Are you thinking about your future? Wondering what career path you should follow? Do you have a passion for sound, figuring out how to solve problems on your feet, good with computers, enjoy networking, and helping people achieve their dreams? If you answered yes to these questions then a audio engineering career could be right for you!
HOW DO I KNOW FOR SURE?
Well, the only way to find out if you like something and will be good at it is to try. If you are still in high school make sure to join the AV Club, help out with the sound at rallies and games, help the DJ or bands set up at the dances, run sound for the school theater, and download some free or trial programs such as Audacity https://audacity.sourceforge.net (free), Garage Band (comes with your mac), Reaper https://www.reaper.fm (not free but you can run in demo for 30 days) and Ardour https://ardour.org is very inexpensive with a free demo. Load one of these or any other recording software you can get onto your computer and see if you understand and enjoy using it.
VISIT SOME SCHOOLS
Another great way to find out more about audio engineering and if it is right for you is to set up some tours of area audio engineering schools. You can even take virtual online tours of many schools. Just make sure you are looking for accredited institutions that have a track record of satisfied graduates and qualified instructors (preferably instructors that still work in the audio engineering industry). Any of these schools will be glad to put you in contact with their admissions advisors and show you the programs they offer and equipment/software they teach. Be sure to ask a lot of questions and read all of their materials.
GOOGLE IS YOUR FRIEND
Get online and start doing research. Look up some names of the top audio engineers in the entertainment industry. Remember not all audio engineers just work with music, there are many Grammy and Academy Award winning audio engineers working in film, video games, live sound, and even the health care and electronics industries. Just like you would a favorite sports team or band, look up the top audio engineers and research their backgrounds and career paths. Many times you can email these individuals and sometimes they will respond to thought out and professional questions. You would be surprised! With the right school, a professional audio engineering job could be just around the corner.
THE TIME TO HESITATE IS THROUGH!
There is no time like the present! That you even have an interest in audio engineering, that is a good start. Audio engineering can be a very rewarding career path, but it is also time consuming, requires immense dedication, takes a financial investment for education and gear, and is hugely customer satisfaction based. So if you are a people person who loves technology, has a desire to learn everything you can about sound, and is full of creative passion, an audio engineering career just might be for you!
