Letter from a Middle School student in US seeking sound-career advice

[Larry Kaltenbach]

I received via the good old United States Postal Service the letter below from student Amanda at the Hardyston Middle School in New Jersey. Sound Mixer Marc Hoppe in NJ suggested the idea of posting this here on jwsound for a cross country and global perspective. 

 

I'll be mailing a written response, but it would be great if I could direct Amanda here to jwsound to see responses from members.

 

Here's Amanda's letter:

 

 

 

Dear Mr. Kaltenbach,

 

 

In researching many different careers, I have found the occupation of being a sound technician most interesting. Ever since I was a child, music has been an experience to me. When I entered the sixth grade, I applied for working the sound board for the school's play. From prior knowledge, several responsibilities have to be taken including working with microphones and sound boards. Having a great interest, I would like to understand more about this occupation from a professional's perspective. A professional's perspective would provide advice and wise tips to follow for reaching the profession. This would be amazing to hear about the life of a genuine sound technician.

 

I already know some things about the work of sound technician. Sound technicians are paid thousands of dollars each year for working. Sometimes, sound technicians travel from place to place to accomplish their assignments. To learn a little bit more about the job of a sound technician, there are a few questions to be answered. What is most interesting thing about your profession? What is the ideal description of your job? What programs or classes should be taken to enter this career? If you answer these questions for me, I would be pleased.

 

Ideally, I wish I can receive your consideration in this letter. I hope I receive a response from you soon. The best way to follow into your footsteps is by having my questions answered. The first question would help me still have an interest in the future. An ideal job description would make me comprehend goals that have to be accomplished. The final question can help me decide my future classes in high school and college. Without your consideration, I would be lost and in a difficult situation.

Sincerely, Amanda

 

 

So guys and gals, think you can help Amanda out?

 

A very brief explanation of your particular line of work, with some example titles of what you've worked on would be great. Go ahead, name drop! Then, focus on answering the two remaining questions:

 

- What is most interesting about your profession?

- What programs, classes or other means should be taken to enter the sound profession?

 

Thanks!

[stevegrider]

The most interesting part of my profession is that it is never the same day twice. The variety of projects and locations is very fulfilling to me.

One's education should compliment the specific discipline you choose to follow. If you choose to mix live music, an education in recording industry arts is advised. If one wants to be a location sound mixer, an education in tv and film production is very valuable. These programs are available at many institutions, from trade schools to universities. Like medicine, our industry is of a wide scope, and many choose to specialize. Some are dedicated to live music, some sound for picture, and depending on the market where you live,some do both to keep the bills paid. Keep in mind, if you do want to specialize, you should choose a market where that is a viable option to do so.

[Jack Norflus]

Amanda

Education is important - and you should finish high school and by all means attend college - but don't over emphasise and waste money on specialized audio schools or programs.

I personally feel that more knowledge, experience and networking can be obtained by getting out in the real world. If you do an internship you will learn much more and meet more people who can potentially further your career than spending thousands of dollars in a specialized "audio" school.

If you can get an entry level job at any studio or rental house. That will give you more on the job training, with real hands on time with actual equipment that is used, and you will also meet people who are actually involved in the industry.

I went to college and had no real I idea what I wanted to do after I graduated. But after getting involved in my college radio station and taking a few basic video production classes I knew what I wanted to do. While in college I got a summer internship and then when I graduated got a very low paying job for a production/post production company. I had no real experience but I observed, listened and networked. I got paid to learn.

Being involved in this industry for almost 25 years has been a fun ride - though most of the time it seems like a roller coaster ride. There are times that you feel that you are the luckiest person alive - I have traveled the world, been to some amazing places, met celebrities, been with heads of states and i have listened to some of the most intresting alive. I have been places, met people and experienced things that most people can't ever dream of - all while getting paid to do it. Most of my friends are quite envious and jealous of my career. But it is not all wine and roses you will also have days when you will be miserable and would want to crawl under a rock and hibernate.

But would I want to ever change careers? Never!

