I went to college for a year, found that all I was doing was reading the text books and then attending lectures on the same information that was in the text books and then taking exams on the information that was in the text books, etc, etc. Finally I asked myself, why am I paying thousands of dollars for these classes, when everything I need to know is in the text books. Why don't I just buy the text books (which I would have to do anyway), and learn everything myself. So, that's what I've been doing. I spend a good deal of my spare time reading, and anytime I have a question on something I go to some of the many online forums devoted to recording. I invested a fraction of what I was spending on tuition into recording equipment (all analog) and started recording local bands in my spare time. Any money my studio makes, gets invested back in the studio. Granted, I'm not yet working in a big fancy studio, with big name bands and producers, making big bucks, but I'm getting way more hands on experience than I ever would have gotten in school, and eventually my studio will grow into the studio I've always dreamed of working at. As far as making contacts goes, I find spending time at local music venues will get you in touch with all sorts of musicians and industry minded individuals, not to mention the mass of contacts you can make on these forums. I don't mean to dog anybody who's gone to school. It's just not something I feel is necessary for me. I don't need a degree in art to paint picture. I don't need a degree in music to play in a band. I don't need a degree in music engineering to record music. All I need is my desire to succeed and the determination to follow through.

I say forget studio work and get into audio and AV installs. Seriously, get fully acquainted with every type of protocol these use because there is a serious wage to be had, even occasional freelance work, and its technically and emotionally far less demanding than studio work, with way more chance of getting paid on time. By working for a hire/install company you can usually get your hands on a certain amount of kit to take home, and if you work for a crew that specialise in studio hires, you get to tour every major studio in the city and meet the staff and clients in a way that most engineers can only dream of.

In my experience the best money is in conference AV work. Its often mind numbing but the clients are huge multi-nationals who don't blink at paying you three times the wage you would get for a day's studio engineering. Of course they pay your AV firm first, but if the AV firm is smart they will be have a quality crew and will be charging the client top prices for everything, so won't mind paying you similar so long as you deliver the service.

i currently, well not currently as i am away studying, but when im back home i work A/V installs. it's easy, it pays well, and yes you get to come across a lot of stuff that could be used in the studio. however, to completely forget about sound engineering is shit especially if it's what you love to do. if you have to, do a/v installs or do a/v installs on the side until you can do what you love fulltime.

also, look into music and sound recording in guildford, england at the university of surrey. im studying here right now, and it's good fun.

word.

Agreed, the AV angle is simply one that will buy you time to stay warm and fed while learning something else. Gotta say though, simply securing a full time engineering position is hardly the holy grail. I had some good times engineering, but chances are that at least half of the sessions will be something you find at best boring, or at worst utterly sonically repulsive. On the good side, recording proper talent with great mics is an amazing experience, anything less not always so.

I'd be really careful in making sure that your quest for the mythical engineering knowledge doesn't trick you into any situation where the time/energy/cash equation no longer balances in your favour, because you might learn more on a day off fooling around in your home studio (paid for by your AV job!) than making tea for a bunch of idiots. I've done both, and I'm quite sure that having free time and nice kit is way more rewarding than being a studio slave.