Also called: Busker
Performs music, magic, or acts on streets and subway platforms for tips.
A busker sets up in a busy plaza, plays songs or performs tricks, gathers a crowd, and passes the hat, sometimes selling merch or growing a social following.
Very uneven; income is tips.
Approximate: anchored on Bureau of Labor Statistics data for a broader job group.
No formal education, about 0 years after high school. No training required; you build an act in music, magic or physical comedy, and some cities require a busking permit or audition.
Ways in: Self-taught. Training cost: Under $15k.
Majors to look at: Music, Theater.
Growing slowly. Informal work.
Low risk for 10 years. Street performance is live and human; AI music doesn't stand on a corner and play for tips.
Age 14+. One way to start: Pick a busy legal spot (farmers market, downtown) with your instrument or act; check if your city needs a permit
Classes: Music, Theater, Speech, Business.
Official data: O*NET occupation 27-2042.
Career Universe is an early version. Pay, training and AI-risk figures are estimates to start your own research, not verified facts. The research was written with AI research assistants, checked by validation scripts and spot-checked by hand. Check anything important with schools, employers and official sources. How the numbers work.