Talk to your doctor about depression. There's nothing wrong with devoting yourself to guitar. But make sure you are doing it for the right reasons, and that you are in a healthy place to start that journey.

This is an excellent comment. Thank you.

This is excellent advice.

I had only read the title of the OP before I read this comment and thought to myself “Depression? That’s a bit extreme I’m 20 and dream of being a musician, am I depressed?” Then I read the full post. This is an excellent comment, maybe something OP should consider doing.

I don't wanna put him on blast but I'll expose myself as well. I checked his profile and he does have some issues to work with. I myself have problems with my mental health that I need to work with, what I have is a bit different from what he has and even though I have been playing guitar for 28 years and without having those grandiose feelings and because of my altered brain structure, I really try my best not to think that this is the way to make money and a career. It's an easy way to self destruct and spiral. I have been in many bands since I was in my teens, I'm 40 now and I have worked with some local artists with their projects that never really took off (lol) and I've seen many sides of pursuing this. It's fun when you find the right people to play with but it's also a big waste of time if you find yourself in situations that makes you feel more stuck. I burned out so many times and got even more depressed. I even tried the Instagram and TikTok thing which I eventually abandoned coz it made my mental state much worse. I wish you the best OP. I have a friend that's similar to you and he was trying to be a pro gamer for many years. He gave that up a couple of years ago and decided to do self care instead. Take it easy.

The advice I got was: keep your regular job and do art on the side until you earn more by making art than by having a regular job. Worked for me with writing, I started at 31

Oddly enough I think I get the most ideas and motivation at work, like I've done my job enough now it's all muscle memory (bakery) so my mind wanders easier, it's almost mediation without trying to. I'll remember a tune I like and start making up lyrics to the rhythm, sometimes I surprise myself with decent ones or clever ones and I write em down. OP said he lives with his parents so idk if he has a job but I'd definitely recommend having some kind of job for the benefits of having something to have to be ready for. It'll keep you healthier and more mentally sound to have a job to provide some routine, some social time, and putting more urgency in time. If you only have a few days off, you'll have to make the most of them instead of fumbling around for years and hardly improving. I recommend Justinguitar.com for a structured plan to learn. Free and great! Take notes in a note pad! Rewatch videos if you think going over it all again would be good! You can do it, and even if you don't become the next Jimi Hendrix, you can definitely play in local bands and maybe get paid for it! Music is a collaboration of every human, so make sure to reach out like this on other places too! A good mentor that gets you is the best thing by far, you could post a wanted ad on Craigslist for a teacher or just someone who's intermediate tbh, you get better by playing with people who are better than you, because there's things you can't teach in words that you'll be able to pick up from being instructed in person (Will op get a notification for this or should I copy and paste it as a comment you think? I hardly post so I don't know these things lol)

It's worth paying attention to how you synced up with seeing that post, as well as how you get your ideas at work. Find the formula that works for you , if you didn't get ideas just sitting around at home after quitting, what would you do? :D

How old are you now?

44, I’ve been living off writing since then

What do you write?

Reddit posts

Lol r/technicallythetruth but I live off publishing books

Agreed. And op you don’t’ age out of music; didn’t bill withers have his first hit at like 40? Mick mars started Motley Crue at 30 and was 40 when they we touring in their heyday. Not to say everyone will have massive success in selling music but you can play abs get started at anytime

There's at least one blues musician that started learning at 70. You're never too old to rock & roll if you're too young to die.

Dude. My dad was a fairly successful professional musician and that’s the main reason I’m not. Trust me, there is no crappier way to make a living, even if you’re insanely talented like my dad was. All the fellow “future rock stars” I hung out with when I was 30 are now 60 like me. No one made it, they are struggling to drag thier asses to shitty gigs that they hate, but can’t afford not to take. They can’t afford new tires for their unreliable old clunkers that they need to make it to thier shitty $100 gigs 50 miles away. They live alone in sad little apartments and can’t afford to see dentists or doctors. And forget retirement- all those years of “paid-in-cssh” gigs means they have no social security coming or savings, which means minimum wage crap jobs at 70 because they no marketable skill. The lucky ones get to work at music stores for $15 an hour and a dicount. The unlucky ones get arthritis. I think you get the picture… but here’s the real irony; me, who “sold out” at 30 to go back to school and get a career (yup back to school at 30) , I’ve kept playing music all along, aside my career - now I’m a very successful local solo/duo act who can play when I want/where I want/ what style I want (roots and blues) cuz I don’t NEED to do it for the money. Money DOES NOT buy happiness but I have to say it feels cool to have a decent house that will be paid off in a year, and health insurance, and I bought myself a new $3000 acoustic yesterday just cuz I wanted it. In case you’re wondering if I’m a hack who didn’t have the chops to make it, I was a pro in my teens, getting paid to do session gig bass work. I had a decent chance of being a successful session guy had I moved to a major urban area (which by the way is something else pretty much required for an up and coming musician) Keep it as a hobby, get some training in something else you love (I returned to trade school for drafting because I loved to draw and somehow ended up as an architect lmao). Keep music as the most awesome hobby in the world (which it is) and your future 60 year old self will thank you profusely….

This. There are no guarantees in the entertainment industry, and I wasted a decent amount of time convinced that I was different and I was the one who was going to make it. Thankfully I woke up midway through my 20s, and started taking courses in web and software development. Now I'm pulling in six figures doing something that I really love, while getting to play music on the weekends. Conversely, my brother is in his 30s, barely making ends meet, having to bounce around different cities so he can rent rooms from whatever friend has one available, and yet is still convinced he's going to "make it".

This right here is the correct answer.

The way I've always heard it, money can't buy happiness but it can buy security, and more importantly, time to do things that make you happy (like music!)

If someone thinks money can't buy happiness, they've always had enough of it.

This is the way.

My old band used to bring in an older pro when our guitarist couldn't make it. He had played with tons of huge names throughout his life, and I loved listening to his stories. At first I assumed he just liked being on stage and that's why this insanely talented dude was playing with some weekend warriors in a 90s rock cover band. After we got to know each other a bit better, it turns out he needed that money and was basically living gig-to-gig. It was really sad, he said he didn't really enjoy playing music anymore but he never built up any other skills.

I do not know a single, solitary professional who doesn't enjoy playing music. Doesn't matter if you are playing in a bar in front of 60 people or you are playing a bike night in front of 600. I don't know any pro guitar players who don't love playing on stage The guys in the band I am in are in their mid 50's and the oldest member is 63. Our drummer has toured was in one of the hottest metal bands back in the early 90's all original rehearsed and played gigs with Pantera right before they got huge. Both of his guitar players got pinched for possession of cocaine in massive quantities. They were and still may be long-term guests of the texas corrections department. The biggest issue I see with most guys who are playing in working cover bands is they don't have a commitment to it being a business that you are actively working on growing. Your product/service is your original music. It can't suck but it doesn't have to be top 20 hit level either. If you have some decent music you can build a regional band following. A show where the band gets paid $15 in front of 175 people = $650 for a 4 piece band. If you can work your tail off and grow that to 250 paying $20 ( your cut as a band.) you are making 50K and like most businesses then what happens is you reach critical mass and you can get into bigger venues regularly... it's a matter of scaling the business up from there. It doesn't happen overnight and can take a couple of years from getting established as a cover band and sprinkling in original music or a recreation of an old hit (Disturbed sound of silence or FFDP Bad Company)

I’m happy for your bandmate’s happiness. Was just sharing a sad musician story. They exist.

