Moral Dilemna, Help me
 

OK, I'll keep this as brief as possible, but it's something I've been stressing about so I figured I ask some opinions on the matter.

My current situation

Full time Student @ CSOM (business school) at the University of Minnesota
Loan Shark at a emergency loan office at the U
I will be taking over the office next summer which means
$17k a year (I know not much, but it's salary for partime, like 2 6 hour days a week, basically very little work for what I'd be paid) plus paid parking $1200/year in contract parking, plus tuition assistance -almost half my school paid for.
This gives me time to work on my cars, chill with my boys, play some random music, and work to graduate.

Possible situation:
My band is in a position where we may "make it". As in get signed by a big label (Sony) for a record deal. If that happens, we basically give up whatever we're doing to write, rehearse, record, tour, promote, whatever. It'd be a full time gig probably not here. I'd be leaving most of my friends (besides those in the band), my girlfriend (of 5 years), my cars :'(, my school, my job (which is basically guaranteed until I graduate (2 years left), and I'm not sure how long the deal would last if it happens.

As of now, I'm gonna stay put until they give me some solid FIGURE$. If I'm guaranteed a bunch of money, I'm down for sure, I can be paid to put a hold on my life, but if it's conditional, I may decline my position in the band. I'd rather have certainty (spelling?) in my current life, I'm plenty happy now, than a slight chance that if everything works we may just make it. It's a tough industry, and I've been playing around Minneapolis for the last 5 years in 5 different bands, and heard many promises about where we were going, and never seen it happen.

What do you guys think I should do, stay and drop the band (I like music, but it's not that important to me, more of a job than a passion) or should I go for the band deal?

I can't decide... at least without a dollar figure ;D

Re:Moral Dilemna, Help me
 

If you have a promising career I wouldn't mess that up. I'm sure you know, but hundreds of thousands of bands or groups try to make it and fail. Good luck to you with the whole thing, but I wouldn't throw away your life for an unsure thing. :-\
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Re:Moral Dilemna, Help me
 

tru dat dr. boost, don't mess up your life and go for the band.. when your done with college and you get the offer, then do it. not while in college.. i wouldn't do it if sony offered me $50k on my first CD cuz then what if you don't make it??? you have little money and no education to live off of. so finish college then worry about the band. thats what i'd do anyway. good luck, i know its hard to pick.

Re:Moral Dilemna, Help me
 

If the money is right, put your life on hold, make as much money as you can, and then come back and continue life. My best friend is one of the baddest drummers I've seen. He really has talent. His band was tossed in favor of Slipknot by Roadrunner. After that the band broke up and he's left with this amazing talent. He has never gotten back into a band, but it makes you wonder how far he could have made it in any band. If you have a talent, don't go through life wondering what "might" have happened. Go for it.
My moms old neighbor is the singer of the White Caps. Some punk rock band. He's like 30 now and they still play sometimes, but this guy made money in the peak of the band and now he has his own electiric company.
If you can live life without thinking about "what if", then just live your life and snake people for loans. ;D Just some things to think about. ;)

Re:Moral Dilemna, Help me
 

If the music is more of a job I dont think youll fully enjoy a opportunity like that. But itd suck to sit there and wonder what could have happened. Its a ride. I'd take it if I was you. If you fail. You can always fall back. Cant live on what ifs.

Re:Moral Dilemna, Help me
 

Gosh, it sounds kinda like you answered your own question here, but just because I'm a swell guy, I'll put my two cents in... : )

If the deal is offered, and if there is a great deal of cash offered, then you should probably evaluate the following...

The money from the deal has to be sufficient to enable you to live while supporting the deal. It also must be enough to put a bunch away for when the deal is over. This set aside money should be enough to complete those things you put on hold while supporting the deal.

This should include at least, I said, at least, 4 years or more of college expenses, including living expenses. If you are going to trade away a done deal to take the new deal, that deal should enable you to pick up where you left off, without struggling to get by.

