Smart Career Ideas for Guitar Players (Besides Rock Star)

You don’t have to be a famous rock star to make it in music.

Photo by Babs Gorniak on Unsplash

For many guitarists, a career in music means becoming a rock star. After all, most of us are inspired to play by famous guitarists who have the world at their feet, at least for the time being.

But it’s smart to realize that not everyone makes it big in the music world. When I was a kid, my parents always told me I needed a backup plan, even though I was pretty sure I was going to become the next Eddie Van Halen.

They meant I should become an accountant or plumber or something in case my music dreams didn’t pan out. I always hated that.

While plumber and accountant are both very respectable professions, it’s pretty stupid to spend time learning to crunch numbers and twist pipes when what you really want to be is a musician.

But it’s equally stupid to throw all your eggs in the rock-star basket and hope it works out. While many famous bands went all-out to achieve success, I sometimes shudder to think what would have happened to them had they not made it big.

Have a backup plan, but make it something you love. There are plenty of music careers for guitarists that you can work hard at while not giving up on your rock star…