Amanda you have the right attitude - you are open to advice and are willing to listen - unfortunately not everyone is like that - that attitude will take you far.

Enjoy the ride.

Jack

[Mirror]

Go to dental school first then come see me.

[Richard Topham Jr]

Amanda contact me at pro-sound.com and I will be happy to help you, maybe intern in summer? Either way I'll figure out something.

   Rich

[dfisk]

If I were to write back, it would be this:

Dear Amanda,

 

Working in audio is a fulfilling and fun career, no matter which facet you choose, be it in the recording studio, on film or tv productions, in the theater, on a video game, or post production sound for film and tv. No matter which route you choose there are basic principles that apply to all that a good education in audio is essential for. That doesn't mean you need to attend a 4 year university. To give you some perspective, let me give you my little story.

 

I started college in the fall of 1997 (wow..makes me feel old now). I received a bachelor's of science degree in sound engineering from DePaul University in Chicago. I loved my 4 years in college. It was some of the most fun I've had in my life. The knowledge I learned there prepared me for my future career. 

 

Ever since I was in high school I was a Star Wars geek, and I was fascinated by how the sounds were created for it. I had seen a documentary on the sound of Star Wars and I was hooked. I knew going into college I wanted to be a sound designer. After I graduated I moved to Los Angeles and started an internship at a post production facility. It didn't pay, but I learned a lot about how post production worked and I got to be involved with films such as 13 Ghosts and The Matrix Reloaded. 

 

The thing about life is that it doesn't always go the way you plan it. 

 

The internship time was up, and the facility wasn't hiring. I was a new father at this point and needed a job quickly. I had heard there was an opening at a place called Coffey Sound. They sold, rented, and serviced production sound equipment for film and television. I didn't know anything about production sound besides one of the field recorders that was popular at the time that I used in my internship. 

 

I learned a LOT about film and television production very quickly. I was basically thrown in the deep end of the pool without knowing how to swim, but with drive, determination, and the support of others I quickly became the product specialist. This is where I made all of my contacts in the film and television world, as well as manufacturing. 

After 3 1/2 years I moved on to do freelance post production work, and ended up working in video games doing dialogue editing and sound design on games like Mass Effect, Gears of War, Lost Odyssey...and so on. By this point I was up to 3 kids with another on the way. The thing about the video game industry is that you should expect to get laid off at a moments notice. The joke is "2 years and out" because that's usually how long a gig lasts in that world. With a growing family, I decided I could not be pulling my kids out of school in the middle of the school year all the time. I had already done it twice, and I wasn't going to do it again. 

 

I ended up being contacted by a manufacturer I had sold gear for years ago in my Coffey Sound days called K-Tek. They needed a sales manager/product specialist, and it has been a perfect fit for the past 3 years. 

There's a lot of small details I left out to keep the story short, but the point of all that is this:
A career in audio can take you on a path you may not have intended when you started, but it is rewarding and full of really good people...some of the best people I have the pleasure of knowing. 

 

Since I have graduated college there are LOTS of audio engineering programs that have sprung up out there for you to choose from should you decide to start at a university. One thing to know going in is this:

 

You are not guaranteed job even if you have a degree.

 

You may think you know everything coming out of college, but a career in audio is constantly full of learning new things each day. Be humble. Be willing to learn. Have a great attitude and good ability and you will get work. 

 

I think it is great that you reached out to an industry professional at such an early age. It shows drive, ambition, and guts. I would have been afraid to do that when I was your age. Good on you. 

 

So, to answer you specific questions:

 

"What is most interesting thing about your profession?"

 

The people. By far and away this is what does it for me. I am a people person. Yes, it's fun to work on cool stuff liking making new products that people use or working on giant video games or movies, but those things are nothing without the people involved. Building lasting relationships with people is the most valuable thing in this industry...maybe more so than your technical abilities with gear. Yes, I get to travel to cool places for work. Yes, I get to work on exciting things. But when I travel and work on things I look forward to interacting with the people the most. 

