Hey guys, I just wanted to ask you opinions about this. I know a lot of us probably have full time jobs other then being a DJ. I myself am a officer attending university while being part of the Canadian Military. It’s hard for me to juggle my studies with playing music. I try to get a good amount of time on my VCI-100 right now when I’m not studying or doing work stuff.
How do you guys do it?
A bit off my topic lol:
On a side note, I’ve decided to start clearing room out in my barrack/dorm to set up my TT’s and a second computer for producing, I’m really exited, but that means that I will have EVEN less room for all my other random crap lol! Me and some of my dorm mates have started recording funk and electro funk music to pass the weekends.
I’ve also pretty much secured myself the job of managing the base’s mess. Its like a bar + nightclub merged into a military relax setting… But yea, they are building a brand new one for us (the military Officer Cadet students) and I can’t wait to start throwing massive parties there. I’m hopping to get some pretty big DJ’s in Montreal to come and spin at the grand opening night.
8-12 am work
12-1 met with club owner
12-6 pm work
6-7 pm travel to city
7-8:30 pm contract signing with another club owner
8-9 pm dinner
9-10 drinking
10:30-2 am Partying/Promoting at club in the city
2-3 am drive home
3-7 am sleep
8 am work again
It’s probably harder to study and keep a schedule like this cuz you have to concentrate… I have total A.D.D. cuz I sleep so little. No concentration abilities lately.
when I had a day job I made sure to surround myself with people that had similar goals to mine so we could split up work loads . Now I DJ full time I’m part of an incredible crew and our latest release was called "The record of the moment " on turntable lab last week.
Well, I’m used to no sleep at all. My day looks something like this:
0530 wake up
0630 Breakfast
0700 - 0800 study
0800 - 1700 school + lunch
1700 - 2000 study + supper
2000 - 2400 ready uniform / free time (DJ / recording / producing) / getting extra curricular stuff done.
2400 - 0530 sleep
I also have to hit the gym 5 / 7 days a week + I have running team to attend twice a week. Physical exhaustion + Mental exhaustion = Constantly living corpse and unable to generate any good work with DJing. I’m tossing around the idea of just going to a civilian university next semester as it is getting really hard on me right now and my marks are really starting to suffer. Plus I’m not even studying in what I want (music / english)
you have to prioritize.
what is the most important? Your day job pays the bills and your schooling is just as important since odds are you future rides on it. (even if you do not get a job in that field, the degree is important) until your DJing and producing can be the primary money source, it needs to take a second place to what does.
and of course, if you have a wife and kids, they need to be on top in priority. ive seen many families fall apart, couples divorce and such because one or both of them decided that their hobbies and jobs were more important then their spouse.
Ya, my priorities are towards school right now, as I actually get payed to learn. I don’t see DJing and producing as my main bread maker, but depending on what I decide to do in the military in the next few years might make music my main job. I like it as a hobby and a pass time, but nothing that I will get so serious that it will become my full time job.
Lucky for me, I’m young and don’t have a wife or kids.
I was more looking towards what B33SON posted, how he is able to juggle his DJing with working and stuff. Like, how much time do you put a week into practice?
1130 - 2000 Work @ Bank (Mon - Fri)
2130 - 0200 Mixing @ Clubs/promote/meet with club owners
0230 - 0300 4th Meal
0300 - 0400 Read DJ Techtools
0400 - 0730/0800 Sleep
I still manage to have time for my wife and kids on the weekends and dropping the kids off at school. I need to take easy sometimes due to my P.T.S. (Post Traumatic Stress) - Iraq really got me all messed up.
on avg Mon - Fri
8:30 - 17:00 work
17:00 - 18:00 diner
18:00 - 18:30 feeding the little one
18:30 - 19:00 family time, little one does a little nap
19:00 - 20:00 spare time
20:00 - 20:30 last meal of the little one
20:30 - ?? spare time
Work is usually filled with checking DJ Techtools, Spare time with checking DJ Techtools, some gaming every now and than and the occasional other hobbies.
If you turn on one of the perforamance modes you will find a button for there life somewhere there if you look hard enough… im still looking for it personally.
That’s the most amazing thing I’ve read in a long time
My schedule is all over the place. Lately I’ve been taking a break from the club thing and just relaxing, and this whole week I’ve been sick so the drive to do DJ stuff has kinda suffered.
Right now my schedule is
830AM to 530PM - Work work work work
530PM-630PM - Commute
630PM-800PM - General tasks around the apartment, sort through music, nap
800PM-900PM - Dinner and chill with roomie
900PM-1200 or 100AM - Do DJ stuff, talk to girls, get to sleep
This is all up in the air, though. If I decide to go out with a girl or some friends the whole plan is FUBAR except for the work part. My weekends, if I don’t have plans, usually amount to all day DJ sessions, or recovering from gigs/partying the night before.
The full time job thing makes it really rough, but in this economy, in this country, I’m pretty lucky to have what I do.
J
I work 4 nights/week and go to school full-time (Pharmacy school). I don’t DJ for money/professionally, just at home and the occasional houseparty. A lot of people have told me to just record a demo and all that, but I don’t have enough time to pursue the DJ lifestyle, so I don’t bother doing any of it. I don’t even have my own Facebook group or Myspace!
I think I’ll try to do some PR work this Xmas break though…
I work shift work, generally 5 x 12.5hr shifts a week but anything up to 7. Night or dayshift. During the hours of my shifts i am lucky enough to have a bludge job where i can actually take my gear to work and choose to practise or fit in a broken sleep. It’s when i’m outta work that wears me down. I run my own business detailing cars when i can find the time to fit them in (sometimes after a lucky 3hours sleep on night shift at my normal job). Otherwise i am either doing 1 or 2 x 3hr band practices a week plus anything up to 3 x 5hr club sets a week. In between that any spare time i have is spent helping the bar/club i dj at or fixing up their gear to make it better for myself. Or i am trying to find a decent girl to settle me down LOL. Or enjoying the sometimes not so great companionship of cold hard alcohol (mostly free thank god). Some would think i should be rich with the hours i do. But i’m worn out and loving the lifestyle more than anything.
All i can say is enjoy it when/while you can. Deal with it till you can’t. Walk away when u need to “BEFORE YOU BURN OUT”. Get back in and start it all over again as soon as you feel fit. If you can’t sleep don’t try. Do things till you get frustrated. When you can sleep don’t set an alarm unless absolutley necessary and if it’s absolutely necessary make sure you set 2 or 3 cause i can guarantee you most likely worn wake up!
