Want to be a pro pianist but can't sightread

[Aaron_Sarnat]

I'm looking to get a job as a lounge pianist at a hotel or something like that.  I've been playing for 13 years but I can't sightread piano music.  I never took lessons and I play almost 100% by ear.

I can read music, but not piano music.  I played sax in high school so I can read one line of notes but not 10 different notes at a time.

Once I learned Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairies from the music and it literally took me 3 months to get through the whole thing.  By the time I'd gotten to the end I had everything memorized because it took me so long.

Do I have a shot at working a hotel?  I can memorize a song I've played by ear pretty quickly and I can use fake books.

[francisco40295]

Sure you can. But what do you really mean by ear?

I mean I play Beethoven with the auxiliary of youtube videos, and nowadays I don't even use them. I use synthesia, which is a life saver. Unless you're a prodigy you can't pick up songs by ear. Unless you mean jingle bells or something...