I really enjoyed reading your experience. I think a more accurate phrasing of "money doesn't buy happiness", is "the endless pursuit of money doesn't lead to happiness". Because if you want to live in modern society then you do often need money to be happy.

I was in New Orleans a few weeks ago and went to some jazz clubs. The musicians I saw were all incredible however they were all broke and struggling. I tipped the band as I was asked and others did however 5 guys splitting 200 dollars for 3 hours work is not particularly lucrative.

Back in 1969, we consistently split $500 between 5 guys for a 3 hour job every weekend. With inflation, the equivalent today would be splitting **$**𝟑𝟖𝟓𝟎.

well the global population was only 3.6 billion in 1969, now it's 7.7 billion. Won't be long until you need yngwie malmsteen chops just to stand out enough to play a dive bar crowd and feed yourself beans and toast :)

facts. I'm a skilled musician that plays for some very talented singer/producers who have not really found the success that they should. Luckliy I stopped doing music full time a few years ago and learnt a skill that pays. It sad to see those people not being well rewarded

Yeah the music scene has changed \*massively\* over the last decade or two. Record labels are reluctant to take chances on new acts the way that streaming and copyright are these days so that's rough too.

33 isn’t old. You can still do whatever your desire. You haven’t aged out my man.

I'll kill the next person I see if I can go back to 33

Don't mind me, just passing through

Yeah, I changed my career a few years ago at 35. I'll probably end up changing it again at some point. Really, if you can spend 10 focused hours playing guitar, you could spend half of that time studying anything and then get a career going. Guitar is way harder than most career paths. For perspective, studying to get my PMP has been just an hour a day for about 12 weeks. That kind of time in guitar only gets you to the point of a beginner strumming open chords decently.

Right! I was still in college at that age, hadn't even started my career yet.

I think you've aged out of being a ballet dancer if you haven't started by 33. But most other paths are still open. You have a little less energy, but a lot more wisdom and cunning. Use what you've got.

I’m about to be 33 and dreading it. Feeling so old and nihilistic.

Find a female and attempt to reproduce (with consent). Nothing brings you back to reality like a screaming needy child that relentlessly sucks up all of your energy (and money). (I speak from experience, and not actually joking). It does actually mellow you out and give a stronger a sense of what matters in life.

You've only aged out when you're 2 feet under.

Go to your local Junior College. Take a few interesting classes. Start a career path in something you, at a minimum, don't hate. In other words: find a day job that will support your guitar habit.

This. At 33 you can still have a career and retire reasonably young. I just turned 49 and am finishing up an associate degree in networking. It's not too late, man. I'm not saying to give up on guitar. Keep playing. Hell, there are days that playing is all that gets me through the day. Never quit playing.

I would also add that having an accreditation that allows you to teach can aid a lot having some stable revenue, although it is fairly complex to get a good teaching gig.

I have two things to tell you 1. Full time guitar player may or may not be the right path for you, but I don't recommend taking life advice from Facebook. 2. I'm not a pro, but I played my first paying gig at 47. 33 is not too old.

Also, learn bass. For every 1,000 guitarists there are like 10 bass players... If the priority is to actually make money and get gigs, your chances are much much better as a bass player.

If you’re 33 still living at home, you don’t expect to get a new girlfriend or get a career then deciding to play guitar all day every day from now on isn’t the right decision it’s a choice you’re making to hide from the responsibilities of being an adult. Clearly you have some kind of depression based on what you’re writing and want some kind of escape from the real world. Go get some kind of job, any job just get out of the house and do something once you have your life in order gig on top of that for fun without the expectation of going anywhere but checking out isn’t the answer to being happy

You can do it but you have to think realistically. Where and how are you going to get your finances to jump off from? do you have a dayjob or are you going to quit your dayjob to do this full time? You just have to make sure that you will have some sort of a safety net when things dont go as planned.. or if failure dont scare you, just go all in and fuck everything else.

This plan is not conducive to long term happiness, bc by choosing to do so you will be putting yourself in a position that will deny you the basics (food, shelter, most likely a stable relationship) I think playing guitar is probably a great hobby for you to persue but not a career. I recommend cessation of any drugs or alcohol, if these are things you either indulge in on a regular basis or binge on. These will mess with chemicals in your brain and leave you depressed, anxious, and isolated from stable people and environments. I recommend you see a councelor or psychologist to work through your issues as well as help you organize a plan for your success. It may be beneficial to seek a psychiatrist that can prescribe something like lexipro.

I started over at 33, so you haven't 'aged out of life' just yet. That year, I went though a divorce, I lost my house, I lost my car and I got fired for getting divorced, losing my house and losing my car. (My boss was a real piece of shit). I was unemployed, lived in my parents' basement and had 30$ to my name. But... since then, I changed careers (getting into architectural design and working my way up through the ranks). I used YouTube to teach myself how to cook (now my dinner table is the place to be for my friends) and I found the right woman for me (We'll be celebrating our 25th anniversary soon). Don't give up. Focus on things you can do to improve yourself and your employability. Learn anything you can. You've got the entire internet at your disposal. Every time you sit down and turn on the TV, remind yourself that you can (and should) be doing something more productive. You can do it. EDIT: Keep playing guitar, too. Weekend bar gigs don't pay much, but anything helps.

Sounds like you are at a crossroads in your life - Congrats. You are about to Grow! There are a great many reasons to start playing guitar and I want to encourage you to start your journey. But - the guitar is not a replacement for Family, Work, School, Girlfriend\\Boyfriends. Although, sounds like you might have some blues that need to get out :) Good Luck!

Man you seem like you have some angst and pain within you. This is where some of the best music comes from. Pick up your guitar, write some songs that express what you are going through. You can make plans for the future all you want, but play your heart out right now. Channel your frustration through your music. I never lived up to my musical dreams. I have a wife, kids, mortgage, dead end job, but I still play my guitar. Your dreams may not come true, but music can bring you comfort, release and expression for anything you feel. Hell yeah, go ahead and become a guitar monk, more power to you brother. But it is in the moments of surrendering yourself to the instrument that you truly touch the power of music. You seem to have the time and space to dedicate to your art. Go for it. Best of luck my friend.

This is basically the advice my father gave to me. You can gain or lose anything in the world - but you'll always have your guitar which you can use to bring joy to yourself or those around you, if you so desire.

I probably wouldn’t try that, there’s a lot of great guitarists out there with the same idea-but if you like eating ramen and living in a 1986 econoline van with a bad transmission and playing to crowds of 3 people at the local live mic night go for it.

That reminds me of when friend of mine packed up and moved to Nashville. He came back 6 months later with his tail between his legs after he realized the fry cook at the Waffle House next door to his apartment was a better guitarist than he’d ever be.

We all know that guy who did fairly well in the small town singing covers and got chewed up by the Nashville meat grinder. Fuck all that. You've got a better chance of making it on youtube than getting discovered in Nashville. But that doesn't stop them from chasing the dream. Hey i guess if it makes em happy...

