You follow your passion. But that doesn't mean it will end up being a career. I was all state in two sports in high school and played both in college, but have never gotten paid a penny to play either. I did get sort of paid for softball (gear, entry fees, hotel rooms at tournaments etc. when playing for big name teams, but no actual "income" for it).
And I've been passionate about music all my life and at one point was pretty decent at that too, but it's never been my career. If you plan to make it in sports or music as a career, the best advice you will ever get is "get an education and have a backup plan." When my daughter was 16 she got to sing with a nationally known gospel group on stage. The band leader told her "you are easily good enough to be a touring professional right now, but please don't do that until you graduate from college." He told her he'd take her on tour right now, but that what she needed to do was get her degree and be ready for a regular type career,before she made an attempt to get into music.
That doesn't mean people don't have success before they get a degree... but the percentage that do is microscopic.
I'm inclined to agree, to a point. Here's where I agree:
My son wanted to play in bands. My daughter wanted to act in theater. Both were excellent. I insisted that my son get his degree in music, and that my oldest daughter get a degree in theater, and not just go out in the world without a degree.
The auditioning process was difficult, with many auditions for the better schools in cities like Chicago where a dozen or more schools had representatives auditioning the kids. One of my son's application requirements was to create a legit Bach fugue using electronics and synthesizers on his own - actually he had fun with that one.
I advised them that they should not only learn how to make the music or act, they should also master the production end, where there are good jobs in case their roles in life weren't to be the people in front of the mic or camera.
Both went on to get their degrees from top universities. My son kept on with music and production, building a nice career in the business, while my daughter decided she wanted to use her undergrad degree to go to law school, which, more power to her. Everyone's different.
College
can matter a lot, even in entertainment, as a 'get your foot in the door' thing, and this is especially true on the production side, or in the case of more traditional arts, like orchestra, opera, legit theater, painting, dance or sculpture. In traditional music schools, auditions are set up and organized for orchestras, opera, musical theater, etc, same with dancers. Visual artists benefit from having a BFA on their resume as well.
But as with all things good, there's a flip side to that coin:
A life in pop, rock and other youth culture music, and even some theater and film work, isn't something you necessarily want to begin as late as 21 or 22, after you graduate. You're starting out behind the curve. It takes time to find the right setting or opportunity for one's talent, and then the right management has to be found.
You can be too old to get enough experience under your belt if you want to hop on that merry-go-round at 25-6, and still be marketable.
So some aspiring pop culture performers might want to give it a shot, and plan for college later. Yes, that can be tough, because folks don't often want to give up on that dream, and return to college in their mid-20s. I know a bunch who did exactly that after they realized a career in music or another art wasn't going to work for them (sometimes they just don't like the grind of it all). But they're the exceptions, unfortunately.
That's my two cents. Take it for what it's worth.
