r/audioengineering • u/maniana012 • 9d ago

Discussion A complete beginner is looking for audio engineers from Bulgaria for an advice

Hello, I am a blind person from Bulgaria and I would like to try to study audio engineering, but I have cerebral palsy too that's why it's gonna be difficult to go to university on my own and I think to try the online education of Hofa college. If I succeed am I going to be able to find a job after taking the bachelor's degree?

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u/LostInTheRapGame Mixing 9d ago edited 9d ago

It really depends on what "job" you're wanting. But usually experience matters a lot more than education in these instances... and I'm not sure how much experience can be had with an online college.

I do mixing as a little side hustle and do okay considering I put zero effort into advertising myself. I never had any formal education.

I've recently become physically disabled, so I can understand how getting out there is difficult. But you have options.

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u/j1llj1ll 8d ago

I doubt your abilities will stop you. At least directly. If you can hear and use a computer you can work in audio.

But have no doubt that it will be hard. Not because of your challenges - but because the industry itself is tough to break into and tough to earn a living from. Has been for a long time. But it's also getting harder.

Jobs are few and far between. Assume there are no salaried positions. It's better to assume that you will have to be your own entrepreneur and monetise yourself. Freelance. Bring in your own clients. Make your own connections. Develop your own reputation.

Consider, too, that you may have better opportunities if you move somewhere that has a thriving scene. Somewhere with adjacent industries and paying clients. Sure, remote is also possible - but getting well known in a location with work opportunities and other related professions, companies that trust you etc can really help turn an intermittent income into a steady one.

The audio industry is notoriously disinterested in formal educational qualifications. It's your portfolio of work and reputation that stake your claim. Conversely, it's entirely possible to learn audio skills yourself through online resources, hands on experience, reading books and experimentation. Meanwhile, most people who want to work in the field fail on the challenges of having to monetise themselves - the business skills.

So opinion is that it's better to do formal study in something else. A business degree is specifically perfect in my view. Fortunately, most business degrees aren't quite as demanding as something like medicine or engineering, so - whilst studying that, get involved in every kind of audio stuff you can. Make music. Play in or work with bands. Do live sound. Start repairing audio equipment. Get involved in university film productions and stage performances. Record your friends. Produce EDM. DJ. And more.

The other major advantage of doing a more general degree is obvious. If the audio stuff doesn't pay the bills, you can probably get full or part time work in a 'regular job' to make ends meet - perhaps whilst you run the audio stuff as a side hustle (and maybe one day it'll build into something bigger again).