I'm gonna have to somewhat disagree with OG on this. It really depends on what you want to do within music as a profession. Do you want to be a producer, a songwriter, an engineer, or do you want to venture over to the business side of it? There's a bunch of possible professions to choose from within the music industry. If you end up going to school for it, you can definitely network your way around and land a gig somewhere after school. The school you choose should have plenty of resources available for you to reach out to depending how prestigious the program is. Or you can just do the networking yourself amongst your peers. It all boils down to how much effort you're willing to put into it.
The internet has made it more viable to pursue music as a career compared to like 10-20 years ago. I know people who aren't mainstream big, but are able to support themselves because they've developed a sizable and loyal following even though relatively it may appear small. They're loyal enough to buy merch, beats, etc. to help the monthly income flowing consistently.
What I think OG was thinking when he responded was when people say "I want to be the next big thing in music." Like the next Drake or J Cole. I cringe every time I hear that from someone because it doesn't make practical sense. The artist themselves have no power over that - the listeners do. They're the ones that decide who blows up. Drake and J Cole just made music that they liked and the masses decided that they liked it too. Obviously the right marketing/business backing is crucial to help facilitate that, but ultimately it's up to the people. You can have all of the resources needed to assemble the best marketing strategy but if your product is shit, then it's still going to flop.
I think my one piece of advice is to be brutally honest with yourself or find someone that will be brutally honest with you. Ask yourself if this is really what you're passionate about. If yes, pursue it as much as you possibly can given other time commitments. Nothing's easy. You're going to have to make sacrifices and trade-offs. Everything in life takes hard work. If it didn't, everybody would be pursuing their own passions, but most don't. There's distractions everywhere as mentioned before, but if you catch yourself constantly being distracted, then you should reevaluate and ask yourself again if a career in music is what you really want. Obviously we aren't robots and need breaks/a sense of balance, but if it keeps happening, then maybe it isn't truly what you want or you flat out aren't willing to put in the effort to make it happen. Which goes along with my tag along piece of advice: you always need to be self-aware and practical about your own skills as well as your progression. Constantly reevaluate. It'll help to continue to drive you or push you away to another career pursuit.
Sorry for the rant haha, I'm very pro- go for it but with a keen sense of self-awareness. Hope this helps.