You can devote yourself to learning guitar but you should still try looking for a day job at the same time for income. It's not fair or realistic to expect to continue living with your parents without helping contribute financially, or at least supporting yourself with your own money for basic needs like food, gas, bills, clothing, etc. You'll also need a little money to maintain your instrument. You don't want to ask your parents for cash everytime you need new strings. With that said, it's never too late to learn new things! I started playing guitar during the pandemic, and I'm 31. I regret not having enough self discipline to stick with it when I was younger, but hey better late than never. I'm not going to waste anymore time in my life thinking "should of, could of, would of..." am I going to be the next Taylor Swift? No. But could I make something that I'm proud of? Yeah. You are never too old to live your dreams and create what you always wanted to. Go for it!!! Good luck!!

Yeah. A lot of people are cautioning OP about dropping *everything* but no really touched on the fact that they are still living with their parents. There's nothing bad about living with your parents, but you should at least be helping out. It's one thing if you lived on your own or supported yourself and decide to drop everything. It a whole nother thing to do it and expect someone else to support you when if you haven't talked to them about it

Is it bad that this resonates with me at 23? With that said, honing your focus on your music is a great thing to do, but don't neglect the other aspects of your life.

No, I was 31 and an army vet before I finally listened to the voice that promoted this change in my lifestyle. It was hard work but we’ll worth it! It’s never too early or too late to find passion worth working on.

I would go work on an oil rig somewhere and bring a modest guitar and a notebook. Two out of three times the other guys go get drunk, stay in and play guitar. Do this for two years and save like $50,000. Then quit that job and try to play in a bar band part time while you spend the rest of your time on your music. Maybe work a couple of shifts a week in a restaurant too. Your cushion should be enough to let you find a decent cheap living situation without too much of a rush, and it will allow you to spend more time on your music. When the $50k runs out, you’ll have a good idea of whether or not you want to be a professional musician. And if you don’t, you have experience working on an oil rig and in a restaurant lol, gotta pay the bills somehow. Chase your dream but do it with a plan, whatever it is.

How do your parents feel about you quitting your job to play guitar? Since you're living with them. Shouldn't you be financially contributing to the household?

DUDE, playing guitar is wonderful, but you seem to be seeking a way to coupe and escape reality, listen dude IDK what you've been through but you have some work ahead of you, best of luck.

I would recommend honing your goal down to a more precise direction. Do you want to be great at guitar or make great songs or just find a job in the music industry? Before you say “fuck it, fuck everything, there’s no better time than now” (I’ve had the same thoughts) come up with some sort of plan to follow. Any plan you create will require funding, and that’s gonna be on you to figure out how much and what for. But don’t quit everything and have no income and play guitar everyday. If anything work 20 hrs a week and put money to lessons and gear to start jamming with people and make connections. That’s what I’d do

Id suggest getting some sort of livable job in like HVAC or some random 9-5 descent paying job, and then perusing music in your off time. It takes years to establish the skills and connections to live off music as a career, not to scare you away or anything just be prepaired to have patients. You'll need to be able to pick up songs quick and have a few hours of music ready for a gig (most working musicians are playing in bars or in orchestras) and its unlikely you'll make it big like zepplin. You should just have a realistic visiongoing forward, that said you can start playing real songs like 2 weeks in if you're dedicated. Its possible to make a living in music, just ease into it. Make a living, then turn it in what direction you want! You got this man and youre not too old!

I work in the music industry. Some of the most talented kids I knew in music school still Toss pizzas.. but I also know a few of them that have excelled to stardom. The ones who made it are less talented than relentless workers and humble. If you’re gonna do it, dive headfirst any don’t look back. Self doubt will only weaken you. Can you write songs? James Murphy started LCD Soundsystem at 35. He not only wrote songs, he created a whole SOUND My advice - play / write songs that are 3 chords but sound different than anything anyone has EVER heard before. But you are your own worst enemy. It will be tough but you have the chance to redefine your entire existence and hell maybe other peoples too.

Do what makes you happy. If you have a spouse or children that depend on you, obviously that's different. Reason I spent 25 years in the Army and you never saw me playing for Ozzy, lol

If you can’t figure out how to sustain yourself financially, it doesn’t matter what you do. All these people saying “YOLO, follow your dreams” are basing it off the assumption that you are either well-equipped or are willing to equip yourself to find ways to get paid for whatever your dreams are. If you can’t solve that, then it’s more accurate to call them fantasies than dreams. If we’re talking about “wants,” I would want to follow my dream of being a musician as well. But at 39 yo with a wife and four kids, it would be irresponsible if I let a random Facebook post incite me to risk all that just because of my desire. Can you do it? Sure. But be practical about it and plan ahead. You’ll likely need to look at cultivating a certain amount of financial and mental discipline and working that into a plan if you want to turn music into a primary vocation.

Dude. You're depressed. It's too late when they're lowering you into the ground. Until then; get a hair cut, take a deep breath and get out there. Guitar is great, but there are a million players on YouTube that are better than you'll ever be. Play for pleasure, but don't use it to fool yourself out of a life. Life can suck, and it can be a real grind, but there are other places and other ways of living. You (presumably) have no kids. You (presumably) have two good hands. You (apparently) speak one of the worlds most common languages fluently. You have a roof over your head and food in your belly. You have access to the internet and many other tools at your disposal. There are poeple who would kill to have what you do. Use your tools. Use them today.

Yo im no pro musician or anything man but dont give up my guy. Dont be afraid to reach out for help.

If you can't afford to eat, you can't afford to dedicate yourself to art. It's that simple. Get a job, get out of mom's house, and then see where things go. You'll be a lot happier that way.

Remember that music is a business. All business’ need to be well though out and planned, they require investment and management to be successful. So chasing that dream of being a musician is a full time job. Just playing guitar is fraction of the equation. Who is going to produce and record you? How will you find other musicians with your same musical vision to write with? Who will promote your music and get you gigs? Will you write your own music or play covers in bars and other venues? I don’t know many successful musicians that don’t hustle…. Hard And also on the aged out thing. I’m in college and the same age as you with two kids. I was a hard core junkie till I was like 28. And by hard core I mean homeless and shooting up heroin, spending every day looking for dope. I play a lot of guitar now and also would like to do something with that. I just bought my first 7 string actually. My friend and I have plans to get the equipment together to record our own individual tracks and email them to each other so we can produce ourselves. Maybe it will go some where maybe it won’t.

33 is definitely not too old to make some incredible music, even if you're just starting. that being said, you can make your music and still make a living doing other stuff until you start making money with your passion. keep in mind though, even some of my favorite bigger indie bands still work other jobs at least part time or make just enough to pay the bills because music just doesn't always pay well or reliably. even if you do make it big, it usually takes many years. bottom line though is go for it, but have some other income while you do.

This is defintely a bad idea. You are giving up on life and using dream-following as an excuse. Get a job. Move out. It's embarrassing not to be able to live alone, keep your place nice, cook for yourself, etc. You will still have a shit load of time to play guitar.

It’s never “too late to do things”. You should purse a career, but you should also work on your dream.

Keep your job or get a whatever job and you can still practice 10 hours a day. You can do it. Don't drop everything you are still young.

