posted
I have decide what to do at University in the next two months. I am either going to do a social science/art (political science, history or international relations) or music.
My parents tell me that I should go for music, because I will find the other degree boring and will want to switch to music anyway. My friends tell me to do what I want to do. My music teacher has never comitted herself to anything, but from reasonable deduction I can say that she would like me to do music. She says talent should not be wasted.
I love to sing, and I love music, and I believe I am reasonably good at what I do. However, even though I have been doing music since I was a little child, I have never really wanted a career in it, I don't really have a passion for it; it has always remained a serious hobby. I don't feel like a musician. I feel like a person who sings.
I am told on all sides to "follow my heart" and "don't waste your talent".
Is it such a crime to not follow up on a promising talent?
Posts: 8473 | Registered: Apr 2003
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posted
No it isn't, but there's really no reason you'd need to give it up. Major in social science and take classes or a minor in music if you want. In fact, you don't even have to take classes to be a musician. Just practice and you won't be giving up your talent.
Posts: 8120 | Registered: Jul 2000
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All I know is that if it's something you both enjoy and are talented at, there's no reason to give it up entirely. I stopped dancing three years ago to focus on academics. I found out the next year that I would have had the lead role in my company's major production had I stayed just that one year longer. My dancing years are still a part of my life and I do not regret the opportunities I've gained since then. I do, however, regret the opportunities lost. Not so much so that I would change my choice now but the regret is still there. I love my school and classes right now and they really do give me something to work toward to. The passion I had for dance, however, is something that I'd be very surprised to find elsewhere. Don't give that up.
Posts: 1548 | Registered: Aug 2002
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Tres makes a good point: you don't need a degree in music to be a musician. The degree is for your fallback--which could be as a music teacher, so I'm not saying you should necessarily rule mmusic out. If you want to be a musician, be a musician. Write, play, whatever it is you are passionate about. And don't enter your fallback career immediately after college, because then you will likely never live your dream. You will have too much to lose by taking chances. Instead, live the starving artist's life until you achieve success or get sick of it.
-o-
Incidentally, your title implies that your talent and your passion lie in different areas. Are we getting the full picture here?
Posts: 1001 | Registered: Dec 2002
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posted
Follow your heart. Do what you want to do. As Tres said, you don't need to major in music, just because you have a talent for it. You can still pursue it as a hobby.
If you think you'll be happier in another field, I say go for it. And keep in mind that what you choose to do now is never set in stone. Life is full of choices, and just because you do one thing one day, you aren't forced to continue doing it for the rest of your life. Sometimes it's hard to make changes in your life, but it's usually not impossible. So, do whatever makes you happy.
Well, that was somewhat sappy. I'monna go watch Family Guy. Or something.
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