Always have a lawyer check it out and make sure the deal meets your requirements and needs! I'd hate to see you on one of the sad Band stories on MTV or VH1, all washed up and broke after a one hit career.

Hope that helps and doesn't confuse!

Craig (former drummer for a band that never made it, and now a computer geek for Intel. I just make cool junk for Hondas in my spare time...)

Re:Moral Dilemna, Help me
 

I was thinking the same thing.

If you don't truly love being a member of this band and you just want it for the money, don't go for it. You would be doing it for the wrong reasons.
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Re:Moral Dilemna, Help me
 

I'm all about taking risks in life, but honestly, I don't think this is one worth taking, especially the way you talk about the band with uncertainty as to whether or not it will make it, and how you feel that it's more of a job.

Lately I have had some pretty good job offers that would require me not to quit school, but at least to drop the majority of the load I'm taking. After evaluating my values, I have decided that education is to important, and if I'm getting good job offers now, how much better will they be after a degree.

IMO, all the money aside, I say education is far too important to put off for a sketchy band deal. Now if we could only get all the ignorant people in the world to see the value of education.....

Re:Moral Dilemna, Help me
 

um...do the music career as long as your band doesnt suck. my guess is your band probably sucks and you will get strung along by record label bigwigs and dropped from your development deal and come out in debt......if you kick ass you should have been already touring and making a name for yourself....inconclusion.....stick with college.

Re:Moral Dilemna, Help me
 

dude, you can go back to school. maybe the job won't be there when you come back(most likely). plus, i have never heard you be so positive about a band until now, you haven't bitched about a retarded emo keyboardist or a pair of "MCs" that expect to be huge. im not sure if this radio thing is going to work out, but i know i always have a fallback, you do too. i got your back, as long as you turbo my car when i get the money.

Re:Moral Dilemna, Help me
 

it all depends, it seems that the love of your girl, your turbo hondas and a solid education with a nice side job is a far greater asset then maybe gettin a record deal. just think which one of the two youd be able to live without, and theres your answer

Re:Moral Dilemna, Help me
 

Make sure u don't abondon HMT :'(

Re:Moral Dilemna, Help me
 

The best advice i can give you is: Do whatever you think is the right thing to do. <-- you'll never go wrong with doing that.

Re:Moral Dilemna, Help me
 

That's kinda where I'm at. It's not that I don't like music, it's just that actually leaving stuff is hard, and I know that if it happened and I could just let everyhing go, I'd totally have blast and be along for the ride. But I see no point in giving up my life unless a real offer comes up. We're playing in Mid-March in Austin, TX for some music convention @ SSW- which is like a chance for companies to scope us out, that's assuming we don't have a deal by then. It happens to be over spring break, so I'll be cool to go and try, and then I'll see.

As for the girl, she'll be done with school next spring, and I told her if I don't have enough money to make it worthwhile I wouldn't do it, but if there's enough money, then I'd want her along with me. She's pretty skeptical of the whole thing and it just stresses her out, so I'm gonna leave the topic alone until I know something. She'd be alright, but I think we'd get trashed if I left without her, which after 5 years is rough.

bigwig- I'm not saying I'm elvis or ---- here, but I haven't been actively looking to go big either. I've been playing the scene for 5 years, and that makes me 20. The band doesn't suck, and neither do I. For reference, when I played more, I was often playing with cats from the new power generation, yeah Prince's musicians. Not every average joe can say that. We're talking Michael Bland, Tommy B, Sonny T, those guys, we're all buds, and they won't deal with shitter musicians, it's demoting for them.

Travis don't worry, if I go big my first purchase will be a load of stuff for the civic. and HMT will be with me all the way. I hop on here every chance I get, and that won't change unless all you guys leave...

wow that got really long, ED - you know what's up, but I've just gotta make sure what I do is right, and not have any regrets...

Re:Moral Dilemna, Help me
 

i pissed on your manifold before i shipped it 8)

now lets party

Re:Moral Dilemna, Help me
 

jackass, what's that got to do with ----

Re:Moral Dilemna, Help me
 

i dunno i went to the club and im drunkt hats what....jung do what is in your heart son.....