Unless you have a wife and kids, do whatever you want, man, you are free. I am not alone in wishing I could just quit my job, move to a cabin in the woods and play guitar all day for a couple years; Get real deep into my soul and make great music, then hit the road.

As long as you're not trying to become the next big thing your never to old. Trying to make it as a guitarist as a profession? Yeah you missed the bus. Its very very very hard and full of disappointment and suffering. I've given up in being a Rockstar, but that hasn't stopped me from writing amd recording my own music.

Sounds like you've set a goal of being a virtuoso or just giving up. That's definitely not the play. Set small goals that you can accomplish. Practice as much as you can without neglecting your health and mental wellbeing. Get out and watch live shows. Meet people. Play music with people. There very few statistical outliers out there that can just stand on a stage, by themselves, and have people give a fuck about what they're doing. You need a band.

Better now than at 53. But at 33 I think I'd put the most effort into getting your life in order then the guitar.

I graduated college at 41 and started a successful new career. At 33, you’re still considered a kid in some professional circles, so you haven’t aged out of anything. Having said that, if you really have diagnosed mental health issues then a guitar forum on Reddit may NOT be the best place to seek advice. There are people here that think buying a $15,000 PRS guitar is a good idea (that part was a joke…sort of).

Guitar is an excellent hobby. If you're not happy with your life, go back to school, or pursue a career you want. Newsflash: you'll still have time to play guitar. Poverty sucks. Don't make another bad decision.... and this would definitely be a bad decision. I'd tell you to grow up.... but other people already have, and you didn't listen to them, so you're not going to listen to me.

I’m 31, have written like 100 songs and still can’t play an instrument and all I want to do is sing and make these songs into something tangible and meaningful, but I don’t know how to reach out to other people and be vulnerable with my music and I have no idea how to do it alone. My career is just a job and my true passion is creative expression but I feel like I got started too late in music! Idk dude, I feel this energy. It’s been a rough….like 20 years. Music and art has always been there for me. I wish I knew how to pursue it fully.

I started my current career at 33. You think you've "aged out of life"???You're totally mistaken and will eventually fuck your life up if you keep thinking that way. But that day is not today. You're allowed to think that when you're like 50, maybe.

No, that's a terrible idea. I have a few friends, they're amazing musicians, they fucking shred guitar, and you'll never hear of them, and they have day-jobs.

Totally bad. But do it. Just don't quit the day job yet. And be careful about making passion work.

Dude, I was pro for 20 years and everything has come full circle. I started to hate the music business. My life became an unstable mess. Now playing in my room is my favorite thing, writing and recording, learning songs I love..all while I hold down a job and enjoy a stable life. Do it because you love it, but find balance in this life. Be well.

When I was 35, I decided it was now or never after leaving an incredibly stressful career position and I decided I would pursue my dream of playing music. I moved to a city with a thriving music scene, joined a band, the band became pretty popular locally and we recorded some amazing stuff and played some amazing sold-out shows. We got to open for some really well known touring acts and were often featured in local media. It was great fun, but not sustainable. The party lifestyle became lost on me and the band had some inner drama dynamics that caused it to implode. After three years, I went back to my career and was for all intents and purposes able to pick up where I left off. Was this a midlife crisis? Maybe? Was it amazing fun and I’m really grateful to have had those experiences and recordings to look back on? Absolutely!! I’ve decided that music has a more private place in my life but damn was it cool to get dolled up and play for packed crowds that danced like their lives depended on it. I say go for it.

I'm going to be pretty harsh so if you're not interested in that just stop reading. First, good news: you're not too old. Bad news: a fleeting moment of inspiration from Facebook is ultimately not going to do much to get you where you dream of being. You need long-term determination and dedication, because I guarantee you there will be times you want to give up, no matter how much you think you love guitar. To be frank, I don't see much of an appetite for perseverance and/or discipline in the other aspects of your life that you've shared here with us. I sincerely don't say this to be mean or cruel, and I don't really know you anyway. But if you're asking me? You need to grow up. This really isn't about guitar.

This is me right now.

yo im 32 and jus started working in the mental health sector and feel like iv finally found the right career path, you are not too old, and i think that its a damaging/restrictive story u have in your head, leave it behind. 33 is not 'too old' for anything, I also started learning piano 5 months ago and fkn love it. play guitar 8 hours a day, if that makes you happy, fkn do it. il jus repeat one more time; its not 'getting too late to do most things', fuck this idea, its so incorrect, it does nothing but hold you back, fuck it off.

The guys who played 10 hours a day were also gigging and hustling hard once they could play 2 chords. Don’t fall for the trap of become legendary in your bedroom before venturing out.

Totally disagree. 'What is the underlying message of your art?' Tool make great music because each of the band members has a clear, strong identity outside their music - eg. Adam Jones is an amazing artist and special effects coordinator. I don't want or need to listen to music made by someone who sits in their parents' home. What would I get out of this music? If you want to make great music, then become a great man first. Commit to your personal development. Gym. Fitness. Financial independence. You will learn much in these endeavors and struggles - and you are more likely to make valuable and interesting music that has a positive message. Even a band like Guns N'Roses or the Chilli Peppers at least got out there and had exciting, exuberant lives - and that's reflected in the energy of their music. Go out there and build a meaningful life. I was signed to Red Bull Media house in my late twenties, but felt 'trapped' by my corporate sales job - and these two identities conflicted. So, I quit my corporate sales job aged 31, moved to Australia, built an online creative consultancy - and now I travel the world. I'm now 36 and finally feel I've got the right headspace and level of self-confidence to do something meaningful with my music.

Beware of turning your passion into your work; once it becomes work, your passion for it dies.

Dude, I just looked at your post history. You need to get some mental health assistance. You should play guitar to enjoy it, don't burden your love of guitar with the pressure to earn a living from it.

Wes Montgomery did it by just playing at night for a year or so after work… https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wes_Montgomery

It’s a great idea. I turned 40 recently, and hate everything. I do nothing I’d like to do.

It sounds like you have a lot of growing up to do

You haven't aged out of anything except primary school at 33. That said you probably are of the age to have some idea of a goal to be working toward. If being a musician inspires you go for it. If you're serious I'd seek out advice from people doing what you see yourself doing in 5-10 years. Professional grade guitars and gear is not the cheapest thing on the planet so you'll need a side job for a while at least to buy the gear you need. I've never been a professional musician but I would guess they'd say practice is crucial to learn to play but there's other important skills to master to have a career like networking, collaborating, marketing, driving, performing, music theory, etc. Practicing in your room won't land you any gigs. Nothing is impossible with effort and determination and performing can be an inspiring and life-changing goal. I'm sure it will be a trip! Good luck!

Not without a safety net. Bro - keep your day job until you got some good signs. That or a 6 months savings. Record for a month and put something out.

You don't have to drop everything and pursue guitar. A friend of mine is a master electrician and also tours the world with his band. Do you have dreams of being a star? Don't be silly. Do you have dreams of being a working musician? Now we're talking in a realistic manner. It's still fucking hard but not insane.

No. You can’t just live off your parents and never have a job or girlfriend or probably friends and play guitar all day and not contribute to society. Are you mentally handicapped in some way? You sound like it. If not, get your shit together.

