Should I just go to school for music right now or learn a trade?

I am not so thrilled about working my low wages while have to grunt and scrape through school. I’m 29. My thinking is that if I did a trade my bills might be easier to pay but my problem with that is in doing so I’d be most likely also be putting off going music recording school.

You’re right to be worried. I advise older students differently from younger students, for this very reason. I think you need to consider your priorities in terms of the realistic prosepects of gaining good employment in music recording.

Is the school you are considering reputable? Do students really get jobs? Do employers in the field recruit there? What are your real employment prospects?

So many "music recording schools" are, in my opinion, ripping off their students. You’d want to do your research on the one you’re considering before you jump. That should include talking to people in the industry, who aren’t connected to the school.

The students take out loans, and graduate without a better job than the one they went in with. It gives me angina. Ach!

Also consider your priorities. If getting better pay is #1, and music recording school likely won’t get you there, then a trade may be a reasonable option. But you won’t succeed in a trade if you don’t at least have an interest in it, so pick carefully. Perhaps there is something related to what you’d be doing in music recording – computers, or what have you – which is also related to one of the trades?

Another option – think about what job you really want, post-graduation. Do you really need to go to music recording school to get there, or are there other routes? Must it be music recording school, or will, say, a BA in any field from your local state school, plus work on your school’s radio station, plus a reputable internship, leave you better prepared to take that path?