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Post by pilotobvious on Jan 13, 2015 13:25:34 GMT -6
I'm really stuck right now. I started my spring semester of college, where I major in industrial design, and everything about it just seems so wrong. I think I lost my passion for designing products or transportation, it just sounds so unappealing at the moment.
I have no idea what to do. My heart is telling me to drop out so I can work until I figure out what I want to do, but my brain is bugging me in saying that it could be a mistake. I don't even know how my parents would react. I am planning on talking to them today as soon as they get off of work. At this point, I can receive a full refund of this semester, which is a relief. I don't think I will ever like this program I am in. It's not that it's bad or anything, I just don't find any personal interest in this anymore.
Even though my first semester was extremely successful and I took away a lot of information from it, I just didn't feel a passion. The entire time, it was more, "Meh, I'll turn this in a do well, but I don't really like what I'm doing." We covered topics that could range from the fields of fine arts, graphic design, and industrial design, and frankly, none of it felt right.
Personally, I find myself to be more interested in art education, though I've heard of the issues of schools dropping art so there's no need for art teachers. In some cases, it might be true, but not always, right? When I was a junior, my art teacher (Who was retiring that year) asked me what I wanted to do in the field of art, and I told her art education. But she told me, "You're too good to be an art teacher." So I took her word and didn't do it. But now I regret it. Badly.
I think I need to wipe my slate clean and start from scratch. Get a job, go to community college and pay for it myself instead of my parents paying for me, get fit, probably find a therapist, and eventually find a place for an art education degree.... Is that sensible?
So if any of you have any advice, can I hear it? Also, if you have any stresses and need venting, feel free to do so here.
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Post by Elly on Jan 13, 2015 14:32:25 GMT -6
My advice to you: Do what you love now so that you don't regret it in the end. Because if you don't do it now, you'll be swimming in your own regrets.
Take me for example: I wanted to study art in college, but I listened to what everyone was telling me: "Don't do it because the money isn't there" and "Artists are subject to depression" and also "Art will lead you to drugs" (all of these came from either my parents, family members or teachers in high school). So I went on to study Computer Science. I. Hated. It. So. Bad. Because 1. The school was small and didn't have enough funding for new professors, 2. The professors were teaching us old standards and 3. The professors weren't so keen to new interpretation of things: it was either their way or the highway.
Since then, I started getting involved on campus. I made some new friends, became Public Relations and made fliers for various clubs and organizations (including my school's anime club). I also became an RA for first year students my final year of college and helped out a lot of students. That was when I rekindled my calling around the end of my junior year/beginning of my senior year: to help out college students (as in be their advisor/mentor/their voice). More importantly, since I really like art, I'm thinking of getting my second masters in an art related field so that I can be more qualified to work at an art school (for example: be an admissions counselor for an art school).
That's why it's important to focus on what you want, not what the world wants from you. Who cares if your teacher thinks you're too good to be an art teacher? What matters the most is that you are going forward to doing what you love. So change your major before you regret it.
*end of Advice Elly rant* TL;DR: follow your dreams. No one but yourself is stopping you.
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Post by funnybunnyjay on Jan 13, 2015 16:50:58 GMT -6
Normally I wouldn't give advice to someone I don't know very well but I figured that I'd say something since I've faced a very similar struggle. I actually have a slightly harsher answer than Elly does to some degree. I don't think you should get an art education degree. It's important to follow your passion, but at the same time I think you should keep an eye on a stable job that will get you enough money to make a living just in case. I think you should still practice improving your artwork in case a good opportunity to become an art teacher arises, but the time and money put into college should probably be used to pursue a degree that's more useful.
There are two main reasons why I think getting an art-related degree isn't worth it:
1. When applying for an art-related job the quality of you artwork will be the most important factor, not the degree.
2. Art classes in college don't teach you anything useful. They just teach you how to find meaning in a bunch of stupid scribbles that look like it was slapped together by a 5 year old and stupid crap like that. I had an assignment for an art class one time that required me to glue four black squares onto a white sheet of paper. I LITERALLY JUST GLUED FOUR BLACK SQUARES AND I WAS DONE WITH MY ART HOMEWORK!
Basically what I'm trying to say is that I think what you pursue in college should just be a back-up plan. You could still try to get a job as an art teacher, but you don't need an art education degree to do that. Just keep practicing and improving your art so that you'll have an amazing portfolio to present when you sign up for your dream job.
