Hey NoodleJu!
My colleague Talondor brought up a bunch of great points here, and I will try to add some of my perspective on the subject.
Writing music for media is an incredibly competitive job. It takes a lot of time, work, patience and resilience to break in, and quite a bit of luck as well. It’s important you remain open-minded during the early years of your career. Having too narrow of a focus (writing music for video games for example) may lead you to miss out on opportunities that could sustain you better (sound design work, for example), and you have to remain flexible enough to be able to pivot. Interestingly enough, I was a performance major in college, and was a professional musician for a few years before turning to composition. I did take composition lessons prior to that, but I am mostly self taught in composition (and 100% self taught in production). I seized an opportunity in the composition world that has led to many wonderful things for me, embracing a different path under the greater umbrella of music-making.
During your college years, I would encourage you to become as strong a musician as possible, and, if possible, to take on gigs here and there. Remember that what they teach you in school and what you will be expected to produce in a professional environment are, more often than not, very different things. Also, part of what you pay for during college is whatever network you will build during your study years. Build lasting relationships there!
I don't know about your music or what your aspirations are, but here is some general advice (all of which applies to me, and, well, probably most everyone else, too!):
- music for game (or any other media) is a business, not an art. You may think what you do is art, people may think what you do is art, but at the end of the day, you have to sell your music, and, more importantly, sell yourself;
- be ready, may it be for your next gig, meeting, sending out demos, difficult situations, have your gear stable and ready to operate, etc. Unfortunately, and however far common sense will guide you, you'll never be entirely ready for everything - learn to cultivate how to be a problem solver as well;
- obviously, having superior music skills is of the essence, and working on your writing is important, but meeting people and making connections is even more important (and that is something I'm still trying to improve upon myself). You should be connecting with as many people as possible (game designers, other composers, players, etc.);
- professional music composition rewards curiosity. Make sure to always seek out new sounds, techniques, business avenues, etc.;
- make sure you are VERY good with music production. We live in a world where everyone’s stuff sounds great. You can’t expect to break in if your work doesn’t sound good;
- it is never too early to start developing and/or listening for your own voice. You will NOT be asked to write in your particular and unique voice early on in your career, but you will NOT be able to develop a long lasting career without having something that specifically identifies you musically (there are a few people who have built careers out of being chameleons, but they're an exception). For instance, while we all write music on League, we all have a unique voice and I can totally tell who writes what. Work towards the goal of having a unique and identifiable voice as a composer. Ideally, you want people to call you for what it is that you do (Cliff Martinez, Thomas Newman, John Williams, hans Zimmer, etc. when you read those names, you can hear their music right away!).
I hope this helps! Good luck in your endeavors.
Ed the Conqueror
