Life After Music School

A most remarkable article, from Northern Arizona University's French horn department: http://www4.nau.edu/hornstudio/index_files/Page543.htm.

“There is Life after Music School: Three Stories.”
By Marilyn Kloss

What do a flute manufacturer, a hardware engineer, and a software
technical writer have in common? Well, since they are mentioned in this
periodical, you can assume that they are all horn players. But they also all
earned degrees in music and later turned to engineering for earning their
livings in the real world.

Jim Phelan, Bob Moffett, and Marilyn Kloss all attended music schools
intending to become professional horn players. But, in the reality of the
working world, they turned to technical skills for their professions, while still
retaining their love of music and horn playing. Their stories are special
while at the same time typical of those of many amateur musicians.
These three amateur horn players live in the Boston (MA, USA) area and
have known each other for many years. They have each struggled with
the question Of how long to pursue a musical career, and if giving up the
dream, what other career to choose. They have discovered that there
can be another life after music school, that it is never too late to learn
new skills and grow in another direction. ...

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If you're fortunate enough to be a musician, my view is that it's not wasted - both on its own merits and because there seem to be broader skills. Rumor has it that music majors are overrepresented in cryptography and medicine.