"What is the ideal description of your job?"

 

I help people. It doesn't matter if I'm solving a technical issue for someone, creating cool sounds in a video game, or making new products. The things I do help other people. Right now my job description would be "develop sales channels for K-Tek while managing the service of products and develop new products". That's a very short description, but that's the basic idea. Every person will be a little different, and had you asked me that question 10 years ago I would have given you a different answer. 

 

"What programs or classes should be taken to enter this career?"

 

My oldest son is 13 and his middle school offers a "television media" elective. If your school has something like this I would suggest you look into it. Same with high school. When it comes to college..well, that's a big decision. You first have to decide if you even want to go to college, and if you which college program best fits what you expect to get out of your education. By the time you get to college the programs will be different from what they are right now. 

 

The most important things I've learned over the course of my career are:

 

-Always be willing to learn

-Always have a positive mental attitude, even when times are tough (and there will be tough times)

-Never sell yourself short. You know what you know, and no matter your skill level your time is worth something.

-Never give up.

-Be a people person

 

...and most importantly

 

-Have fun! Audio is such a fun field to work in! I love it and wouldn't do any other thing.

 

 

OH..a good sense of humor goes a LONG way.

 

I hope that helps, Amanda. Check out www.jwsoundgroup.net. It is full of all the heavy hitters of production sound, and I am proud and humble to be part of it. There is a ton of stuff you can learn from just lurking there, and even more so if you participate.

 

Should you ever find yourself on the west coast, or just have a question about anything audio related you can always contact me at dave@ktekbooms.com. Like I said earlier, the thing I enjoy doing most is helping people any way I can.

 

All the best,

David Fisk 

[old school]

Hi Amanda. Your letter comes off as thoughtful and confident for a middle schooler. Those traits will serve you well in life. One thing you may not know at your age is that, what is important to you today will be different for you in High School, College, in your 20's 30's, etc. Still it is never to early to start in a direction. By all means follow your dreams but stay open to new ideas as well. Like Jack, I'd recommend college for the exposure to people and the experience it will offer you. Don't go deep in debt going to a name film school. Between now and college, I'd suggest meeting others who share your passion and start making short films, doc's, etc. Nothing is as revealing and educational as doing it. Read and watch books and films. All media creation is/should be in service of telling a story. 

As for the job itself, well it's not for everyone. It is what you make of it, so beautiful or so what. I wish you luck.

CrewC

[studiomprd]

Hi, Amanda...

Brooklyn College has a great program for television production, might be something for you to consider soon...

[Jan McL]

Dear Amanda,

 

Larry emailed me a request to find and respond to this thread since you're a young woman and I'm a...an old woman, LOL, who's in the business of production sound mixing.

 

Good advice from colleagues above.

 

First from me, be true to yourself. In that context, strive to know how you best learn. Once you can answer that question, the type of education that will benefit you will be more clear. To be that kind of honest requires quite a bit of quiet time, thinking, evaluating, looking at failures and successes.

 

I learn best by being thrown in the deep end and doing and screwing up a lot along the way. I used to enjoy re-inventing wheels. In retrospect might have saved time and frustration re-inventing stuff, but there it is. With the advent of JWSound.net I've been able to give up that joy, and instead allow those who've already become expert in an area where I am not, lead.

 

Do you enjoy being outdoors day or night, rain and shine and wintery chill? Or do you prefer a warm, dark, quiet room? Do you enjoy the comfort of large crowds and egos? How you answer the above will say whether production sound for film/TV, post production or live sound would be for you.

 

In this as in any profession and in life, it's relationships that will help you build a life and career of substance. College can give you a jump on developing relationships with people who share your particular enthusiasm. But any project you do that involves signal chains, microphones, recorders, speakers and sound will provide you the same.

 

I like the quality of the people who do production film/TV. Having worked in food service, music and law, film people are my preferred companions, the kind of people I want to ride out with. We do well in both joy and in crisis. Knowledgeable. Generous. Demanding the best of us. There's the other side of that coin, but you can find a community of like-minded individuals with whom to travel and pick and choose who to work with.

