Hey rockers,

I've been playing guitar for over 12 years now, I'm 25 years old. My dad taught me a lot of guitar as he used to teach wfhen he was younger. He started me with a lot of folk tunes from the 60's and 70's and bluegrass. I picked it up like that (*snap*) and progressed into the dobro lap resonator guitar and got pretty good. It wasn't until last August that I picked up my first electric (G&L ASAT Bluesboy). I progressed quickly and now can jam with the ol' boys at the blues jam in our little town.

Here's my problem:

I am a mechanical engineer and really thought that's what I wanted to do until they put me behind a desk. Now all I think about is Kenny Wayne Shepherd, Joe Bonamassa, Eric Johnson,...all of them. It doesn't help to have two screens either. One I can stream Pebber Brown, and tons of music on Youtube as well as do my design work (cough yeah right). But seriously I've never procrastinated so much on my work and it's not good. I really do not like the job I am at so I'm looking everyday for new opportunities. I guess this thread is quite rhetorical and bs but I wanted to get a second opinion if anyone else is looking to pursue music but not be a total looser.

Thanks guys

Dapper Dan

while it certainly would be all top and whatnot to find oneself in a position where you can play music and rip guitarero as a means of providing a source of income. I do not feel it is necessary in order to make the trip worth the ticket price; like if you were to start shedding it like a pro 10+hours a day (or night if you gotta work during the day) I currently have two jobs which obviosly get in the way of me doing my guitar things...but I still make it a priority to always keep blasting away with always practicing during the non work time no matter what, and keep going until pass out....does that make me a looser and a socially void hermit crab....well maybe it does....but I would say the excitement that comes from knowing that you are gonna eventually be mega kingpin Superbeast guitarist is incentive enough to use the remaining non working hours to make it happen (with maybe a few hours set aside for the necesities like sleep and whatnot.) Makes sacrifices that are proportional to your guitaristic dreams.

I have to hand it to Nick on this one. He's absolutely right. Set realistic goals for yourself.

As for quitting your day job, I'd advise against that. If you already have a career, that says something. When I was 11 and started playing guitar I never had any desire to do anything else. But that's me. It's a tough road.

WARNING: RESULTS MAY VARY. USE WITH CAUTION

Oh by the way I got a new job everybody...So, I added "Sarod Picker" to my resume skillsets list...And guess what... they gave me this job at Questar grading 3 and 4th grade math...You guys would never beleive some of the shit these kids come up with in their answers...So they and are official owners of my butt for 40 hours of each week...and even tho it makes makes it a bit more difficult for me keep up with my 10 hour day trill and sarod diddying quota I am officialy rolling around in the dough so it is worth it insofar as that dough will serve to keep food in my belly so that I can remain ammongst the living long enough to keep the sarod train arollin long for as long as it can go or until my strings catch fire from getting drilled by lady sarod.

@ Ursin: ok well i guess it is certainly not an "easy" road...but thats spliting hairs because it is the most exciting road by a clear cut margin. And at the end of the day all you really need it to still be alive and have something that makes it worth your while to stick it out and figure out who you really are all up in there.

Hey thanks hombres. Yes I agree with both of you. Quitting my job to shred isn't going to make me a better guitar player. It will just make me a broke guitar player. I do set aside a time to practice everyday so I am lucky in the fact that I can still pursue guitar but have time to listen to different artists and practice. I guess my concern was that I have found something that I am truly passionate about like everyone else on this forum but don't want to end up that person who was really getting into guitar when they were young and then life, job, kids, wife, all took it over. I've seen it happen quite a bit. I am young, single, and no kids. If this were a time to pursue as much guitar as I can, now is my only time. I guess it is all about choices.

Only you can decide what's right for you.

Having stated the obvious, I just want to point out that not everyone can obtain a career in mechanical engineering. That career has a much higher ceiling than most, and getting at least close to that ceiling can be done without subjective criticism (unlike in music). Most people that are able to obtain highly technical degrees/careers at some point actually enjoyed the subject matter. Do/did you enjoy the subject matter? Are you in a rut with it? Is it because of your particular job/employer and might it change with another? Is it the city you're in? Are you in a rut precisely because you are young, single, with no kids? Is there a way to get out of that rut without quitting the career for your axe?

I'd recommend really trying to ask yourself questions like these before giving up your career for music.

Again though, only you can decide what's right for you. You could be the next < insert musical hero here >.