Whats up guys, Reaching out for some advice and some opinions.
For those that don't know me I'll give a little info.
I'm a trained Recording/Audio Engineer. I never went to college for audio but did a Internship at the studio I still work at.
I think i'm a good audio engineer and pretty good recording engineer but a shit manager... Even as a artist promotion is a weakness . I've always concentrated soley on the technical aspect of things with the mindset of "If youre good you'll get noticed" we all know thats just not how it goes.
Also with the trying to compete against the insanely cheap rates people charge on sites like Fiver for mixing its left me really struggling. Clients I have return but getting new clients has been hard and clients who simply want a auto tuned vocal over a mp3 are not paying the bills!
So a changed is needed to survive.

Now as a 35 eyears oid man Im planning on attending college for the first time in my life.
Now, having lived the starving artist strugge for the last couple decades ive made the choice to not get my degree in communications or attended any schools for engineering. But I do want to stay in the industry!

My question is to any Coders out there, specifically DSP Coders.
Do you think the field is safe to get into or do you think AI will be writing VSTs soon.
Was there any positions available while you were a student with Audio compnaies ?


I'm not doing a bootcamp or anything. I intended to get my Bachelors in Soft. Dev
What I don't want to happen is me doing all this to find out theres no jobs in the audio industry for coders.
Software dev for something I love I can see me doing for the rest of my life.
Coding for any other reason sounds like hell to me.

Anyother words of wisdom, advice, stories about when you went to school are welcome.
Even a different career path. If you guys know of a growing field please chime in.

 

Last edited: Jun 6, 2024

In my opinion, what you want to pursue in college and getting a degree is better to pursue in books. Almost everything you need is in books. Get the curriculum offered by colleges or universities from their website and download the relevant books according to them and go ahead with the books. Because in educational centers, they don't go into depth like books.

 

I agree.. Im selft taught on a lot of thing. One of wich is repairing electronics, SMD parts on circuits etc.
But even if my skill out shines someones who just got out of school I wouldnt get hired.

You can be the best audio engineer in the world and you wont get hired at a radio station
with out that communication degree.

II got my Internship for engineering as a High school drop out so I feel what your saying,
But that was LUCK mixed with my determination.
Im trying to use this dedgree to take Luck out of the equation if u feel me

self taught skills could get you hired. but you have to get in the door first.. thats where the Diploma, bachleors, phd comes in.

 

i don't think college is financially worth nowadays.
but i think its a great experience (wish i could go back) and it will help you get internship IF you are engaged

 

I get why people say that. I really do.. Im a high school drop out.. and when I got my internship it confirmned that for me.
but now 5 years later..I think differently.
We all know we can learned anything at any time.. We have google its awesome... We can learn more then the people who teach.
but I think a college degree isnt just saying "Hey I know how to do this" its also saying "Look what im capable of"
think of that degree as a ticket to the other side instead of a validation of intellect.

You can achieve all the same things not having a degree as having one.
But you will do it Way easier, Way Faster with.

 

im curious of the people who say college isnt worth it, how masny went and completed?
Kind of like credit.. You dont NEED credit, but having it makes stuff a lot easier.

 

Never give up on your dreams or targets, live by the moment and curious and encouragement...
In my small life, I've been live mixer, producer, graphic designer, light technician, camera man.. the list goes on..
Just be prepared for the future promises, i.e learn at home, the internet is wonderful thing for learning new stuff

 

If college is an option go for it!! Thank the gods that music isn't your addiction and runnnn!!!

 

I do partially agree with you.

A good college can help you dive really deep into a subject if want to. In a degree which i don't think its possible only with the internet, because in college you can ask questions in real time, and teachers are like a guide to your journey with more experience than you.

but on the other hand i say it's not worth it only because education is SO expensive nowadays.

Also, i don't believe like you said, college is a ticket to the other side. I see it exactly like a validation of intellect, that might help you or might not get to your goals.

Just the college degree by itself, i think is almost worthless. Everyone has one nowadays. The thing i think is worth about the college is the overall experience, and opportunity to dive in deep in some subjects.

Like i said before, it will help you get an internship and climb the corporate ladder faster but only if you're super engaged. If you're just scratching balls, the degree aint gonna help you much. College is what you make of it, it could be just a waste of time and money.

