Ok, I understand. All you can do is look at what you are most interested in and that you have stated is the performing arts. Then you should look for something that is in that direction with a minor in something else, which could be psychology.

Remember, time is always going to be ticking and you just have to learn how to ignore that and do your best to move forward the best way you can (and you are only 19 and you do have more time then you think). If you really like the performing arts, then I genuinely don't see any reason why you should not go for that path and see what happens. We always take something away from every path we choose, remember that.

When I was your age, as I mentioned I did love the arts and music and the performing arts. I took art lessons and I also took voice lessons too. I found a couple that taught voice and they were both involved in theater in NY city. He was a song writer and she was a singer/performer. They were a neat couple and really all about the theater and performing arts. One day she suggested I try out for a lead singer that a band was looking for and had approached her. So, I wasn't out there on my own looking to be a lead singer, the opportunity just presented itself and I went and auditioned and they liked me. Then I had to meet with them and work on building a repertoire and that took time because we had to have enough songs to fill three sets. When I say sets, what I mean by that is that in performing night clubs the band performs in a period of time called a set and then they take a break for about 20 minutes and then return to the stage to do another set, there are typically three sets, each lasting for about an hour to an hour and a half.

Back then there was live entertainment and a lot of different clubs to work, some of these clubs were really nice clubs with nice stages and dance floors. They really don't have that now like they used to. I worked in clubs that had entertainment 6 nights a week. So, I was on stage almost every night. Then we had to fit in a practice night to add new songs too. So I was always singing. You know I got so I knew the songs so well that I often caught myself singing and my mind would be thinking about something else. That was interesting to experience.

I remember the first night when we played and the audience was so quiet, just staring at us, no clapping, it was so weird, did they like us? Well, that was answered not by claps but by the club getting very crowded. If you draw a crowd, you are being enjoyed and more importantly making money for the club and that gets the band more gigs. Well, at 19/20 do you think I just happened to know all that? Nope, but I definitely did learn. Hey, I could have flopped, I took a chance, why not, and I did not flop.

I learned so much doing that, met a lot of people, all kinds of people in all different kinds of clubs. I ended up walking away from it though, I decided I did not want to live that life. I don't regret making that decision, and I did enjoy experiencing that and I am glad I went to that audition and got to experience all that. I can look back and think about how I experienced what it is like to be on stage, be a lead singer and entertain crowds. It's scary at first, but the more one does it, the more it's not so scary. Learning that in itself was important because when I would enter any other new adventure and was nervous, I always remember that I was like that and got over it.

Actually, learning to be an entertainer is not the same as socializing. Being a good performing artist is more about learning how to play a part and getting comfortable with that part as I did with that repertoire.