That's not quite the path, but it sounds good haha!
When I was in my early teens, just discovering electronic music for the first time (mid 80s) - but also teaching myself to program on a BBC Micro - I had two dream jobs for "when I grow up":
1. Write computer games
2. Be a rock star
When I was 21 I moved to London to be the sole programmer on the PS1 sku of a game [1] for Eidos (didn't have any experience in that either). Then proceeded to work for 10 years in the games industry, before starting the healthcare company.
During my 20s I also started running parties in London, which then turned into a major residency, and playing all over the world. But, mostly I focused my efforts on playing in London; the traveling part of DJing - although pretty rockstar-esque - is actually usually a few hours of fun surrounded by an epic amount of traveling/sitting in airports. So, because I already lived in probably the centre of the world when it came to music, I kept my focus there.
I was earning enough from DJing to quit the Mon-Fri job, but what happened with games, during the period where I started getting success as a DJ, was that (although a good job) it became 'just-a-job'.
So one of my dreams was slowly dying. I never wanted that to happen with music, so I never went ‘all in’, even though I could have done it because I was earning enough from it. It's a decision I'm glad I made, because music has always been fun, and I've never had to compromise or sell-out. And the rent has always been paid.
So many of the people I came up with at the time, who are now on the downside of their career (not considered cool any more) are not in good places. Which is pretty hard to see.
It happens to us all. Fabric is obviously the thing you pick up on, because it's one of the major world clubs: I played there every year for 6 years running (in the good years too, 2006-2012) and then nothing ever again. It can really knock you if you have nothing else to fall back on.
The healthcare thing came about because I was ready to jump ship from games. And coincidentally I was recommended as a good programmer (by my old boss) to the people I am now partners with. Just a case of right time, right place, and right mental place for me ... I was ready to do something a bit more impactful.
This is a really good response, thanks for taking the time to write it all out. I once was going to use software engineering to pay the bills so I could DJ at night. Then life changed and I got carried away being happy with other obsessions.