Re:Moral Dilemna, Help me
 

I know its probably been said before but youre 20 years old dude. You are so young you can go back to school in a couple years no problem, and no offence but you probably wont be with your girlfriend forever anyways, A good girlfriend would support you no matter what you decide to do and if she doesnt youre better off with out her. you know if you dont do this you will regret it probably the rest of your life. you have the chance to expierience something most can only dream of doing and it could make you a better person because of what you will expierience. as for your friends, if theyre true friends they will be there when you get back plus youll probably meet other cool people anywayz. if it were me there would be no hesitation. good luck man

steve

Re:Moral Dilemna, Help me
 

^thats mother ------- word

Re:Moral Dilemna, Help me
 

there are always gonna be risks when wanting to succeed. you can't take a step forward with out paying your dues. so don't expect something to come to you that easy. work your way up the ladder and put your full potential. choose from either or. because from what i see, what you have going now is really nothing much it's something but now much. until later.. your only making 17k a year and half you school paid. then you could possibly have a record deal, which i can guarrantee it will pay more than where your working. RISKS BABY!! that something you have to think about and take a gamble on.

Re:Moral Dilemna, Help me
 

I wouldnt take the chance.It may not be as easy to go back to school if it fails.Then your stuck in a dead end job.I see it this way,youve allready put time and effort into school and your going to leave it for a posible cahnce at stardom.The key word is "possible" here.ALOT of bands fail.more than you think.I think every one on this forum knows of a band or musician that almost made it.Almost isnt good enough in my book...just my 2 pennies.

Re:Moral Dilemna, Help me
 

take the gig, the kool thing about colege is you can Always go back. and "boo hoo" look at me, I get paid to do nothing and goto colleger AND i might get a recording deal...waaaaah!!! hehe j/k man.

Re:Moral Dilemna, Help me
 

Yeah but alot of bands make it also. yeah im sure every one on this forum knows of a band or musician that didnt make it but im sure a few of us might know one that has. your look on life seems pretty negative i know your just giving advice but what you say doesnt apply to everyone. Also going back to college isnt that hard i know plenty of people who went took a couple years off and then went back when they were more mature for a lot of people its easier this way cause when you are a little older and you go back your there to work not ---- around

steve

Re:Moral Dilemna, Help me
 

No.My look on life is not negative.Its just that when your young you only think of what you are going to do with your life in the next 5 minutes.Im a little more mature now and I said what I said couse I droped out of high school to persue something that at the moment seemd what I wanted to do.By the time I figured out I wasnt happy doing what I was doing it was too late.My life was too complicated to go get my GED and try to go to college.I am not unhappy with my life its just that I wish I had stayed in school and then gone to college. Your right though my way of thinking isnt for every one.I realize we all have a dream and when were young we want to persue it.....hopefully it will work out for jung.

Re:Moral Dilemna, Help me
 

i like to party and that sounds like a party....you only live once jung....when your old and crusty and gay you might regret things...make sure you regret the right things

Re:Moral Dilemna, Help me
 

right on

Re:Moral Dilemna, Help me
 

College, to me, is utter bullshit. I feel that none of the jobs I've ever heard of that I REALLY want to do involve a very wide------ education. To make it as a worker, you have to be trained for a skill that's in demand. Why the ---- did I have an English class last quarter when I major in vehicle design? I wasted time on that ----. But it gets me my piece of paper. I am more qualified becuase of it. ---- that. Learn only what you want to learn, by yourself and for yourself, and you will learn it better and have more fun. At the same time you are secure in the path of least resistance. You wear only fifteen pieces of flair. If you want it, and I mean REALLY, you can make it happen. Just make sure your focus is happiness and not money because you will find yourself without either if you pick the wrong one.

