Time To Retire

[minty 0]

Hi all,

 

Firstly apologists for being a member for a while,but not to many posts from myself,the main reason being i work away from home a fair bit,and also being slightly dyslexic (which is a different story all to gether)

 

This brings me to the question i would like to ask you guys,when is the time to hang up the head phones and call it a day.you see the thing is i will be 43 next month have been dj ing for a fair few years on a part time basis,and i enjoy my music moor so now than ever before.(Specially my love for funky house music)as i said i did work away from home,but not any more.

 

I would like to go full time doing some thing i have a real passion for,how do you full time guys survive!!!!!

 

Any advise would be greatly appreciated

 

Minty

 

(thank god for spell checkers :Thumbup:)

[andyw 0]

retire when you don't enjoy it .

[Dukesy 0]

Hi

retire when you don't enjoy it

 

Yep, agree with that.

 

I don't know about the be-all-and-end-all solution of survival in this game but have found that being honest with yourslef and knowing your worth does help. You don't have to carry negative attitude as that's a minus slippery slope to stay on! Just be positive and welcome on board advice when it is given from those sharing!

Don't be frightened to give your own advice and share your experiences with fellow services - we are perceived all different ways and can help one another raise the bar!

 

I've been a full-time DJ for a little over 10 years and to be fair, it has not been a ride without the odd bump here and there! I've stayed the course and had times of when I felt like packing the job in like anyone else, not because I have fell out of love with music but more towards the circumstances of the time and factors that are never taken into account when you start out as a business!

 

For sure, when a new DJ services pitch themselves below the going rate when initially providing a service (and even I was guilty of doing that!) then yes, it can be difficult to change public perceptions of the biz but ultimately, one of the reasons the perception is there in the first place is because of the mindset "I can not charge a higher rate because I will not be able to generate gigs and will lose future work".

This 'adopted' view partially explains why the 'going rate' for some areas will hardly change year on year - and remain in a particular bracket which can be deemed well below the average.

This need not be the case!

 

For sure, there will be customers who will indeed shop around for the lowest possible price.

They adopt the stance “All the others are around the same price - why should I pay more? They are, after all, all the same!” But if you can identify that the service you offer is unique and just one of you, the end client will value what you can do for them! To secure your unique service, to a degree, they will pay your rate! So always value your service and ability - do not undervalue yourself!

Keep your finger on the pulse and know the competition, network with fellow DJs and try to find likemindedness so that you do not feel alone when you decide to take the full plunge.

 

Good luck, and I hope you find the Getting Started threads helpful along with the DJ Knowledgebase and related articles.

 

[Norfolk DJ 0]

Hi there.

 

Firstly my friend, don't apologise for being dyslexic, most of us on here don't proclaim to being masters of spelling. Mine is also not good!!

 

I am 40 and been a part-time DJ for 25 years now. I don't plan to retire; I will know when the time will come. Probably during a wedding or maybe new years eve one year. When it happens I will know, and as others have said, this will be when you stop enjoying it.

 

Rob

[C.S 0]

50 next year and still club dj aswell as mobile, in fact i even have a hearing aid( for home use), probably will retire from club work next year otherwise will keep on until it becomes boring !

[Paul Smith 0]

how do you full time guys survive!!!!!

 

I can't speak for any of the other full timers but I survive by charging an above average price (for an above average service smile icon ). If I charged the 'going rate' I would need to either find a part time job or double the amount of bookings I do.

 

Welcome to DJU :welcome:

 

[Mattaious 0]

Honest answer - time to retire when you dont enjoy it anymore.

 

Until then - Keep on going

 

 

I wouldnt worry about the spelling side - mines atrosou arttor - ( Terrible )

 

 

 

[Paull 0]

 

 

I am 50 this year and regulary get 18th and 21st Parties by recomendation. I love music and as long as I get the feedback that people enjoy what I am providing, I will carry on.

