My Hobby as a Career?

wingnut4772

I have started to have a few people ask me to set up their HTs for them after they heard my set up and my parent's set up that I did for them. I am pretty confident in selection new or used for varying budgets and definitely confident in placement , hook up etc...but I wondering ....what if I realy wanted to get into this professionally? Where does a person go to learn the real deal? You know the whole 9 yards from construction, electrical, acoustics etc.? I would really like to get into this - at least on the side to start.

Drumingman

Here in my town, we have Audio Buys, a high end AV dealer and they have a fleet of installers. Might want to try something like that.

kingsqueak

It would all be word of mouth.

The key to make a living at this would be to have decent connections with people having sufficient spare money to pay you well for your services. You would ideally want the high-end market where people aren't going to nickel and dime you but want the 'best' without a lot of concern for price.

Another bit of advice, if you get into this, you should also read up on full home automation systems as in lighting consoles etc., full home audio/media switching and computer networking as well. Security systems might be yet another field to augment your services with. Most of these are all blurring and becoming centralized.

You'll want a broad base of products to keep yourself billing.

I pondered getting ISF calibration certs and doing screen/audio calibration as a part-time gig. So far I've avoided it as paying back the equipment needed and the class fees would take more jobs than I expect I could generate and still work my 'real' job.

To get started, I agree, call around to the places and try to get a gig on their installation team.

Some of my cynicism for you.

I turned a general love for music and the gear into doing live sound mixing and PA installation and calibration. I toured with bands and worked in clubs.

I still miss doing this dearly, but the price is that I can't enjoy a live rock show or sound in most places because I can instantly hear faulty gear or mistakes in the mix. I even have a hard time listening to CD's that I know are lousy mixes or were mastered poorly.

I turned Unix systems (linux/Solaris) as my hobby into a living. I have no regrets here as far as cashflow goes as I don't know how I'd have a house, my HT setup or most any of my other toys if I wasn't doing this for a living.

Again though, I've had to live with a rather large burden of frustration working in a field where many decision makers don't understand technology. I wind up implementing broken systems from the start, knowing they will be broken and then living with them for several years with all the problems I saw from the start.

With custom home installations, you'll have to deal with customers that want to shortcut things and will then complain to you about their choices. I guess this is life in many ways, but to do it all over again I would have gone into a simpler, more isolated trade where I could collect my check as painlessly as possible and get more enjoyment out of my private time off the job. An example for me at least would have been to become an auto mechanic. One of the main reasons is simple job portability. Mechanics are paid nearly the same all over the country and are needed in any state. With what I do now, I pretty much have to stick to city centers to make a decent living.

SCompRacer

Just a guess, but how about CEDIA? Custom Electronics Design and Installation Association. I know they have/list resources to achieve certification. I'm not saying you need to certify, just that they list books to gain knowledge on the subject.

Your enthusiasim and quest for knowledge fueled by the satisfaction of discovery will give you an edge over the average person learning the subject. Sometimes a hobby that turns into a job can take the fun out of it though.

shack

PM okiepolkie. He has done exactly what you are asking about. I'm sure he would be willing to pass along his experience.

wingnut4772

Thanks guys. Some good advice and ideas. I'm gonna Pm.

Frank Z

Hi and welcome to Wingnut Audio...buy sumthin' or I'll use my tazer on ya!!

wingnut4772

Sales would go through the roof! Not to mention the customers.:eek: he he

cfrizz

WAAA!!! Good luck Darla!

dkg999

I turned a love of woodworking and high-end furniture building into a part-time business about 20 yrs. ago. The one thing to think about is do you really want to turn what you enjoy into a business? At least a full time business. Sometimes what you have to do as a business will be very contradictory to what you would do from your love of the hobby stand-point. Because I have a day job, I can pick and choose what I do from a woodworking, restoration, construction, and antiques perspective. I just need to keep a couple of people busy as they work for me part-time. And if the day job goes to hell, then this was always plan B, or a good income to supplement retirement, planned or otherwise! Now audio/HT is my hobby, and I am not going to try to make a business out of it. Just another perspective to think about, your mileage may vary, don't try this at home. Doug.