If you love MusicRadar, chances are that you would love to turn your hobby into a full-time career. Right?
Good. Because whether you see yourself managing new talent to global success in the music business, or ensconced in a studio producing tracks, with the boom in the creative industries there really is no better time to finally make money doing something you love by studying music business or audio.
Here are seven reasons to take your passion to the next level with SAE Institute (they're only the world's largest provider of creative degrees, in case you didn't know).
1. It's going to pay off
Barriers to industry have come down and opportunities have grown. You could find your audio skills are utilised across the billion pound industries of the games, film and music worlds, or instead you could find yourself managing new talent across digital platforms to achieve worldwide recognition for new or current artists.
2. Two years is all you need to get going
Getting the best qualifications out there is a given for standing out. Why study for two years for a diploma when you could attain a degree in that time? With SAE Institute's two-year condensed degree course you will save up to a third in study costs in comparison to traditional universities.
3. Lose yourself in a creative hub
Imagine not knowing whether it's night or day because you've just had an epic studio session working on Neve and SSL consoles, which are just waiting for you to unleash your skills on them.
4. Get access to industry pros
Learning from YouTube will get you so far, but there's no better way to learn the intricacies of the business than from industry professionals who will impart what they learnt on the job in their hands-on sessions.
5. Break the Catch 22
It's hard to get work without experience, and hard to get experience without work.
At SAE you will have ample opportunities to hone your style and build an extensive portfolio of creative achievements, gained from working on projects that will increase your experience.
6. Stand on the shoulders of giants
Follow in the footsteps of recent SAE Alumni: Ricky Damien, Mark Ronson's studio engineer (pictured above); Mark Paterson, who won an Oscar for his work on Les Miserables; or Niv Adiri, who won an Oscar for his work on sound in Gravity. SAE Alumni have rocked fifteen Grammys, two Oscars and two BAFTAs in 2015 alone.
7. Life is too short...
...Not to do what you love and what you're good at. Be inspired, be challenged and be yourself.
With 53 campuses worldwide - including four in the UK - you can be sure to find inspiration in one of SAE Institute's chosen cities: London, Glasgow, Liverpool or Oxford. And with three start dates (January, May or September) 2016 is the year to do what you love.