Are there any others on this site? Or people who are trying very hard to get gigs?

I'm a cellist, based in Southern California; mostly I get wedding gigs, and even then not many, since I suck at networking, and spend 90% of my time in my graduate degree. I'm highly trained, and can play pretty much anything with enough practice. I'm not planning on really being a *professional* per se, in that I don't want my income to be based on how many gigs I get, but I don't play for free. Enough about me.

Any other professionals or working musicians? Classical, folk, rock, punk... or even studio engineers? Anyone who regularly expects compensation for making music? What have your experiences been?

I am a violinist based in the Chicago area, but originally from Southern California. My true passion lies in teaching, so that's what I spend most of my time doing, but I also work at an instrument shop. Like you, I am highly trained in what I do, and while I don't depend on wedding gigs so much anymore, they sure did pay the bills for a while!