Re:Moral Dilemna, Help me
 

Perhaps its just me but i say stay with your girl ,friends and cars. You don't always find a girl that will stay with ya for 5 years and you can never replace friends. Nothing replaces the feel of working on your car for so long ,busting your ass and then finally reaping the rewards. As for college i enjoyed my 3 years of it. I learned a ---- load of stuff in machine shop and i use it to the full extent and then some. You can never beat schooling. You may know your ---- but you won't get your full pay unless you have that little piece of paper ;).

Re:Moral Dilemna, Help me
 

dude, college is supposed to make you a more "rounded" individual. I agree english isn't my forte especially when I'm going for a physics degree. But it suck to have your thesis laughed at for poor grammar. nahmsayin?

Re:Moral Dilemna, Help me
 

Whatever you do, keep college a priority. I don't think I'm the type of person that will work FOR people all of my life. My mind seems to come up with idea's to where I can work for myself. Yes, I think there is a good chance I will have some type of small business or whatever in life, but I still go to community college. I will have to make my own future, but the friend I work for now will have his dad's business gladly handed to him in no time. He's always saying how superior he is to the everyday person because he has/will have his own business, but that doesn't make him ----. I told him to go to college as well so when people say, "your whole life was handed to you" he can say, "yes it was, but I have a blah blah degree as well." Point is, always go for as much as you can handle. School doesn't make you smarter, it takes you out of your own little world to give you a better understanding of everything that's happening around you. But you don't realize this until your in school. I'm done now. ;)

Re:Moral Dilemna, Help me
 

talki of college, ---- im almost odne and its getin scary. the real world is gonna bite me int he ass soon enough.

Re:Moral Dilemna, Help me
 

I agree, stick to school. You can use that time to practice with your band to become the next superstar.

Nick

Re:Moral Dilemna, Help me
 

thanks for all the advice guys, I'm taking most of it to heart.

for clarification, the band isn't all as young as me.
Singer - 26 Married with 3 kids
Backup (doesn't give him justice) - 29
Drummer - 23
Guitar - 25
Keyboard - 2?
Manager - 4?
I'm the only one in school, everyone except the drummer are full-time musicians, the manager works, but without him, we'd be nothing. The drummer, my roomate, changes oil, and practices drums, wants to be a drummer, and plans on going to tech school for mechanics. It's not like we're a college kid band, I just happen to be in the group and in college. When the band was being formed, I was the first person called, because they know I'd be able to do what they wanted musically, and I can, but I don't know if that's the best path... time will tell.

Re:Moral Dilemna, Help me
 

best thing to do in thi ssituation is to go out in the driveway and rev the honda....that always gets my brain juices flowin

Re:Moral Dilemna, Help me
 

don't have driveway, just a slab between the garage and the ally, and the cops show up if I stand in the ally and fart after 10 o'clock-our neighbors hate us, something about a sound ordinance.

Re:Moral Dilemna, Help me
 

Do what you love and the money will follow. It doesn't sound like music is that love.
Even if it is, there are no guaranties in the music industry. I have a friend(lots older than me)that was the guitarist in the 70s disco funk band Wild Cherry. Play that funky music white boy was there only hit. Now he drives a fork truck for a printing company. He was a successful musician, now he is a working stiff.

Re:Moral Dilemna, Help me
 

Shout out to all the college supporters. I came to a hard realization last year that i wasnt going to be rich until i got an education, whatever that may be. the job market is very slim for unskilled labor.

Re:Moral Dilemna, Help me
 

::)



yeah but he can always go back to college i know plenty of people who have done it

Re:Moral Dilemna, Help me
 

Yeah but why waste the time f-ing around if you can get out of college relatively young,get a kick ass job,buy a house all before you are 28.Thats the way I see it.

I mean Im living proof that you dont even need a high school diploma to make really good money but then again I wont get rich doing what I do and my work is verry phisycal.

Stay in school jung and work with your mind(not phisycal work),in a nice air conditioned ofice,making alot of money!

Re:Moral Dilemna, Help me
 

im not going to argue this anymore just because people have different out looks on life and your not going to change them. but if it were me id go with the band and if it didnt workout go back to school cause what if ---- does work out and you make millions. you only live once