We all have in one way or the other learnt one or two skills throughout our years of living. Aside school, it is important to have some skills which can help you make a living in case you don鈥檛 have a job or for some extra cash.
Due to the structure of most African countries, the importance of acquiring an extra skill differently from one's course of study cannot be overemphasized. In a country such as mine (Nigeria), people with no academic certificate are obviously the rich majority. With this reality being made obvious, nobody underestimates the importance of professional skills any longer. Young people are now doing all that is in their power to acquire skills differently from their course of studies. In my case, I have just music as my special skill.
For some, speaking of music as a skill is absolutely out of place. Music for these group of people can only be likened to a hobby. For obvious reasons, I do not subscribe to that opinion, and I shall be stating these reasons to support my claim.
Music can put food on the table
The most crucial reason why most people acquire extra skills distinct from their course of studie is to ensure financial stability. If it be case then that a skill is unable to attain that criteria, one can refer to such skill as irrelevant since it failed to meet the main reason behind it's acquisition. Now, if music is able bring food to one's table, we cannot certainly dismiss the fact that it meets one of the most crucial reason why people acquire skills. In my own case, I can say with all confidence that music has been able to put food on my table.
Music is a profession
Many will agree with the opinion that skills are meant to make one a professioner in a particular field. If that be the case, music is skill in as much as one can become a professional musician.
WHY MUSIC
As funny as it might sound I cannot give an exact reason why I choose music as a profession. In fact, I never choose music. Music came to being as I continued doing what I know how to do best. I continued doing what I know how to do best until it's started putting food on my table at some point馃槉. Though I might not have at some point made up my mind to become a professional musician, but the fact that I love music is indubitably. Having established that, it could be said that the reason behind my music profession is the fact that I love music.
HOW MY MUSICAL JOURNEY BEGAN
Unlike most individual who undergo professional training to attain their skill, I never went to any musical training center. The earliest stage of my musical training was the Choir. At a very tender age, I joined my Parish choir which was as at that time the best in the whole of my town. Being a member of the choir, I at some point began learning how to play the keyboard. Travelling out of Port Harcourt to Ibadan [where I had my university education], I got to encounter great musical personalities. These personalities greatly contributed to my musical growth. It was in Ibadan that picked up my second musical instrument, the saxophone. I was also able to engage in other musical genres other than choral music. Ibadan was for me my second musical milestone, and I own it to the likes of @ksam, @magicfingerz and so many other great personalities who are not here on hive.
WHAT I DO AS A PROFESSIONAL MUSICIAN
Having referred to myself as a professional musician, many of you might have at this point started imagining a Burna Boy kind of musician馃榾. Now, come back from your imagination and let's talk about Ernest the musician. The truth is that "I never blow". I am just a simple musician who follow band groups to occasions, play in churchs and sometimes teach choirs and choral groups. Beyond all of these, I am also a music teacher in a school; and lastly, I have also in several occasion take children on home keyboard training. All of these are means through which I put food on my table even though I have never being to a music school for once.
CONCLUSION
My musical journey has been an interesting one. Having developed so much love for music, I have at this point developed interest on becoming more professional as a musician. And as far as I am concerned, my musical journey is just beginning, and I still have lots of goal to attain as a musician. Thank you so much guys for reading down to the end. One love 鉁岋笍
I am Mr Ernest and this is my first time in this wonderful community.
@ksam, 
@magicfingerz and so many other great personalities who are not here on hive.