Great Jobs for Music Lovers

Most people are music fans. During the day, as I’m working, I’m often listening to iTunes, and one of my favorite things to do on weekends is go to shows with friends to see local bands. Did you know that you could turn this interest into a job? If you’re a music lover, here are some awesome career paths you might want to consider:

• Radio DJ or Station Manager: If you love sharing your favorite music with other people, working at a radio station might be the perfect job for you. You could work as an on-pair personality, where you’ll get to host small talk segments and determine which songs get played, or you could work as a station manager, preparing programming and making decisions that affect what goes on the air. The downside to this type of job is that entry-level jobs typically have you working odd hours and on-air positions are extremely competitive.
• Cruise-Related Music Jobs: Most cruises have musical elements, whether that be entertaining people as part of a performing team, working as a cruise ship DJ at on-site dance clubs, or giving dance lessons. You can get started with a seasonal position as a performer or instructor and work your way up to more lucrative year-round positions where you’ll become part of the cruise’s team of workers responsible for planning the ship activities and managing entertainers.
• Dancer: Working as a dancer could mean anything from teaching belly dancing classes to performing on stage as part of a dance crew. As is the case with any artistic position, working as a dancer takes tons of hard work and dedication, but if you’re willing to put in the time, you could someday even work as a background dancer for a celebrity or find yourself as a dancer in movies or on Broadway!
• Event Planning: Believe it or not, event planning is a great career choice if you’re interested in working in the music industry. Although events are planned in a number of industries, with a degree in this field, you could work planning concerts, music festivals, or other events that have deep ties to the music world. As an added bonus, if you work as an event planner in the music industry, you’ll likely get to meet a lot of the stars that play at these events.
• Recording Engineer: Of course, working as a musician is the most obvious way to find a job you’ll love as someone who enjoys music, but not everyone has the talent or ability to write songs, sing, or play instruments. Instead, why not consider becoming a recording engineer? In this position, you’ll record music in a studio, piecing together vocals, instrumental parts, effects, and more to create a finished product.
• Video Game Development: Think how weird it would be if your favorite video games didn’t have any music? Working as a game composer requires you to work closely with the rest of a video game design team to create an ambiance that fits the storyline of the game well. Positions in the video game industry are extremely competitive, so if this route sounds appealing to you, consider volunteering to do some sound mixing or composing for a start-up independent developer, which will help you build your portfolio.
• Faith Music Director: In most religions, music is a part of worship and religious ceremonies. If you’re a religious person, you might want to consider working as a music worship leader, organist, or choir director for a church in your area. Some of these positions are volunteer only, but many are paid positions, at least on a part-time basis.

Music jobs tend to pop up in almost every industry if you look hard enough. If you love history, a music museum like the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame might be the perfect place to work. Someone with retail experience could find a job selling music at a local record shop or a chain like FYE. Interested in nursing as well? Nursing homes and children hospitals often hire activities directors, who schedule music programs for patients. No matter what your interests, there’s likely a music-related position that’s perfect for you.