You can have it all, just look at Steve Aoki | The Student Pocket Guide
by Sophie Polak
If you have your eyes on the wrong prize you lose sight of what you were doing it for in the first place”- Steve Aoki.
So you are in the midst of your university life, studying a subject you love and enjoy but in the back of
your mind you know there will come a time where you are working Monday-Friday (scary huh?). Don’t
fret; your career does not have to be mundane or enjoyable. You don’t need to work just for the
money, in the end it is down to you to get what you want from a career in the big wide world.
So what on earth has Steve Aoki the veteran/god of the electronic dance music (EDM) scene have to do with your future career? I do raise a few eyebrows when I mention that Steve Aoki is my all time
favourite artist, partly because I have slight hair envy but also because I admire his work ethic. His
parents were wealthy, his father being the founder of the Benihana restaurant chain, but they never
contributed anything to Steve’s career. He built it from determination and a passion for what he does, it has taken a long time but he is reaping his rewards.
Being a record producer and GRAMMY nominated DJ touring the world is not your typical job and having a $28 million net worth is not your typical salary, the point is that Aoki was not always a champagne spraying, cake throwing, raft surfing crazy man. He didn’t wake up one day with everything handed to him on a silver platter, he is ultimately a hard working savvy businessman.
He started his record label ‘Dim Mak’ from his college bedroom and it has taken him two decades of
being in the industry to make a name for himself outside of the EDM scene. Effectively he was not one of the lucky ones to release a hit song and make millions straight away but the time and effort that he has put into his business ensures that he will not disappear of the radar just like the one hit wonders.
So if there is anything you can take away from this, if it is not a new found love for the Aoki sound it is to admire his work ethic. With a lot of hard work it is possible to enjoy what you do in life, it will benefit
you and it will benefit whomever you work for. Have patience adopt the motto ‘good things come to
those who wait’ because right now I’m waiting for that cake in my face.
