I'm 15 and I live in England, as many of you may already have picked up.  I don't know about America, but over here it means it's now time for me to start making some decisions about what I'm going to do when I leave school.

Now, I would, of course, like to become some kind of drummer, whether be it as a session artist, or with a band.  I'm not really bothered, as long as I'm making music.

What do I do next year?  I think I'll probably go to college and study some kind of music, photography, and maybe Media Studies.  After College, some people go to University.  Would it be worth getting some kind of qualification from here, or should I go to a drum College like Drumtech, and do a 1 year qualification from there?

But at which point in all this do I get into the music/drumming 'industry'?  And when do I get my kit together, I mean gettin it really decent.  A main problem in all of this is my Mum.  She thinks I should get loads of 'proper' qualifications first (like maths, or science, or something else I hate and know I will fail in), before I even think of music.  But I realise I must take every oppurtunity I get, because there will be so few!!

How do I find out if I'm even good enough to go pro?!

I will, of course only accept your advice as advice, and not as career instructions.

ALL I WANNA DO IS DRUM!!

Cheers for any advice, I see the school career advisor in a few weeks,  DB

Do both. Continue with your education, but also pursue drumming. Most important: start getting into bands. Even amateur bands. Then try to play some gigs. Then try to play some gigs for money. People seldom just fall into the music business full-time - it's something you work your way into.

But it's a long hard road, with no guarantee of success, no matter how hard you work, no matter how good you are. That's why I think you should also continue your education.

You say all you wanna do is drum, but you also wanna EAT, and have a roof over your head. The better an education you get, the better your chances of maintaining a decent standard of living.

You're only 15 - don't be in too much of a hurry. If you start getting involved in playing in bands now, by the time you finish school you could be a fairly well-seasoned player, AND have an education that qualifies you to do more than serve fast food. Good luck!

In America, we avoid that problem by staying in school as long as possible.  I was able to milk that gig 'til I was 36.  LOL.

Ratamatatt