 

I like that film projects can be relatively short term so if there's a bunch who are jerks, you don't have to work with them forever or ever again.

 

I like longer-form, multiple-season television since over the years you get to know a great crew really well.

 

Get yourself some electronics books and some kits. Build some circuits and stuff with switches. Learn how to solder. If that makes you kinda giggle, engineering would be a great base layer to add to your education.

 

Yes, you can make a good living doing this. There are tradeoffs since that good living comes in part from time-and-a-half and double-time which means long days and that makes it difficult to maintain relationships. On the other hand, there are times when -- if you freelance as most of us in production do -- you have substantial blocks of free time.

 

You're welcome to hang out with me at my workshop loft in north New Jersey for a morning if you want.

[Christian Spaeth]

Hi Amanda,

you're early in already having an idea of what you might want to do as a career. You already got some brilliant advice in this thread. You might choose to go ahead in this direction. But also allow yourself to change paths, try different things, or as Jan put it very well, allow yourself to screw up. It's all part of the process. Getting to know different kinds of people and learning how to communicate well with these respective kinds is a very, if not the most important part of our job (maybe less for live sound or post production than production sound). Getting to know your weak spots really helps in the intense communication we use every day. The technical side is minor compared to the communication part on my opinion. The technical part can be learned by studying, trying things out yourself or in other ways.

Good luck!

[studiomprd]

...and of course there are lots of other sound technician jobs besides being production sound mixer (or production sound recorder) for movies, TV, and Video.

[RPSharman]

This word has popped up a few times - "relationships".

This business, more than just about any other, is about relationships. Get to know people who share your passion. Maintain those relationships. Seek out people in your desired field (like posting here) and learn about various paths and choices. Develop mentor relationships.

You should approach any career as if it's for the long haul. Make choices that make sense down the road. Living in the moment is something that's hard to avoid when you're young. There's nothing wrong with it. But everything is documented and permanent these days, so try to be one of the responsible ones. Reliability is a HUGE asset in this industry. Learn to be on time and eager to work, and you'll make it far.

In terms of education, it can't hurt to have some sound engineering training, and it's a good idea to understand filmmaking, but not all of us here have that kind of training. I was an English major.

If you're sure you want to be in entertainment, don't waste too much time and money on a big degree you will likely never need.

Robert

[Constantin]

Read and digest everything Jan McL wrote on this forum and take up her offer of meeting in person. From her, you'll learn everything you'll ever need to know not just about being a production sound mixer, but also about being a sound human being

[hobbiesodd]

Dearest Amanda,

Avoid anyone who tells you they know the answers and spit in the face of "teachers" who stifle your creativity or beat you with rhetoric.

Sincerely,

You in 25 years.

[stevegrider]

I wouldn't avoid folks that have answers, I seek them out. I am selective, though, and am suspicious of someone that claims to have ALL the answers. Do avoid those that stifle your creativity, but you shouldn't look to reinvent the wheel. Round has been working well for centuries, please don't ignore readily available, time-tested solutions. As a sometime teacher, I recommend you keep your spit to yourself, if you listen closely to my rhetoric, you will find some good stuff in there. Take what you need, and quietly leave the rest. That approach will never set you back, even 25 years later.

[hobbiesodd]

I wouldn't avoid folks that have answers, I seek them out. I am selective, though, and am suspicious of someone that claims to have ALL the answers. Do avoid those that stifle your creativity, but you shouldn't look to reinvent the wheel. Round has been working well for centuries, please don't ignore readily available, time-tested solutions. As a sometime teacher, I recommend you keep your spit to yourself, if you listen closely to my rhetoric, you will find some good stuff in there. Take what you need, and quietly leave the rest. That approach will never set you back, even 25 years later.

 

 

See? That's the MAN trying to keep Future You down.

Beware, child. Beware. 

[marcintyszka]

Pro-Sound Services is the way to start, small enough company that will open your eyes This is where my audio adventure started