 

 

Paul

 

Edited January 21, 2008 by mattaious

[Swingcats 0]

46 and dyslexic, how do you spell that? I've just been going a year after 4 years as a hobby DJ. Still finding my feet. I run a second business as well. :joe:

 

 

 

50 next year and still club dj aswell as mobile, in fact i even have a hearing aid( for home use), probably will retire from club work next year otherwise will keep on until it becomes boring !

 

 

Is it the loud music thats effected your ears or the sea water off Cornwall?

[Andy Westcott 0]

You've probably had enough advice off here now! smile icon

 

Anyway - age is not a factor in when to give up the job.

I'm (adds up) 46 and started DJing 'properly' when I was about 18. However, I did decide to give up a few years back for various reasons.

 

I decided to get back into it again recently as I missed doing it (seriously!) so here I am. I have no intention of giving up again unless things become unworkable as before, so don't you go worrying.

 

As regards going full-time:

I shouldn't offer comment here because I'm only part-time myself, but you really need to target the higher payers - corporate functions, high-end weddings and so-on, simply because I doubt there will be enough 'average' gigs to make the business pay, at the prices this type of gig commands.

 

Personally. these cheaper 'knees-ups' are the ones I target, and I tend to avoid the high-end stuff, my prices reflecting this. That's my choice, I'm more comfortable that way, but I could never go full-time as there just wouldn't be enough income throughout the year to replace my full-time job.

[minty 0]

 

Thanks guys for all the input you have given,there is certainly food for thought.

 

So i think for me,it's business as usual till i retire :hphone:

 

[robbiedj 0]

I'm full time and 60.

 

Nobody has ever commented on my age at a show. As long as I am enjoying working, I'll keep on.

[D.X 0]

retire when you don't enjoy it .

 

And do what though ?

 

If you get bored of doing discos full time when your 50 and you've been doing it for 20-30 years then what else are you going to do. Earning decent money is going to be hard when you're unskilled and even if you did retrain, the work you retrain in will probably be even more boring than discos.

 

Currently I DJ at weekends and spend all week in a machine shop as an engineer. I know what I'd rather do !

[Big B 0]

i know a dj who is 68, so 43 is still very young, i will be 41 this year and still feel i ahve lots to give so i hope to be at it ( if you pardon my expression ) till i drop

[andyw 0]

And do what though ?

 

If you get bored of doing discos full time when your 50 and you've been doing it for 20-30 years then what else are you going to do. Earning decent money is going to be hard when you're unskilled and even if you did retrain, the work you retrain in will probably be even more boring than discos.

 

Currently I DJ at weekends and spend all week in a machine shop as an engineer. I know what I'd rather do !

 

why people in other walks of life do it,yes they have to often take a pay cut but it is possible.i changed jobs after more than 20yrs in the same trade because of the stress and i wasn't enjoying my job,i stuck at it for far longer than i should of because i had young children and a morgage.eventually i couldnt take any more and found another job in alocal factory,best thing i ever done(work wise) my wife noticed a big difference in me.i wasnt coming home snapping at her and the kids,i dont love my job now but i am content to do it.

[D.X 0]

why people in other walks of life do it,yes they have to often take a pay cut but it is possible.i changed jobs after more than 20yrs in the same trade because of the stress and i wasn't enjoying my job,i stuck at it for far longer than i should of because i had young children and a morgage.eventually i couldnt take any more and found another job in alocal factory,best thing i ever done(work wise) my wife noticed a big difference in me.i wasnt coming home snapping at her and the kids,i dont love my job now but i am content to do it.

 

 

Good for you mate. Do whatever makes you feel good. All I was trying to say was, the grass isn't always greener. Everything can get boring if you repeat it over and over again. That's a simple fact of working and indeed most other things. DJing is no exception. But I'd rather be a bored DJ than a bored factory worker. I look at the clock every 10 mins at work, counting down the minutes til home time. God knows what I'd feel like if I stayed an engineer til retirement.

 

I've had many jobs and never really enjoyed any of them. DJing on the other hand I do enjoy. If I get bored of it one day, I'll remember my days in the factory and think, it's not so bad.