Retiring from DJing after 1000 events?

[leelive]

I have done 635 DJing events so far and have decided to retire at 1000.

I have trained in photography and am currently doing that mid-week with the plan to make it my retirement career.

What sort of retirement careers do others have in mind?

All the best

[Daryll]

The very best of luck in your new career lee , however will the DJ bug bite again , will we see the line "well I have done 1376 gigs , I will retire at 1500...."
As I am a part time DJ and Self employed as a painter and decorator in my day job , I will probably potter on with both until a) a lottery win or b)Ill health forces my hand, and TBH I don't know what I want to be when I grow up....
Photography is a great hobby for me , I know that the pro`s use all digital and photoshop , quicker , easier, and a fast workflow , but, and here's the big but for me, lately I have brought a very old Olympus manual camera , standard lens and use B&W film, I have to admit, going back to basic`s is a learning curve, but some of the results are stunning.

Cheers

Daryll

[Benny Smyth]

I have done 635 DJing events so far and have decided to retire at 1000.

I have trained in photography and am currently doing that mid-week with the plan to make it my retirement career.

What sort of retirement careers do others have in mind?

All the best

Snap.

I've always planned to hang up the headphones at 45, and I am currently teaching myself photography. Over the next few years, I plan on leaning on some contacts and shadowing them at weddings. I might keep the kit to hand and be very selective with the gigs I take on.

[DeckstarDeluxe]

I plan to retire from DJing when it suits, ideally at this stage before I'm 40 and hence why I've branched out into hires. I don't know how folks raise kids and run a successful full time DJing business and it's something I don't really want to attempt.

I have no idea about the amount of gigs I've done, I'd say including club gigs it would be sitting at roughly 500.

[funkymook]

I’ve got no plans to retire from DJ’ing, I’ll carry on for as long as I enjoy it.

[Imagine]

I don't know how folks raise kids and run a successful full time DJing business and it's something I don't really want to attempt.

Neither do I

I "retired" in 1995 (aged 24) because I got married and started a family (I was always a part timer, never a full timer)

I came back in 2012 aged 41 (when you lot are looking to retire)....a lot wiser, a lot more sensible, and enjoying it a lot more.

[mattydj50]

I have retired twice following mega distance house moves linked with the day job. Both times, I have been persuaded to come out of retirement with the "can you help me out at Cjristmas" ploy by a regular DJ who needed some extra cover over the mad period.

And, guess what happened? I'm still at it and, in fact, have grown the business so I'm now the one that puts out the feelers for additional help come Christmas (apologies for the C word).

I'm somewhere between 2,500 and 3,000 functions at present and will carry on as long as the body and mind will let me.

It did try and finish me off last year but I had other ideas!

[Nakatomi]

I plan to retire from DJing when it suits, ideally at this stage before I'm 40 and hence why I've branched out into hires. I don't know how folks raise kids and run a successful full time DJing business and it's something I don't really want to attempt.

I have no idea about the amount of gigs I've done, I'd say including club gigs it would be sitting at roughly 500.

I think it'd surely be easier than having two jobs when you're trying to raise a family. Summer weddings saw me going out 4 nights a week & we still did all the family stuff. On the nights I wasn't working I did the bath & bedtimes of the kids (only fair I thought) so didn't miss much - oh but the weekend daytimes were punishing - especially family activities on Sundays. December is going to be worse. 18 discos in 23 days, not counting all the 6 I need to find another DJ to do the other function room. Stress much? If I don't quit by the time NYE arrives it'll be a miracle.

[rth_discos]

Interesting how many mention photography as the next step - considering the number of photographers I see at every wedding fair, and the number of people who buy a camera and become a wedding photographer (what is the photographic Sid?), it seems an even more competitive industry to try and break in to.

[DeckstarDeluxe]

Interesting how many mention photography as the next step - considering the number of photographers I see at every wedding fair, and the number of people who buy a camera and become a wedding photographer (what is the photographic Sid?), it seems an even more competitive industry to try and break in to.

Indeed, unless you have a very likeable personaility then you'll struggle (plus most forget about the required editing time and album designs etc..)