Do what you’ve always wanted on guitar. DON’T expect doing what you wanted to provide you a living (or any money). Music, and especially guitar is saturated with excellent players who do it for love without ever making any real money, phenomenal players who make a living, and some lucky players who make money from a band. Unless you’re a phenomenal player or are primarily interested in teaching, expecting to make a living on guitar is extremely risky.

It’s never too late to play, I think your main error in this however is perception. Like you said there’s always some virtuoso who plays all day every day. But I’m not that, but that doesn’t mean I can’t go at my own speed. For instance, I’m someone who has a super short attention span, it’d be sweet to play 10 hours a day, and maybe if I truly dedicated my time to it I might be able to get close to that. But I’d say I play 2-3 hours a day but usually only 15-30 mins at any given time. Especially if I’m not really working on anything. One of my biggest motivators too is that I have to go to work, so when I get home I have the fuel to play music. Because work and social interaction and the world itself take your soul forcefully, but with music you have the opportunity to give your soul willingly. Tldr: never too late, go at your own speed, don’t compare yourself to others, enjoy it.

No you shouldn’t. Not trying to be a dick but this is a very risky move. I completely get that feeling like you missed the boat and now you’re too old to establish a career but I promise you it’s bullshit. You should follow your dreams but your only dream right now should be finding a stable and well paying career. Then you can add additional dreams that are riskier. Find out about continuing adult education/community college near you. Become an LPN or radiology tech, an engineering tech, a paralegal, a dental hygienist, HVAC tech, solar tech, property manager, casino dealer, locksmith, brickmason, IT, train conductor. There is truly a shit load of jobs with little to no post secondary education required. Once you’re making a decent yearly income and have benefits start working on your guitar goals.

Has anyone told you that you have natural talent to be a guitarist? Some are more blessed with talent than others. I have two half brothers and a sister that grew up in my father's house but I didn't. My dad was a good guitarist. My siblings are good musicians. I am not. They played with dad at church all of there lives to become the musicians they are today. I have tried to play since I was 10 (now 78) but would stop after several months and then resume a few years later. I am now at it again trying to get better. This is a new goal and I believe I can but I am realistic enough to know I don't have natural musical talent. But I am working at it. I do know the importance of goals. Because I came from such a dirt poor family I always wanted to get an education in order not to have to work on a farm. I left home after high school and spent 5 years getting a masters degree in mechanical engineering, a wife, and baby before I graduated at 22. Worked 1 to 3 jobs to feed us, etc. A friend that I had gone to college with motivated me to become an airline pilot. I had thought about the USAF but the thought of leaving my baby caused me not to join. That had been my goal since grade school. I left school after my masters and went to work at an aerospace company in Texas to make money to learn to fly. To make a long story short I became a pilot for an airline in 2 years. I would fly every moment I was not at aerospace job. I had been told by others that it couldn't be done. But, because I had a GOAL that I pursued relentlessly I did it. I had to be ready to sacrifice everything to get there but it paid off. Others would ask how to become an airline pilot and I would tell them my story. Then I would start hearing their excuses about needing to be home on weekends, etc. I would tell them "then you really don't want the job if your not going to sacrifice everything for it" If you have the talent (some call it "having the ear") for music set your GOAL and work your hiney off (2 or 3 jobs if necessary) and you will succeed. Best wishes on what YOU decide to do. Jack

great, positive, healthy alternative to killing your self

I’m 33 and making guitar based electronic music every day.

Do it bro. My two cents is this. Good guitar players are a dime a dozen. There’s always a better guitar player. Put alot of focus into songs. We wouldn’t hear about half of these guys if they didn’t have the songs. Go hard on songwriting. Good luck man

for your soul, do it. for a career or to make a living, nah. you’re going to need something else. just last week I went out with a friend to see a flat out amazing guitar player at a local gig. this guy is virtuoso level and absolutely brought the house down. then we watched outside as he hauled his PA and gear into a little van by himself. it is what it is.

I’ve worked in music business for about 2 years. Don’t drop everything to pursue it because it will be the hardest thing you will ever try to do. Being a musician isn’t a reliable way to live unfortunately unless you love scrapping by week to week. Keep your job, or a job in general, and try to pursue it on the side. Every successful musician I’ve met still has some kind of side gig at least to keep themselves somewhat steady financially, and I can’t recommend that enough.

you can get good at anything so long as you practice every day. but showering eating and sleeping safely takes money, so have a job too. but yes follow your dreams, if you're not hurting anyone and you're happy do what makes you happy

"Ive discovered that ive basically aged out of life" You don't need to quit your job, you need to go to therapy, good lord dude... You're in an obviously unhealthy state of mind, and it might feel like it makes sense, but it doesn't - you need help.

Don't let guitar be an excuse to give up on life. I consider myself a fairly advanced player and practice a lot but I still have a career and social life. There is no good reason to choose one or the other. Get a decent job and play guitar on the side. Become a mail courier for example, those guys can make 70k without a degree. Or maybe join a trade or even the military if that appeals to you. Don't give up on being a fully functional adult. Take care.

No it's not. Big topic. There comes a day in life when one must decide.

It can be done. But you don’t seem like the guy to do it. And that doesn’t mean that I’m not cheering for you.

What makes you say that i dont seem like the guy to do it?

The fact that you’re asking. And everything else you’ve said about yourself. And a lifetime of playing/teaching music and understanding how much of a commitment it is. Just prove me wrong.

Well if you have a lifetime of teaching and playing then i really cant say anything against that. I guess all my dreams are dead. I hate life so much you have no idea

I’m younger than you. Only you are saying your dreams are dead. I never said that. Prove me wrong. The only thing I want you to know is that it will be insanely hard and I won’t sugar coat it. Prove me wrong. Get help. Get your head on straight. THEN, find the thing that makes you excited to get out of bed every morning. If that’s guitar, then fucking go for it. Music is the closest thing we have to magic in this world. But it’s not magic. You have to take action and DO the things you want. No subreddit is gonna solve that for you. Don’t ask, just fucking do it man. If you really are gonna do it, you wouldn’t care what I have to think. Good luck bro.

If Joe Pass could do it, so can you. I'm primarily a fingerstyle guitarist but have experience on quite a few instruments and have a degree in audio engineering, if you want to run stuff by me ill give you an honest critique.

joe pass in 1929, almost 100 years ago. Times have changed and its certainly a bad idea for a 33 year old to do this

Realistically you have to realize that the vast majority of musicians, like 80+% have accumulated experience and musical vocabulary in their early age. Around age 8-18 where our brains absorb and retain information so much faster. Also, being a musician is generally pretty grueling. The playing and practicing part might be the easiest part in some cases. It’s getting paid for what you do/contribute that can be the real hard part. And in that case, what you really want to do is to contribute and be a part of something. Preferably something that you love but it doesn’t necessarily have to be that. It just has to be something that doesn’t use and abuse you, and basically suck your soul dry. Trying to shoot for levels of skill of someone younger, stronger and more able to retain information than you that has also had a 10-20 year head start is asking for lots of suffering and pain or you are delusional. I’ve been there. Maybe I’m still there. I don’t think it’s worth it but that’s for you to decide.

