Young Kim studied at the Seoul Jazz Academy in Seoul, Korea, and at the Berklee College of Music in Boston, MA, before attending the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign. He graduated with the degree in Doctor of Musical Arts in Jazz Performance in 2021.

Young is currently an adjunct music faculty at Parkland College teaching Applied Guitar, Guitar Class, and Guitar Ensemble as well as Music Appreciation, Intro to American Music, and Intro to Non-Western Music. With a specialization in jazz guitar improvisation, Young focuses on providing academic approaches to learning guitar including reading standard notation, music theory and practice, fretboard mastery, and stylistic development.