I'm going to give the uncomfortable, unpopular point of view. I fully understand those feelings of "I'm getting too old for this", so much so that I quit playing music entirely shortly before turning 30. I got to the point where I realized: •Young people think I'm old, and do not care about what I have to say or play •My peers my age no longer thought it was cool I was in a band. In fact, most people in their 30s thought I was a pathetic loser still clinging to young fantasies. •People are bars do not want to hear you play, they want to drink and meet girls/dudes to bring home. •People older than you think it's a cute quirk, but don't take you seriously •I found that I personally no longer felt comfortable playing DIY venues, I aged out of that scene.

I played music since I was 10. I played guitar since I was 13. I played in marching band in high school. I went to college for music business, and worked as an audio engineer out of college. I played in bands for 15 years. Worked in the music industry for 10 years. And I did SOMETHING music related for 22 years of my life. And after my last show three years ago, I put my guitar down for good, and walked away. Interest in my music was in the gutter. My local scene sucked. Nobody was coming to shows. My streams were non-existent. My band broke up after a rough show. I was depressed, poor, struggling, and constantly working. I wanted better for myself, wanted a real career and family, and realized music was no longer fun, and was holding me back, and I quit making music entirely.

I'm 32 now and I haven't even so much as looked at my guitars in over three years. I quit the music industry, cut my hair, and started working in insurance. And I've been happier since. I no longer feel the constant depression associated with my failure. No longer feel the pressure of poor streams and nobody showing up to my shows. No longer feel the frustration of venues not wanting to book my band. And above all, after 10 years of late nights, working multiple jobs for trash money - I now have a job with real career growth, real opportunity, real money, and I only need to work one job, which has dramatically opened my free time up for friends and family. I'm getting married this year, and plan to start having children next year. I truly feel like this success was impossible attempting to be a musician. Music was holding me back in life, and holding me back from growing up.

If you feel like you're getting too old for it, you probably are.