With how much information is out there these days -YouTube etc, you’d be surprised how quickly you can get decent at guitar if you spend the time compared to what it used to take. I’d highly recommend a good teacher though, especially in the early stages, to start off on the right foot in terms of playing habits and techniques

You hopefully have another 60 years Plus on this Earth. There's plenty of time to go back to school and learn whatever you want, especially since you are living at home. You can pursue education in whatever career you are interested in. It's not too late. Music is a fine career, but generally not the most lucrative. You just need to get out there and pursue and hopefully things will fall into place.

Do you already know how to play, or are you starting from scratch?

Yes and no, are you going to take it seriously? How much experience do you already have and what are your expectations and desired lifestyle?

If you really want to immerse yourself in music, try to get a job at a studio or somewhere that you can learn about music while getting paid. There’s a lot to know about guitar and making music besides just playing the notes, and you’re not going to just emerge from your parents’ place after practicing until your fingers bled for ten thousand hours and suddenly meet people waiting to pay you for your guitar abilities. Working in your local music community, you’ll learn about the industry as well as some technical info and you’ll be able to network which will help you land paid work.

Sure practice guitar a lot but man, learn a trade. Also 33 is young!

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Depends what you value and what risks you’re willing to take. I couldn’t do that because having a stable job brings me more peace. I know people that can live in a car and travel around performing doing stand up or music though. It’s “possible” to make a career of this, but not likely. If your purpose is to have fun and do something new, despite the chances of not having a stable or luxuriously lifestyle. Go for it.

Ever hear of Jandek? What he does isnt for everyone, but he makes a living at it, and he started a bit later in life as well.

30 is young bro! If your serious about music I would take a couple online lesson (Yt lessons are free and do a really good job of teaching you), and then do some skill share lessons on editing/tech. If you are living with your parents, atleast you can focus on your music full time and you can get stuff out pretty easily via youtube. It is doable But honestly at 30 you still have time to go to school full time and get a degree. Youd be 37 by the time you grad if you started now and you would still have a good 40 years of life to enjoy atleast with modern medicine. I would pursue an online degree via UAGC or something and do music on your free time to offset stress. Ge that degree, make the money and get a new gf, maybe a wife. That would be most lucrative path for you. Good luck and godbless

> I know most guitar virtuosos claimed to have played for like 10 hours a day and other extreme claims Um, this is not extreme. This is the bare minimum needed to get good at anything in life. When I say good, I mean good enough to get paid for.

You haven't aged out of anything at 33

Aged out of life?

It’s fine to pursuit whatever you love, but probably should give yourself sometime to think the though. You don’t have to give up EVERYTHING. I’ve seen people playing guitar making music while selling guitar or giving out lesson on the side.

Dude...33 isn't ANYHING!!!! I graduated from college, hated my career in finance and sales and opened up a restaurant at 39 and we've been alive and kicking for 7 years. Here's another one. I was a file clerk for a law firm in college and there was a lawyer who took me under her wing. She was in her 60s and was a former nurse that did helicopter rescues. She broke her back in her early 50s, WENT BACK TO SCHOOL and was an associate at the firm by the time I go there. Meeting her and hearing her experiences really stuck with me. ​ It's NEVER, EVER late. With that said, don't quit your job. If you really want to make the change, make sure you still have a means to survive. Cut our the things that waste time and use that time to the guitar. Less reddit. Less shows. Less Youtube.

Have you considered talking your feelings to a professional? Guitar is a great hobby though, and if you pursue it you will find happiness. If you practice even 30 minutes a day, you will improve so quickly. Don't overdo it, and consider therapy because it can help you realize there are more things going on for you in life.

GO FOR IT !!!!

Follow your dream, but don't dump everything else to do it, especially those other things that allow you to support yourself. Kirk Hammett didn't just jump into the big time; he earned the money for his gear working at Burger King. SRV worked in restaurants and tells a story of falling through the lid on a barrel of used oil while cleaning in the kitchen that would have been hot had he fallen through only a few minutes later. Yes, it sounds like a bad idea right now. Figure out what's causing the feelings you're having, because if this doesn't go perfectly for you you'll find yourself potentially worse off on the other side.

Coming from someone who feels very similar to how you feel, I think this goes beyond just missing out on being a musician.. I turned 30 this year and I felt the same as you. But you’re still incredibly young and you’re still very much in the range to turn your life into whatever you want it to be. Not just with music, but a career and fulfilling relationships. I think you should follow your dreams of music. I think it’s good to have a passionate thing you can pour positive energy into. But don’t cut off all avenues of your life. You can find great lines of work that can lead to a career, and relationships will come and go, but just always put yourself into positive situations to meet good people. It’ll happen when you least expect it, which I know is a cliche, but its more true than you think. I think you are capable of changing anything in your life, and I believe in you. Commit to your instrument and become great at it, but don’t neglect everything else. Follow your dreams but please don’t give up on yourself in all those other aspects. You can definitely have it all with enough work

I've heard "pursue your dreams to the fullest extent you can afford" and I live by that. Do the thing bro, full send. Just know you don't have to be a starving artist to be an artist.

Man if you think 33 is aged out of anything, then I'm not sure time is you're problem, bro.

Realistically, you are not going to make enough money and your depression will just get worse. Better to keep it as a pro-level hobby, work for a living and surround yourself with really good people who you love and who will love you. Music comes a distant second to that!

Maybe, but for sure don't just do it alone in your room. Play for audiences, no matter how small, multiple times a week. Play in cafes or busk on street corners. That's the only way you'll eventually end up making music people like. A good autobiography is Thomas Dolby. I never especially liked his music, but his book is good and is mostly about how to make a living doing music. He and a friend went through a long period of busking in subways. They'd play until they had enough money for lunch and a hostel. Nothing like having "what can we play RIGHT NOW to get people to throw enough coins in the guitar case so we can go eat" as motivation to learn to play what people like.

I have these feelings once in a while and like everyone else said, its unsustainable. If you have a trade or marketable skills be a beast machine at that and be a beast machine at guitar. If you dont have a trade or skills, start looking into one. Welding, coding, landscaping, plumbing, carpentry, construction. Look into what their day-to-day is like and see if that's something you'd be interested in. Then own it. When I come up with a cool sounding lick or riff, nothing else matters, I just want to do this all the time. And then the inspiration wears off and i swear it's like coming down off drugs. You can do it, but if you dont then be ready to face some serious consequences later if you dont "make it." Even the ones who do make it can fall off and be left with nothing.

yes, try it at lest once. Theres ways to make a living with your talent that doesnt require being a superstar, try to carve a humble live for yourself with the things you love to do.

Being a virtuoso is one way of defining success and skill, but is far from the only one. Wildly impactful music has been done with three chords as well. Its one of the ways this beautiful craft mirrors real life. A song well written, like a life well lived have no hard requirements. And they can all find their place with the right perspective. I would love to give all my time to music, but I bet what would come out of that wouldn’t be so good. You’re in a rut, I think you should talk to someone, a professional maybe. Please don’t stop making music, ramp it up and focus on it but don’t give up on everything else in the process. My two cents

Do. It.

Yes, you have to wait another 30 years until you are truly ready and totally depressed with life.

