Most people consider day jobs to be something that you do before you hit your big break. You flip burgers until you land a sweet recurring role on Gossip Girls, you stock shelves at Crate and Barrel until nabbing a record deal. But what happens when that gig doesn't pay the bills? Is it back to day jobsville?
Maybe. I stumbled across this article a few days ago. Full disclosure: I know this guy, Jason. I went to college with him at Portland State University, and knew him very vaguely when he later went on to New York to get his performance degree. And while I'll reserve all personal feelings about him for the sake of civility, let the record show that he and I really. Don't. Like. Each. Other.
The article is interesting, though, because it discloses this professional symphony musician's salary. After years and years of conservatory study, and having finally scored a respectable position in his chosen field that allows him to make money and do what he loves, Jason takes home approximately $17,000 a year. Without health insurance.
To put that figure into perspective, take a look at this listing of the lowest paying jobs out there. As it stands, Jason makes less doing the job that he trained, studied, and practiced for than a shampooer at a hair salon ($17,050), a ticket taker at a movie theater ($17,500), or a carnie ($17,530). Yeah, that's right. A CARNIE. Like, the creepy toothless dude who operates the Tilt-a-Whirl at the state fair. That guy makes more than a classically-trained symphony musician. Though, to be fair, there is such a thing as Carnie College
*faint*
Jason boosts his symphony salary with an additional $10,000 annually by teaching a small studio of students and playing little gigs here and there. His wife, however, fares much better in the dollars department, though her paycheck appears to come from equal parts musicianship and day job. (I know her from PSU, too. She's really nice.) She works 50 hours a week and makes $35,000 by teaching private music lessons and a part-time position at a music store. That's just below the national average of $39,190. Mind you, she's got a music degree, too, and is a talented trumpet player with many performance credentials.
Together, these two musical lovebirds pull down $62,000 a year. That's roughly what an autopsy technician makes, or a registered nurse. And their combined income is less than half that of a dentist or doctor. It's also only a fraction of the salary that symphony musicians make in big cities like Philadelphia, Boston, or New York, where those players get upwards of $100,000 a year.
Does Jason's freedom from a day job make his rather teensy salary worthwhile? He definitely wants a career as a symphony musician, but at what cost? "I'm trying to be a little single-minded about it. And maybe that's a mistake. I really want it," he says in the article.
While I admire his determination, and can surely see that he's reached some measure of success, I can't help but wonder if a little day job here or there might not be a bad idea.
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