What are some skills?

[friendship]

It's probably weird to be asking this, but I never learned how to be a human being because I was raised by trash goblins.

I spent most of my life developing a lot of different music-based skills: performing several instruments, recording, mixing, editing, scoring to moving picture, sound design, and so forth. I love doing these things more than anything else, I am engaged with life and happiest while I'm doing it, and I work really hard, but for one reason or another I wasn't able to leverage it into making much money, let alone a career. Most of the actual, bill-paying work experience I've had is office administration and personal assisting and other beige shit. I think if I do that stuff anymore I'm quite literally going to plant a bullet in my brain.

When I try to ask people who know me IRL what I should do, they invariably ask "well what do you LIKE to do" but that just brings me back to music, which for all practical purposes is not an option. So I guess I need to try some new things to see what I would like. But I don't know where to start, what to try, where to try it, etc. I know I hate office work and staring at a computer all day. I like moving around and working with my hands and having tangible or semi-tangible results to be proud of.

Where do I begin? What are some things a recovering musicaholic can do to survive and live his life and not want to kill himself with the drudgery of bullshit work?

[Chankgeez]

I am in need of some skills as well.

[Invisible Man]

https://www.theatlantic.com/business/ar ... re/399599/

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XVptre3Ixyk[/youtube]

Was also raised by trash goblins. Also struggle with this concept.

Do you want your work to have purpose? Or do you want to get paid so you can do other shit? No judgment in the question; might help to start there.

[Ugly Nora]

If I had to do it all over again, I'd learn different types of metal working and build sound sculptures and gongs and stuff like that there. Maybe you can do that in my stead?

[Invisible Man]

I'd go skilled trades. Electrician, probably. Still think about it a lot.

Can't be outsourced, in-demand, honest, pay isn't bad.

[tremolo3]

Okay.. What is a trash goblin?

[Invisible Man]

I think you know full well.

[raj007]

Invisible Man presents good advice.

My first thought would be to sign up at a Community College and experiment around. They have skilled trades you can learn about (and get certified)--take a look through a Course catalog. You may see some stuff that peaks your interest.

A very good friend of mine was in a similar position a few years back and he decided he wanted to become a commercial pilot. So he started at the Community College level and they set him up w how to achieve that. He now works for Delta. And gets to travel.

[friendship]

I think I do want the work to have purpose. If it's going to occupy most of my day, I think I need to feel like it's not time wasted. It would be great if it also left some time on the side for personal hobbies like cooking and music.

Nora, coincidentally I've been randomly looking at what it takes to become a welder today. Apparently intro salaries are pretty awful but eventually it pays well and is in demand? And if I could make gongs and singing bowls, that would be extremely good. Electrician doesn't sound bad either. I really like the idea of doing work that can also be used in my personal life, e.g. building or fixing things for myself. I've always been a limp-wristed art nerd but maybe there's hope for me.

[Achtane]

I've been trying to get a welding apprenticeship somewhere. It's a thing that I'd like to know how to do for my hobbies, too.

Not something that I want to do forever, as it's not the healthiest environment to work in, but certainly a trade that I could do for a time. It's gotta be better than the crushingly hopeless shit jobs I've been working.

[Invisible Man]

Are you a little person, friendship? There's a huge demand for small people who can fit into aging structures to do welding repair. Terrifying but lucrative.

CNC is a good job is you like manufacture. Certificate (most of our students don't even finish the certificate before they get hired) will get you some $.

How much schooling/training are you willing to do? Sad to say that 'purpose' tends to come with a lot of baggage.

[friendship]

I'm about 5' 9" or 5' 10", 165 pounds, so not particularly small.

I'm happy to do training and schooling to learn the new skills provided I can pay my bills while doing it. Do you do CNC training at tech schools?

[Invisible Man]

You can do it at a lot of schools, but I don't know where you are or if you have access to that stuff. CNC operators are in-demand, it's not 'dirty' work, and the programming isn't crazy hard. With overtime a lot of entry-level folks crack 50k, I think.

The reason I thought of that specifically is that I saw jrfoxfetus post a link to a Buzzo model on CL...you could easily machine body blanks, or routed bodies, or do one-off aluminum guitars from readily-available and easily-modified templates. EGC is awesome, but those prices...you could do a one-stop builder operation at your own pace. Most employers seem to be cool with operators using lathes and mills for their own projects so long as it doesn't interfere with work projects.

Not trying to harp on that option, but it's a stable field with good pay that would give you an opportunity to pursue pet projects like the ones you talked about in your initial post. Tangible results, not totally computer-y or office drone-y, can do interesting shit but you aren't a slave to some bullshit salaried pyramid scheme, &c.

[friendship]

You can do it at a lot of schools, but I don't know where you are or if you have access to that stuff. CNC operators are in-demand, it's not 'dirty' work, and the programming isn't crazy hard. With overtime a lot of entry-level folks crack 50k, I think.

The reason I thought of that specifically is that I saw jrfoxfetus post a link to a Buzzo model on CL...you could easily machine body blanks, or routed bodies, or do one-off aluminum guitars from readily-available and easily-modified templates. EGC is awesome, but those prices...you could do a one-stop builder operation at your own pace. Most employers seem to be cool with operators using lathes and mills for their own projects so long as it doesn't interfere with work projects.

Not trying to harp on that option, but it's a stable field with good pay that would give you an opportunity to pursue pet projects like the ones you talked about in your initial post. Tangible results, not totally computer-y or office drone-y, can do interesting shit but you aren't a slave to some bullshit salaried pyramid scheme, &c.

No, please, harp away! I need all the ideas I can get. The idea of building my own necks and bodies and stuff is really appealing. I mean just building stuff in general sounds awesome. I think I have a buddy who learned some CNC basics in design school, I'm going to ask him where a guy can get started.

[repoman]

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