This paper presents findings from a qualitative study exploring how early career musicians envision their professional futures. As many artists struggle to make their music careers viable, established practices and approaches need rethinking because just surviving in the performing arts is not rewarding (Qian, 2020). Changed audience/consumer behaviours post-pandemic threaten the viability of the live music sector, particularly at the grass roots level (Taylor, 2024). Musicians themselves have also changed: research on various aspects of music career development during and since the pandemic has identified musicians’ increased appreciation for “achieving better work-life balance and autonomy” (Nørholm Lundin, 2024, p.194). Broadening early career (student) musicians’ definitions of success is therefore only part of the work that needs to be undertaken in higher education (HE) settings. Music educators must also consider the level of adaptive agility they require to be genuinely inclusive of student aspirations that may reflect very different priorities and needs (Author, 2021, 2023).This paper reports on preliminary findings from a longitudinal qualitative study exploring student musicians’ visions for their careers after graduation. Students were asked to craft a personal definition of success as part a capstone course assessment task (2022 cohort, N = 71). Inductive data analysis surfaced recurring patterns in students’ definitions of success, sparking consideration of the ways these definitions might offer insights for more inclusive approaches in higher music education.The study’s three main thematic findings reflect students’ desire for lifewide success, that success should foster happiness, and that thriving, not just surviving, should be an outcome of success. These findings are symptomatic of a broader shift away from concepts like hustle culture and DIY entrepreneurship that are both popular in HE music careers coursework, but may also compound common difficulties related to self-exploitation, isolation and high levels of competition (see Gross & Musgrave, 2020; Haynes & Marshall, 2018).Implications for HE include the need for ongoing research in the area of post-pandemic career development and greater promotion of a wider range of possible professional futures that better account for people’s need for healthy work/life balance. Recognising the limits of individual agency and self-determination, and acknowledging the need for more explicit focus on the importance of self-regulation in navigating uncertain futures, will be needed if future musicians are to develop the skills and competencies needed to pursue their dreams of thriving.