Dual Degree - Music Performance and...

yagottabelieve
Mon, 22 Jul 2013 00:21:18 +0000

@har981,

IMO, you have impressive academic credentials. However, it’s hard for me to gauge your (actual) interest in engineering or mathematics because you didn’t list any extracurriculars or other activities related to either. To some extent, this is understandable, because you’re very involved with your music, but you should also realize that due to competition (at least for certain types of engineering and/or mathematics jobs), there are people who are spending the type of time and energy on both that you have spent on music. Most definitely, if you want to pursue some kind of academic mathematics track, you will be facing competition on the order that you will face in getting seats in professional orchestras.

With that in mind, I’d suggest getting involved in some sort of summer or part-time program where you would get exposure to engineering and/or academic mathematics to see how you feel about it vis-a-vis your music studies. If you find that you develop a passion for either as well, you’ll be in a better position to make career plans and choices that would hopefully better enable you to balance the two. OTOH, if neither really interests you, I would suggest that you prepare yourself for the possibility of having to teach, either in a school or privately, to supplement your income while waiting for a gig with a professional orchestra. Good luck.