Comments | britches11596: Thoughts on Graduating

britches11596

Thoughts on Graduating

Aug 24, 2008 10:49

As the eve of my last semester at Penn State arrives, I can't help but feel despair/loneliness/confusion. I have no plans after graduation. I have massive loans to pay off. I need to travel. I need to live on the west coast. I need to play music again, and take it seriously. My best friends have mostly moved away. I finally feel that I have ( Read more... )

Comments 8

mermaidsinlove August 24 2008, 16:03:32 UTC

Working and doing music at the same time sounds like a good idea. Working is good for developing life skills and relationships, and of course the money helps (for loans, travelling, etc.). I've learned a lot and made incredible friendships while working various jobs.

Have you considered giving music lessons? I've worked with a few music majors who worked part time and gave music lessons after their day job. They'd work on material or record on weekends and nights, that sort of deal.

I hear Houston has a great music scene! It's in Texas though, heh.
Portland you should definitely visit, a lot of indie greats have come out of that general area.
Chicago has an active music scene here, but it's more well known for theater.
San Francisco is good for activism.
NYC is good for watching people beat up the homeless. :(

mermaidsinlove August 24 2008, 16:05:04 UTC

P.S. Oakland is cheaper than San Francisco. :)

britches11596 August 24 2008, 16:14:54 UTC

Oh yeah, I kind of group Oakland and SF together. I have various money-making skills like drum lessons, DJing, tutoring, fixing up circuitry (which is MUCH easier than it sounds and pays well!)

The thing that bothers me is a lack of motivation for music if I have too much on my plate. If I ever want to start touring, it's difficult to get time off of a new high-income job. If I could get something steady where I could work from home (or from the road via laptop) mixing movie soundtracks or any sort of independent job, it might be more ideal.

On Texas, I haven't really ruled it out. I hear great things from people that move there (even my most liberal friends). There are also other cities that are probably great that I don't know much about. These just seem really awesome. I'd probably also throw Denver into the mix, though I've never visited there either.

cherryflavored August 24 2008, 17:17:16 UTC

Travel? Come hang out in Tokyo.

britches11596 August 24 2008, 19:31:17 UTC

how much is a round trip ticket?

cherryflavored August 25 2008, 06:29:49 UTC

About $1500.

cherryflavored August 25 2008, 11:31:28 UTC

Also, I agree with the Oakland suggestion. It really is a great deal cheaper than San Francisco, and it's great (depending on where you live). It's also really close to Berkeley AND San Francisco, so you have a lot of options for places to hang out.

1st_things August 31 2008, 17:09:10 UTC

i didn't read above about Texas- but I've heard Austin is excellent. Liberal and not what you would expect from Texas and the south. The music scene is supposed to be great too!

get away from philly and nyc, everyone is there. boldly go! i've heard portland and the oregon coast are beautiful. and if it's anything like the west coast that i saw this summer living out in salt lake and its surrounding states, then it's definitely worth considering.