both work insane hours... on salary.



That is what salary means budd


----------



## budda

SirMyghin said:


> That is what salary means budd



I know, since I watch him do it every week


----------



## LMak

Throw some music at licensing companies and get a part time job. This way, you get a steady income, have an unsteady musical income while still writing music and get to see your production skills go through the roof as you continue practicing it.


----------



## Overtone

That always seemed appealing to me. Have any real world results to back up that it pays the bills?


----------



## budda

Licensing companies have to buy your music for that to work though


----------



## RevDrucifer

LMak said:


> Throw some music at licensing companies and get a part time job. This way, you get a steady income, have an unsteady musical income while still writing music and get to see your production skills go through the roof as you continue practicing it.




This is how one of my childhood friends earns a living. He played in a band called the Brightwings, you can hear their tunes on almost every shitty show MTV has produced in the last 6 years and a few other commercials. It's not a ton of money each time a clip gets played, but if you spread them out enough, it'll start covering rent.

He does a lot of studio/hired gun stuff, but also works part time at a music store.


----------



## Dr Muerte21

I work at macys as a part time job cleaning the fitting rooms and get paid more than minimum wage and I get to choose when i want to work.


----------



## danresn

budda said:


> Did you guys realize you're throwing numbers around in two different currencies?



Exchange rate is pretty much even right now. Although Australia's average wages are higher than American's. Not much of an advantage because everything is more expensive too.


----------



## tedtan

danresn said:


> Exchange rate is pretty much even right now. Although Australia's average wages are higher than American's. Not much of an advantage because everything is more expensive too.


 
Spot on. The quality of life stays pretty close to the same, but when things cost more, average pay goes up, and when average pay goes up, things cost more.

If you're looking to move to a new city you can look up a cost of living index to see what you need to make in order to keep the same quality of life in the new city and compare that to typical pay for the job you do to see if it works out for you. Most of the time it seems to work out pretty close to even.


----------



## blister7321

construction, im a plumber and my drummers and electrician
plus 2 guys i work with are in a band together and the owner of the company i work for is a session musician


----------



## bobthebiker

My mates make really good money tattooing! and can book people in whenever it suits them. Tattoos are getting more popular and accepted these days and they seem to be taking full advantage of this. They're considering taking the equipment with them on the road as well to earn a bit while touring.


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## Soubi7string

work at a warehouse, easy work and good pay.


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## Cougs

Hey guys. I might be working as a kitchen hand and am worried about fucking up my hands. Do you think they will be fine?


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## sleepy502

Cougs said:


> Hey guys. I might be working as a kitchen hand and am worried about fucking up my hands. Do you think they will be fine?



You have to cut yourself in the right spots to do damage that would affect your playing. I slashed the side of my frethand pinky on corner bead doing demolition, its fine. Was out of commission for a short while, but i found out if I slashed the top of my pinky plastic surgery would have been necessary given the depth of the cut(hit bone). 

If you are careful, you will be fine.


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## RevDrucifer

Cougs said:


> Hey guys. I might be working as a kitchen hand and am worried about fucking up my hands. Do you think they will be fine?



Here in the States, it's a major violation to NOT have cutting gloves in an easily accessible place inside a restaurant. If the place doesn't have them already, you can get them cheap. 

The worst thing that's happened to me in 15 years was when I worked at Subway in high school. I ran my left-hand middle finger directly into a tomato slicer's blade. Had a show to play later that night and the strings kept sliding into the cut and getting stuck in it. Very painful and very bloody. 

But, I've also been careful. Learning proper knife-technique goes a LONG way. Not only will you not get yelled at for hacking shit up improperly, but you'll learn how to protect your fingers.


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## Seanthesheep

dont be an accountant  the solid thing is that my hours are consistent everyday and because of that planning time with my band is easy, but pay isnt that good and I dont get extended leaves of absence  plus I deal with idiots everyday, but dont we all

the only worse thing I can think of is being a student


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## Sephael

kitchen knives are bad, but honestly are not shit compared to factory work. I was working on a 30 foot band razor blade that I had just sharpened and put the full force of my weight on my right thumb, if I had not hit bone it would have easily went all the way through. It has limited my playing since, and beyond that I touch by my nail and feel it up by the first knuckle from my hand.

Protect your hands, and never let yourself get so stressed and in a hurry that you risk damage to your fingers.


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## xchristopherx

I toured while I worked at gc, pay was awful. I work at best buy now, I make about 50k a year and I absolutely can not tour. I work about 35 to 45 hours a week, and my weeks are always different. I have made more money doing illustration but it's hard to keep things consistent. (at least for me) so doing t-shirts or an album cover onece or twice a week is cool for some extra money. I'd love to get into tattooing, unfortunately with shows like ink master everyone thinks they can tattoo and finding time to devote to an honest to goodness apprenticeship is out of the question for me at the moment. 

I've been looking. Into warehouse jobs, pay wise though they are pretty shot.


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## Overtone

Boston seems like a pretty good place to do the graphic design thing... I'm guessing after a year or two of networking and doing work in the music/arts community you could make a living based around that.


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## goldsteinat0r

Seanthesheep said:


> dont be an accountant  the solid thing is that my hours are consistent everyday and because of that planning time with my band is easy, but pay isnt that good and I dont get extended leaves of absence  plus I deal with idiots everyday, but dont we all
> 
> the only worse thing I can think of is being a student



Where do you work? I'm an accountant and I get decent PTO and I actually rarely speak with clients (but I do occasionally). Then again I'm a staff accountant.


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## sleepy502

Seanthesheep said:


> dont be an accountant  the solid thing is that my hours are consistent everyday and because of that planning time with my band is easy, but pay isnt that good and I dont get extended leaves of absence  plus I deal with idiots everyday, but dont we all
> 
> the only worse thing I can think of is being a student



Weird. I know accountants with their CGA and they are making 70k out of school, my old bosses wife is an accountant and shes pulling in 150k easily. People pay lots of money for you to smudge their books for them


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## xCaptainx

xCaptainx said:


> btw I've got a bassist who is a server/bar tender and it's a huge pain in the ass. Can hardly come to practise due to constantly changing shifts, it's always an ordeal for him to get a weekend off to do out of town shows.
> 
> Any customer service role that relies on night work would not be a good choice. Again, a field where you can become an subject matter expert (and preferably work from home on a laptop, or on the road) would be ideal.



Update; we've since let go of this bassist, he attempted to cancel a gig with less than 24 hours notice because he couldn't get someone to cover his bar shift that night. He had a months lead in. We had our previous bassist step up with a few hours notice, legend. 

Meanwhile in my IT job, I don't work nights or weekends at all and I've got over a month of paid leave up my sleeve, ready to take whenever I want, which I will be using it on a month long U.S tour coming up. There's also no qualms with me working remotely from a laptop etc. 

Become a subject matter expert in a very specific field. Your salary and work flexibility will support you much better than an entry level retail job with no paid leave or support system.


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## Icecold

CrushingAnvil said:


> Some dude I grew up with got into real estate.
> 
> He is now (nothing has changed, really) the biggest faggot I know.




Selling houses made him gay?


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## MF_Kitten

I am finishing an education to become a social worker, because that's the type of jobs i like, and it'll give me a better chance of getting a bigger position in a job. That'll give me a safer situation in life, and it'll let me buy more stuff with the slightly higher pay. It'll guarantee that i won't end up on the street (although that isn't even possible in Norway unless you basically choose to say no to all the support you'll be given) so i can do music stuff on my spare time and build my empire while my job supports that. Maybe start producing and recording bands, then go from there.


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