Career Roadmap
Scot's work combines: Music, Philosophy & Religion, and Being Creative
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Day In The Life
Skills &
Education
Here's the path I took:
High School
Valparaiso High
Associate's Degree
Indiana University of Pennsylvania-Main Campus
Here's the path I recommend for someone who wants to be a Musicians and Singers:
Bachelor's Degree: Music, General
Learn more about different paths to this career
Life & Career Milestones
I've taken a lot of twists and turns
1.
Studied classical violin as a child, but was drawn to business.
2.
Got a stock brokers license right out of high school and realized it wasn't what I wanted to do.
3.
Majored in marketing and sociology because I wanted to be creative and learn about human behavior.
4.
Dropped out of college to move to California and pursue a career in music.
5.
Worked for a music store in Colorado where I learned about the music industry leading to a job in CA.
6.
After ten years, co-founded the company Budda Amplification.
7.
Sold the company in 2008 and recorded my "Heads or Tales" album.
8.
Licensed my first song for an advertisement in 2012.
Defining Moments
How I responded to discouragement
THE NOISE
Messages from Parents:
You should become a pharmacist and take over the family business.
How I responded:
My mother had passed away when I was sixteen and my Father put pressure on me to become a pharmacist and take over the family business. I worked at the store part-time while I was going to college and realized that it was not a career I wanted to pursue. My violin teacher refused to let me improvise on my instrument. This led to my frustration and eventually led me to leave the classical world for rock. I was shunned for not reading music, which led me to develop my own personal sound.
Experiences and challenges that shaped me
Gary Indiana was a rough city. I saw the attraction of gang life as a means to safety. The sense of being with others who would watch your back was a plus. Then I saw the reality that everyone was on their own once they were arrested. Passed....
I lost my mother when I was a sophomore in high school. As the oldest of four boys, I had to take over her role and keep the family together. It was a difficult and confusing time that led me to my passion of playing music.
I grew up in a ghetto and sold drugs to supplement my income. The dark side of dealing is a life of sadness, fear and greed. Not to mention the lives that are ruined by addiction. I quit and moved away to avoid being caught in a cycle of lost dreams.