Music Industry Discussion

]My name is Joseph. Trying to get (A) extremely good production skills, and (B) lifestyle with more music. Have a few options. Would appreciate suggestions.

About Me:
Just graduated Harvard as a History major. Mention it because I have some unique opportunities (and debt) Pianist for 18 years. Songwriter (pop/rock) for 10. Write every day. Worked with with Cakewalk and Pro Tools for years. Never got good with production (engineering/mixing/mastering).

My Dream:
A musical life, frequently write/produce pop music at a high level. Doesn't have to be my source of income (yet).

My Original Plan
Harvard. Thought the degree would give me the income/freedom to massively commit to music upon graduation.

The Problem
I landed a job. Finance. Pays well. Good hours (for finance). But I’m drained. No time for music. And hate it (along with every office job I've had) though I appreciate that it's paying the bills.

So in order to (A) become a production whiz, and (B) get tons of spare time... I came up with a few options:

OPTIONS


1. Music Grad School
• Berklee
• Steinhardt
• Academy of Arts etc.
Concerns: Poor use of $60K. Won’t get the skills. Won't get the career. Nightmarish reviews on Google.

2. Internship/Shadow in Studio
• Like what this company sets up: Recording Connection: Audio Engineering & Music Production School
Concern:
• Seems difficult to land these.
• Again, Google reviews tell me it's an inefficient way to learn

3. Take a Different Job
• Maybe there's some field where I'd have more time/energy.
Perhaps working with sound. Mixing for TV or something.

Question
Any recommendations?

Thank you so much for any responses. Will read them carefully.

Best,
Joseph

Asking a bunch of strangers life advice probably isn't a great option .... however here you will find a bunch of (older) guys with experience.
If you want a full-time career in music, you've got to go that way from day 1 - no "regular" (9-5) job, immerse yourself in music 24/7. This can mean busking (difficult for a keyboard player), finding substitute work, doing solo, band playing, giving lessons. It's a tough row to hoe and can often mean working 80+ hours a week just to make rent because some weeks you won't be making any money at all.
The greater Boston area is a particularly tough place to make any money in music because there is a glut of talented people around, all scrambling for a dollar. Many are working for nothing, hoping to get lucky somehow. Clubs and bars are paying crap around here because of the people who have been doing it for next-to-nothing. Pay to bands or soloists is the same (or even lower) than it was 30 years ago.

Music school - waste of money unless you want to learn something in particular from them or want to go the classical music route (orchestra, etc).
Studio intern - you may learn some production stuff, but don't expect any pay to start, and most studios are scrambling to stay afloat too now that everyone can do their own recording fairly easily.

With a Harvard education to pay off (10 year student loan? ) I'd advise to keep on working, look for another job that will pay more but not wipe you out as much, or might even be in a music-related industry. At this stage, any prospective employer is going to be lookng at yoru experience level, so get some at your current job.
Learn to manage your time better so you have time/energy to devote to music after the 9-5 is over. Don't let your music fall by the wayside while you pay off your loan and get used to working. Real life is way different than college life.

If you decide to pursue music full-time, move to somewhere where there is at least a chance of making a living - Boston is expensive to live in.
Good luck.