Being a full-time musician is undoubtedly one of the coolest jobs in the world. But there is something different about a musican with an actual degree in music. A formal (and expensive) piece of paper that says, "Hey! I don't just jam all day long in my mother's basement! I'm the real deal, people! I did this in college." Here are 10 signs that you have a music degree.
1. You analyze everything you hear
2. You rep your alma mater hard. Because, you know, it is the coolest music school out there
3. You know someone currently on tour, someone who's worked in the studio with a major artist, and that weird kid from the back of your Ear Training 2 class sophomore year that casually won a Grammy recently. NBD
4. You're expected to get a "real job" now
5. Your mom keeps asking you if you'll ever settle down
6. You've become a total music snob. And you like it
7. You have no idea how a 401(k) works
8. The last time you took a standard core class was in high school
9. At every holiday get-together, your extended family asks if they'll see you on American Idol soon
10. Your student loans will outlive you
Christine Occhino is the founder and artistic director of The Pop Music Academy and has experience working at Columbia Records/Sony Music Entertainment, in addition to working as a performing artist for over a decade. She has a bachelors degree in music business and management with a concentration in entrepreneurship and vocal performance from Berklee College of Music, where she was a vocal scholarship recipient and former editor-in-chief of the Berklee Groove.