Lastly to answer your question i did go to college and completed. Twice actually. None of them related to music though

 

respect for going back to school, I wouldn't have morale for that, too much useless bullshit and teachers towering over students imo...

of course not, if we're talking about any less skilled and less experienced positions, AI can comfortably outpace those already or will very soon

companies don't really value students, they think students should be grateful for earning experience for free, what a bullshit, and audio/media industry doesn't properly value even paid jobs to begin with...

are you a good coder/programmer already? because if not, then college won't teach you that,
there's tons of high school kids programming already, they already outpaced you by 20 years literally, so you'd have very hard time starting now as well as finding job having way less experience so far

now on more positive note, I'd say it's safe to assume audio world/industry needs audio+IT people but frankly there aren't almost any audio engineers having IT skills, or IT engineers having understanding of actual audio/video workflows/demands, here's a good read on the topic:
https://www.ibc.org/features/the-fu...-the-cloud-computing-revolution/10944.article
and in context of AI, I believe demand for jobs that consist of human interaction like tech support, hands-on learning, customer project management etc.. will remain feasible to be done by humans, because people want interaction with other people in such areas

 

Go to college. Lots of chicks love an older guy!
I suppose you could do also some studying whilst you are there...

I don't know what the market for audio devs is like but, in general, software skills will mean you are never out of work. DSP coding can be very maths-heavy so consider whether that is something you'll be able to do.

But mostly just go for the chicks.

 

For basic boutique DSP you'll need an understanding of (in order of learning):

- Math: trigonometry, unit circle, integration. See also: The Anti-Cookbook of Proofs by Zavalishin.
- Programming:
- Python - for rapid and visual (Jupyter) prototyping.
- MATLAB - most papers on DSP are written in MATLAB.
- C++ - for actual implementations (plugins).
- DSP itself! Most people start with the books by Will Pirkle (Designing Audio Effect Plugins) and Vadim Zavalishin (The Art of VA Filter Design).

If you're at the very beginning, finding a paid job is not going to be easy at 35. It's cliché, but build a portfolio/resume of your programming output on GitHub.

If you already know some programming, you might be able to find a place that will let you grow into DSP over time.

If you plan on operating your own company, the world's your oyster. But the task ahead of you is massive. Keep in mind that a company isn't just products. The other 70% is legalese, financials, marketing, websites, payment systems, insurances, taxes.

And that's not taking into account the time it takes to ramp up your math, programming, DSP knowledge, which will likely amount to 3-5 years if you're starting from 0.

AI will not be replacing 'real' programmers any time soon. But what will happen is that companies will be pumping out plugins at a rate you cannot physically compete with. Those companies will be leaving most of the creative decision making to AI, with human programmers writing the implementation with minor creative refinements.

 

If you're taking up software dev, a cheap college would also do just fine. Just keep practicing to get really good at it and keep upping your skills. And dont limit yourself to making vsts or anything audio. AI can write code but front end devs are still making a bank. Thats basic stuff. Dont listen to those who say you shouldn't go to college. If its related to IT, dont think twice. You'll earn if you're good. Period. You can get specialize to go into audio software dev etc. when you've built your CV enough (a year or two) and projects in your field of interest. I just graduated in this Comp Sci I know first hand.

 

I think it's a great choice and if I had an aptitude for the field of exact sciences I would do it myself. My brother has a bachelor's degree in IT and works in the area receiving an excellent salary developing systems and, as a bonus, he also teaches at a university. Good luck and study hard, 'cos my brother said that there are a lot of rubbish programmers taking up the space of people who really know how to code!

 

I asked my dad to look at your post because he's uniquely qualified for this. He's been a computer science professor for 50 years and still is and he's also a dean. This is at a "southern ivy league" private university. He says, in general, that not everyone needs a degree to succeed in their careers. All of that said, he said this:

"AI will not take over software development (in our lifetime). It is too error prone and that will not significantly improve with the current AI models. A completely new approach will be required. Unfortunately, I don’t know anything about software development in the audio industry. I love writing code. The challenge of developing a software solution to a problem is exciting. I have had an enjoyable career creating tools for a variety of applications — image analysis, data mining, bioinformatics, etc. Getting to the point where you can do that is very time consuming and I can’t honestly recommend it if it is going to be hell for you."

He wrote a mixed reply, but I hope it is useful in some way. I wish you great success in your chosen field.

 

I once switched fields and studied something completely different while keeping a side project alive. While researching funding and course options abroad, I found pedirayudas.com, which had useful info on scholarships and support in Spain. It made me think there’s always a way to balance learning and work.

 

Last edited: Oct 16, 2025