Earlier this week our two other Pursue the Passion trip mates, Noah Pollock and Jay Whiting, flew in to help create some PTP media. Both are now living in L.A. pursuing their music career. This weekend will be one of their biggest shows, opening for Pigeon John at The Knitting Factory.This should be a fantastic opportunity for their group “Class Project” and speaks to the potential those in the industry see in their music. Furthermore, these types of opportunities do not present themselves without a tremendous amount of hard work and risk exhibited by the artists.

For many new artists the opportunity to play shows is accompanied by a required draw. In the case that the artist can’t achieve the draw, they are responsible for the seats that went unsold. This means that you often may not only be performing for free, but have to pay to for the chance to be heard.

This is a profound representation of the type of sacrifices those who love something make in pursuit of a dream. Many of us sacrifice the opportunity to do something that interests us because it doesn’t pay as much as another less personally rewarding option.

The level of competition associated with the most desirable industries requires monetary sacrifice. It is for these reasons that internships, part-time jobs and volunteer opportunities are so important. That little bit of experience can separate you from the pack and allow you to get your foot in the door, helping you land the dream job that makes you rich in more ways than one.

When you’re young take the experience over money. It’s an investment in yourself and your future with greater dividend potential than any 401k.