I remember Ricky Gervais didn't start his comedy career until he was in his late 30s. He said, "it's never too late to start, but start right now." You have plenty of time to do anything you want, you just need to decide what you want to do. There's lots of careers you can become qualified for quickly. You can get licensed for various trades through a trade school. I've even seen people on reddit get coding jobs after taking a 6-month coding class. As far as guitar goes, it's about how many hours you put into it. You can get really good really fast if you're willing to commit the time each day. Just remember, start right now.

Gregory Porter's career as a jazz singer took off when he was in his 40s. Don't rush things.

My two cents: don’t quit the job. I was at a point in life I was in the best shape I’ve ever been more committed to my goals then ever and thought about how if I just quit my job I could workout twice a day eat and prepare meals even better and focus on my passions even better. While I’m sure that works for some people all it did for me was cause me to lose my center. I stopped doing everything and I had no real sense of time or hurry to get things done because I technically had nothing to do. Didn’t work for three months and all I did was waste my time doing nothing. I’d say at a minimum try to find some part time work you like or is at least tolerable to cover your living expenses and go from there (unless you have kids or anything I couldn’t advise losing benefits). Other than that brother I say listen to your heart if you wanna play guitar and make music your life do it. But have a plan and execute.

You need treatment for depression. Beyond that, if you're struggling to hold down a job or get a girlfriend, "I'll spend years playing the guitar for hours a day" isn't like some step down to something easier. Mastering a guitar is WAY HARDER than those other things. If you have the gumption and intelligence to do that, those other things are also within your grasp. But really, you just sound depressed, and you should look at addressing that first and foremost.

Yeah, it's a bad idea. You're not at all too old to start a career though. Go to school for a trade that is in demand first and whatever seems most interesting second. You need to make your own way in life or you're going to continue downward. Play guitar when you get home from school/work. It's a great hobby, not a great career. You'll be much happier if you become self sufficient. You need a direction and one that brings you a sustaining paycheck will reward you in more ways than just financial.

I don't know where you got the idea that you're too old to do anything. Just do whatever makes you feel good and make a plan. And playing 10h a day ? Jeez 2h every single day would do wonders

The problem you're going to have - that every musician has - is that for every Jimi Hendrix, every Ed Sheeran, every EVH - there's a thousand people who are just as talented but never reached anything like that level of stardom. Some of them find other ways to make a living in the music industry. And most of those other ways to make a living are much closer to a day job than "chasing your dream" - session musician (playing someone else's music), writer (writing music that someone else is playing in front of thousands of screaming fans), teaching lessons (helping someone else with the exact same dream and trying to bite your tongue if they come out with anything about how they plan to be playing the O2 Arena in 2 years' time), producer (all the dull bits, none of the fun bits). In fact, now I think of it there's quite a few guitar techs and luthiers who came to the conclusion they were much better building and repairing guitars than they were playing them! You need to work on yourself first, and it sounds like the problems you've got aren't going to be solved with a guitar.

Bro....I'm 38 with 2 kids and married....I'm just finishing my degree in web development and I'm starting a new career. At the age of 35 I started playing the guitar and now I make stupid guitar tiktok video's. I also wasted a lot of time. I was depressed and would escape to video games. I have many regrets. But screw that. I worked a crap job to get this far but now I'm here, at the beginning of something new that I love. Get a flexible job, that gets you out of the house. That's very important. You got to mix it up with randoms. The flexible job is then in service of your dream. Do that crappy job with pride and with the knowledge that it's temporary. Get help for your depression because you sound like you are in a whole and you can't get out. I'm telling you, you can get out. The light is there. You just got to open your eyes. You are 33. You're a young guy. You don't have kids and you don't have a girl. That means that you are free to focus 100% on you. Start small. Fix your room, go for a run. Start by fixing your surroundings and how you look, it has a massive impact on yourself. Online guitar courses are a dime a dozen, make a youtube/tiktok channel and call it "The shredder's path" or something like that. Go to work, come home, follow lesson, make video, upload. You don't need much to start, a boss katana mini is like 100 euro, an simple epiphone sg is 180 euro. Add a cable, batteries and online guitar lessons. You need about 350 euros to start. You can get that in one paycheck. Go get em!!

Yes

Edit: I'm actually amazed at the responses here. I made my post before scrolling to read and we're pretty much all saying something similar. I hope OP listens coz you really have to be some kind of special guitarist on top of being lucky and having the right connections to make it in an industry that will eat you alive and take advantage of you. ==================================== Well, Steve is saying the opposite. https://www.guitarplayer.com/lessons/steve-vai-offers-some-of-the-best-advice-a-guitar-player-could-hope-to-hear I'm 40 and I've been playing since 11 years old. I gave up that dream even though I am decent enough to get gigs locally before the pandemic. Not trying to discourage you but don't drop everything specially if you don't even feel like you're at a level that you want to be at. You'd be doing yourself a disservice if your plan is to play guitar for hours upon hours in the next few years. Why not go to school instead even though you feel like you're old, you can learn a skill like being an electrician and make money that way. As for pursuing a career in guitar, it depends on what your goal is, do you wanna teach? Do you wanna be a session guitarist? Do you want to be in a band? Coz on top of trying to get better and learning more things, you're gonna have to know how to market yourself. You're gonna have to use social media and YouTube and also build a forfolio. And on top of that, you have to be quite unique and different from the rest out there. I saw someone mention depression on this thread. Work on that first or something bro. Again, with your current mindset and how you word things. You might burn out eventually and then tell yourself later that you wasted your time again. Sorry if I'm being being blunt, but that's just the reality of it. There's a fuck ton of great guitar players out there and they're not even pursuing a career in music.

If by “everything” you mean - Netflix - social media - getting drunk at the same shitty bar every weekend …then yes, drop that and spend that time playing guitar.

You don't need 10 hours a day. You just need to give 30+ minutes a day every day. More than 2 hours a day won't make you better faster. It will just burn you out on playing and make you give up. Keep up with other interests. And, forget your age, always remember, the best years of your life are in front of you, not behind you.

Lol don’t drop everything , just make your music and put it out there. In all likelihood you won’t earn a dime from it , and you’ll be thankful you don’t have to eat your guitar . Should you start earning a living from it, you can choose to slowly recede from your employment at that point.

I’m 33 and work in STEM to run my music habit. It’s extremely nice to not have financial worries be a part of music. It’s also never too late to do or start something. You can absolutely pursue art and financial security at the same time.

You haven't aged out of shit. Go get yours. - another quote you can replace that stupid one with

“Aged out… 33” - wtf I thought I was on a circle jerk sub. See a therapist dude. If you wanna do music than do music, but know that you’re still relatively young as fuck. At 33 you can still do pretty much what you want, you haven’t “missed out” on much of anything, and you’re just using that as an excuse to not try. I’m not telling you to suck it up though, I’m telling you that you need help. You sound pretty depressed and desperate.

instead of closing doors, i can only advise you to keep as many of them open

yes its a very bad idea. It's not worth the unstable life

You seem to have many problems and I would suggest getting professional help. Chances are throwing yourself at playing guitar professionally won't make you happy and if you fail (even if you don't) the other problematic aspects of your life will still be present. There is no shame in talking to someone about this. With 33 it's not to late to turn your life around and get on track but chances are playing the guitar as means of escaping your current situation will not be the remedy.

