We surveyed 7,809 musicians to better understand the work environment and required skills of a typical musician. Here are the results.

How much intelligence is required as a musician?

Low

High

Working as a musician typically doesn’t require the use of high levels of intelligence in daily tasks.

Can I learn to become a musician?

Intrinsic Talent

Acquired Talent

A career as a musician typically depends predominantly on qualities you can gain through experience, with a small aspect of skills you are born with.

Is it easy to get a job as a musician?

Easy

Hard

It’s typically quite difficult to find a job as a musician. If you’re curious about the numbers, check out the job market for musicians.

Info

Do musicians work full-time or part-time?

27% of musicians work in full-time roles while 73% work part-time.

Is being a musician stressful?

Low

High

Stress is very commonplace for musicians, contributing negatively towards career satisfaction.

Is being organized important as a musician?

Low

High

Some level of organization is generally required to be a musician.

How competitive is the workplace for musicians?

Low

High

Musicians tend to see lots of competition in the workplace, with desire to get ahead of co-workers being common.

Does being a musician require frequent time pressure to complete tasks?

Low

High

Musicians will have to sometimes face time pressure on the job.

Are musicians allowed to express themselves creatively?

Low

High

Creativity is intrinsic to being a musician, and a highly valuable part of the career.

Do musicians have control over the direction of their work?

Low

High

Musicians have high flexibility in the direction of their work, allowing them a lot of freedom in how they accomplish their goals.

Is being a musician physically demanding?

Low

High

Being a musician may occasionally require demanding physical activity, which may make it not a suitable career choice for everyone.

Are musicians exposed to a wide variety of work?

Low

High

The workload of a musician changes frequently, with their day-to-day rarely being the same.

Does being a musician require attention to detail?

Low

High

As in many careers, attention to detail is quite helpful for musicians.

Does being a good musician require compassion and empathy?

Low

High

Being compassionate and empathetic is considered helpful to those looking to pursue careers as musicians.