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Balancing Career and Family


cws837

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Hi all,

I am a young mixer in my mid-20's and I would like to start a family within a few years. I would be interested in hearing any advice, regrets, or wisdom regarding balancing work and family life. My biggest concern is the long working days, and the inability to spend time with my family because of that. Any wise words or comments would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks,

Chris Scott

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Good for you for thinking about this now, instead of after some damage is done.  There was a long thread here on this subject a few months ago--I urge you to do a search and give it a read.  One take-away: this life is not for everyone, or every spouse or significant other: sacrifices get made one way or another. 

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If I had to do this again, I would not...  Decades into this career, now with a family, mortgage, insurance 20 ways and all the bills and all that go into this life around me, not knowing where my next check is coming from is perhaps the worst feeling ever. If you think it's bad in your twenties, try it with a big family...  Try looking into your kids eyes knowing they are counting on you, and you are counting on the phone to ring.. for YEARS...This is not the only business like this, but it is one of those faucet on and faucet off jobs... It can be difficult, to say the least.

I have done well over the years surpassing my expectations, but things are different now. We used to be a smaller group of guys on the West coast servicing clients all over our country and the world...  now, everyone is a "sound guy or girl" ..  rates for gear have come down, pressure is on.. and with all the competition, it's a war out there... 

Gear is expensive... a good and proper package is expensive and getting proper return on that expenditure is harder than ever.  Just look at the threads for the CEDAR NR system... @4 grand and guys are not able to get any money in the field for it and if they do it's only a few bucks.. another example of where and how things are progressing. I say keep that geni in the box... but thats me...

Everyone wants everyone wired, but getting paid for all those Radios is harder and harder...  another example...

If I were to do this again, I would probably follow another path... this is beginning to look like a dead end street for those looking to start... Thank god I only have a few more years at this... maybe 10 at best... if I can stand it... LOL 

To someone in their twenties looking for a career... I would say... you may want to do yourself a favor and stop before you start... but, life is a struggle any way you choose... I would choose another struggle over this one.. although it has been fun at times.. 

my .02

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If you look at it as a struggle, then yes, look somewhere else. If this happens to be your passion, as it is for most of us, then you can make it work. Yes, there is the uncertainty, but at least we are kind of prepared for it. Everyone can lose their job at any time, but for someone in a 9-5 job it will be much harder, because they probably don't expect it.
Just make sure your wife is absolutely certain what you two are getting into. The work at home will be on her most days, even if she has a job herself, if it's a regular job. If she is in the "biz", too, I don't think it'll work, unless you can work on alternate projects.
Yes, there are long days, but I can also have weeks off at a time, a regular job wouldn't have that. Make sure weekends and other off days are absolutely family only, but think about earning something when you are not on a job, e.g. by renting your gear out, etc.
I don't take jobs anymore which are entirely shot out of town (unless it's like THE job), so I can be home at night. Once you have children, everyday that goes by where you don't see them will start to hurt more and more, so you don't want to work away to much.
Get your insurance, especially health and liability (or whatever that last one is called), or whatever you can to make sure you won't be stranded if you get sick or whatever

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Constantin,  Feel free to refer your jobs out of town to me.  I'd rather be there than here.  Love to travel and keep my passport up.  I was fluent in German but have lost that since childhood.  A job in Munich a few years ago taught me that I would have to live there again to get fluent again.

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On April 4, 2017 at 10:04 AM, Philip Perkins said:

Good for you for thinking about this now, instead of after some damage is done.  There was a long thread here on this subject a few months ago--I urge you to do a search and give it a read.  One take-away: this life is not for everyone, or every spouse or significant other: sacrifices get made one way or another. 

Yes. Look it up, lots of good POVs. I thought this was that topic when I opened it now. One thing is for sure, it will keep changing as time goes bye.

CrewC

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On April 17, 2017 at 4:11 AM, IronFilm said:

This is probably the recent thread on this topic that people are referring to.

At the start of this thread I thought I was reading that one. Instead of typing out what I said in that one here again, I'll just say to read that thread. 

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