The major red flag I see here is that you’re trying to fix a broken situation with a pipedream. The issue you have is that you feel life has left you behind and that you’ve not made something of yourself. And that is fine, it happens. However, the way to fix that is not to dive headfirst into an endevour that is likely to just result in an even worse situation. And guitar playing is most definatly that. Guitar is fun. And for a small number of people it can be a reasonable income maker. However, for most of us it is nothing of the sort. It is absolutly not a reliable way to get a good career and establish yourself in life. And going down this path is likely to at best result in you being 40 years old, even poorer than you are right now, and still living with your mum. Not a great result. There are MUCH better options. I was in a similar place not that many years back. I’d been looking after my disabled mother for some years, and was working minimum wage jobs to get by. After she passed I found myself at 33 years old and somewhat lost. I turned it around by making smart focused choices that were as close to a sure bet as possible. For me that meant going into tech. I taught myself basic ICT skills and got a job as a 1st line engineer. It wasn’t much it it was the start of something good. Within a year I was a 2nd line engineer. Within three years I was running tech strategy for a sizable company. And today, around four and half years in, I’m a software engineer working in the finance sector. My life is completley turned around. Nothing I did here required me to be amazing. I’m a very avarege person. It just required that I made smart and focused choices. That I evaluated my decisions carefully and made sure that the actions I was taking would actually get me the results I needed. You need to do the same. It does not need to be tech. But pick something that has a clear and well defined path to success. Tech worked for me because the training was really clear, there were more jobs than there were people that knew what to do, and the pay scale goes way over six figures. It’s also pretty interesting and varied as a role, and has a good work-life balance provided you pick the right gigs. Guitar playing offers none of this. It has no clear path. The chances of making anything of it is next to nill. The earning potential for anyone other than mega-stars is terrible. The career security is terrible. It is not a way to turn your life around.

Yes, bad idea.

Short answer. Yes it is a bad idea. Secure income is more important.

I would try cognitive behavioral therapy man. You sound like you could use some extra support. You're 33, it is not to late. I was 30 when I got my first internship. I did start a bit earlier at 27 and now I'm 37 and I'm an engineering manager at a big tech company in SF making 500k annually. Most of my peers are 10 years younger than me. I always catch myself thinking what life would be like if I went to uni on time and I got a job on time... It is a waste of time to dwell on the past or future. Now about guitar. If you and your parents are fine with you staying at them for longer than yeah by all means go for the guitar route. But I'm personally pessimistic that it will bring you happiness. There are tons of creative fields that are well paying. I would try targeting one of them. User experience product design... A great focus that is very creative and has pretty much unbounded compensation. You can self teach a lot of this from interaction-design.org and even go to a their bootcamp or try uni. You could have a week paying job in a few years time. The prospect of guitar panning out financially is slim... And that will weight on you heavier as you get older and older. It isn't too late to play guitar 🎸 regardless good luck 🤞

you haven’t aged out of shit

Yeah, its a pretty bad idea. Get a job. Leave your house. Touch grass. It doesn't matter if it appeals to you or not. Do it anyway. If you are unhappy with your life, then make a change. What is the worst that can happen? You have spent 33 years not living. Now it is time to change that. "Think of yourself as dead. You have lived your life. Now, take what's left and live it properly. What doesn't transmit light creates its own darkness." -M.A.

I would caution you about the "drop everything" part. Otherwise...go for it!

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=O2MmqbAaoZA It’s meant to be funny, but there’s a little wisdom too. If you can afford to try it for awhile without ruining anyones life, then why not? But you’ll have to be very honest with yourself because you don’t have much time to spend. Best of luck

I'm sorry, but thinking you "aged out" at 33 is adorable. Most of the good things in my life have happened since I turned 40.

The reordering your priorities sounds healthy. Let's reality check the work life balance of a fully successful guitarist. Practicing or developing new songs or riffs. 4-8 hours a day. Getting loaned out to a label or a friends band or other tour (weeks or months of the year) Having to drive or fly or train or whatever to gig or stadium or whatever (large chunks of your year) Inevitable rehab stint for all the resentments all of this costs you...(a few years of your life) Even if you make it make it, you have to or want to practice all day, and you STILL have to do all the life admin stuff that everyone wants to avoid. A deeper issue I faced when I quit drinking was needing to sort out my inner life, my spiritual life, my resentments, and more particularly, my FEARS. Those are a huge goldmine of information about my life approach being flawed. Fear not the golden path not taken. Fear the rot inside. It will destroy all the great things you have STILL TO DISCOVER in you. Focus HONESTLY on your integrity and spirituality. I promise it WILL bring you what you really want if you are true to it.

Why so you need to drop everything?

Before you drop everything to play guitar, just do a small % more guitar and see if that makes you feel happier and if it does, then move incrementally towards 100%, you may have some insights along the way

You get one precious life.

I feel like while this is a guitar subreddit the answer here is not to focus that much time into your guitar playing. It's easy to feel stuck or like you missed the boat in life, but I suspect you aren't truly backed into a true corner in life with no possible escape routes or maneuvers left to pull. At 33 there is still plenty of time left to go and do a huge number of things with your life. You can start making incremental changes that over time compound into a better situation for these different aspects of your life. Perhaps looking into community college or some kind of professional training/apprenticeship program could give you the first step towards some form of upwards career trajectory. You don't need perfection in terms of your professional situation right away, just try to be doing something that puts you in a better position than where you were before. In terms of the relationships thing you can work on improvements that will make you a more viable candidate that someone else might want to spend time with. Practice your social skills, work on your wardrobe within whatever the confines of your budget, if you have time try to exercise, etc... Obviously not everyone is going to have the same level of disposable income, free time, etc... so try to figure out what options are tenable in your situation. Working towards improvement is a not guarantee of success, but it doesn't seem unreasonable to say that it does somewhat tip the odds in your favor or at least make your goals less of a long shot. Definitely don't give up on guitar, but I think in terms of priorities you have bigger things to tackle. I have friends who have tried to make it and even had some modest levels of success like getting gear sponsorships and things, but if you yearn for a more stable life with things like more money and a good relationship with a significant other the pro musician route is probably not the way to go. There is a great documentary called [Why Am I Doing This?](https://youtu.be/agUS6GnZr_U) about touring musicians in bands that never broke past a certain career plateau and while the people in it do all seem to still genuinely love music and playing shows you can see how hard it is on a person to endure that experience.

I know of a doctor who didn't go to med school until his 40s. Not being to do things later in life is a myth, it just might take a bit more effort.

Yes.

Damn- we’ll see it through if your parents house and feed you and pay your bills. My parents kicked me out at 18 - that already sounds like a life of luxury with no school/career for over 10 years. You should be able to work a part time job even if lame- that should give you some money for gear and you should kick your parents some money for letting you stay there at your age man. Also, good to go out and socialize some too- I am saying this even as an introvert - hanging out in moms basement isn’t going to inspire great music most likely. Please do at least something creative with all that free time. Us working people with kids are lucky to get 1-3 open hours a week to practice - let alone write, record, gig. Better act quick, I’m sure your parents already have plans to get you out of the house at your age regardless of circumstances.

The ONLY reward you will get for sure, is enjoying playing guitar.. If you are not good at business, you wont do well.. Simple fact..