Be forewarned, this post may be lengthy,

I'm 34 years old thinking of starting a career as an audio engineer. Problem is, I don't know where to start. I have a BA with a recording concentration that I got many years ago. Needless to say, it's obsolete. Don't have a lot of money, so I don't know how much of a real possibility school is, nor can I afford to intern full time.

All I know is the little experience I have has shown me that this is my passion, but too many times "life" gets in the way. I have reached my wits end with the "9-to-5" and don't want to go too much further in life without doing what I really love.

Any suggestions, advise, or words of encouragement would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance!

I'm 52 and have had the same dream for sometime, with the same problems. From what I've seen, music is a cut-throat business. It's not what you know, but who you know. Just because you're good doesn't necessarily mean anything. Throw in the fact that anybody can buy a recorder or recording software, and the business of music recording becomes very interesting.

If it's what you want to do, I'd say you have to go back to school, at least for a refresher. Read every text you can find on what to do, do some internship if you can. Buy a recorder or software if you don't have it, and learn it like the back or your hand. Hang out at clubs and offer to record folks for free to get a reputation, then as you build your rep you may be able to start charging and branch out. It's a lot of work, and this is the info I've received from other musicians and recording professors.

For me, I hope to work in a music store, do some gigs, do some live engineering, do some recording, etc. Kind of a jack of all trades, so I'm not limited in what I'm doing. As long as I'm having fun, and making some money, then it's worth it. Of course, I'm retired, so I have a steady income, so I have a little more flexibility when it comes to this stuff.

Just my opinion.

Thanks for the feedback!

I'm bumping this hoping for some more responses. All feedback is appreciated.