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Post by Elly on Jan 13, 2015 19:54:36 GMT -6
Normally I wouldn't give advice to someone I don't know very well but I figured that I'd say something since I've faced a very similar struggle. I actually have a slightly harsher answer than Elly does to some degree. I don't think you should get an art education degree. It's important to follow your passion, but at the same time I think you should keep an eye on a stable job that will get you enough money to make a living just in case. I think you should still practice improving your artwork in case a good opportunity to become an art teacher arises, but the time and money put into college should probably be used to pursue a degree that's more useful. There are two main reasons why I think getting an art-related degree isn't worth it: 1. When applying for an art-related job the quality of you artwork will be the most important factor, not the degree. 2. Art classes in college don't teach you anything useful. They just teach you how to find meaning in a bunch of stupid scribbles that look like it was slapped together by a 5 year old and stupid crap like that. I had an assignment for an art class one time that required me to glue four black squares onto a white sheet of paper. I LITERALLY JUST GLUED FOUR BLACK SQUARES AND I WAS DONE WITH MY ART HOMEWORK! Basically what I'm trying to say is that I think what you pursue in college should just be a back-up plan. You could still try to get a job as an art teacher, but you don't need an art education degree to do that. Just keep practicing and improving your art so that you'll have an amazing portfolio to present when you sign up for your dream job. Now this is why I told people to take the MBTI test because you get to see other people's preferences and how they work out in life, as well as how your preferences work out in your own life. Here's the link for those who didn't take it. I suggest that you do take it: creative-studio.boards.net/thread/115/myers-briggs-types
But yes, Jay you do bring up a great point about being realistic about what the industry has out there. As well as the content and you can always be an art teacher without fully having the degree. You do give great advice though.  Pilot, whether you choose to take either Jay's advice, my advice, or come up with your own ulterior motive, what matters is what steps you will take to get there as well as what do you hope to accomplish. I hope your semester goes well. |
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Post by pilotobvious on Jan 13, 2015 19:56:39 GMT -6
Normally I wouldn't give advice to someone I don't know very well but I figured that I'd say something since I've faced a very similar struggle. I actually have a slightly harsher answer than Elly does to some degree. I don't think you should get an art education degree. It's important to follow your passion, but at the same time I think you should keep an eye on a stable job that will get you enough money to make a living just in case. I think you should still practice improving your artwork in case a good opportunity to become an art teacher arises, but the time and money put into college should probably be used to pursue a degree that's more useful. There are two main reasons why I think getting an art-related degree isn't worth it: 1. When applying for an art-related job the quality of you artwork will be the most important factor, not the degree. 2. Art classes in college don't teach you anything useful. They just teach you how to find meaning in a bunch of stupid scribbles that look like it was slapped together by a 5 year old and stupid crap like that. I had an assignment for an art class one time that required me to glue four black squares onto a white sheet of paper. I LITERALLY JUST GLUED FOUR BLACK SQUARES AND I WAS DONE WITH MY ART HOMEWORK! Basically what I'm trying to say is that I think what you pursue in college should just be a back-up plan. You could still try to get a job as an art teacher, but you don't need an art education degree to do that. Just keep practicing and improving your art so that you'll have an amazing portfolio to present when you sign up for your dream job. I like what you said, but when I say art education degree, I'm referring to K-12 education, which would require a Bachelor's in education (Plus State teaching licenses which is a whole different ballpark.) I don't think public or private schools would consider an art teacher with a portfolio alone since there are the concepts of teaching and dealing with kids. Universities might, but that personally doesn't interest me. You're totally right in saying that art classes in college don't teach many useful tools, it just helps to broaden your skills (if it even does that). With that in mind, do you think that if I had a nice portfolio, would I even need a degree to be considered in job interviews? Assuming I choose something such as a graphic or industrial design firm. I do a lot of varied work as an artist, it's just that I don't post any of it online aside from my hobby art. Thank you for the advice. It is quite helpful and I will take it to heart. I appreciate that you took the time to write this out. I am trying to keep my options open at this point. I should look into things aside from the art field. |
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Post by Whirlwynd on Jan 13, 2015 22:43:22 GMT -6
I graduated ten years ago with a BA in English, with dreams of becoming a writer. I've been an industrial worker for eight years now. The vast majority of people I know with degrees in creative or education fields do not have day jobs in those fields. They chase their dreams on the side of career paths that have little to do with what they really want. But in general they've managed to find jobs that are tolerable and let them live comfortably.
I went into my English degree understanding that unless you are lucky, writing would be a hard career to get by on. My parents were paying my tuition, but they didn't care what my degree was in so long as I got the degree. They said it would show potential employers that I could commit to something. That advice may be outdated.
On the other hand -- I can't think of one single person I know that got a degree solely for financial security that doesn't hate their day job.
If I was in your position, especially if I was in my first year, I would take a few classes completely outside my chosen field that hold some interest to me. Maybe you can find something that you hadn't considered that you end up liking, and could also be a potentially stable career path. I don't think you could do it now as the semester has already started though.
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Post by funnybunnyjay on Jan 14, 2015 8:46:48 GMT -6
With that in mind, do you think that if I had a nice portfolio, would I even need a degree to be considered in job interviews? Assuming I choose something such as a graphic or industrial design firm. I do a lot of varied work as an artist, it's just that I don't post any of it online aside from my hobby art. I'm not really an expert on this so I can't answer that question with certainty. I think the right person to ask that question would probably be someone who already has a job in the field that you're interested in. They would know the qualifications for their job better than I would. I think there are some art teaching jobs for some private schools that don't require college degrees but I'm not 100% sure about that. I think that what Whirlwynd said seems like a good idea as well. You could take some classes outside of your field to see what degree might interest you. |
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Post by pilotobvious on Jan 14, 2015 9:09:03 GMT -6
I actually just made my decision. I'm withdrawing from the college I am currently at as they do not have any potential majors I am interested in. I will get a full refund for this semester since it's within a certain timeframe. This means that I will not be able to transfer anywhere else this semester, so I will be finding a job (Or two) to help carry me through and save up money for a future education. I live with my parents, so I won't have to pay anything for rent/utilities/etc. This will also give me time to rejuvenate and re-evaluate any poor decisions I've made.
In that time, I will try and figure out what I want to do. I am planning on looking into careers that aren't related to art, because at this point, I don't think I can do art as a career, just as a hobby. I've already found a couple of ideas that I'm planning on looking into further.
Thank you for all of the helpful advice. It's nice hearing things from different points of view.
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Post by not u on Jan 14, 2015 12:56:47 GMT -6
If you have ANY doubts in your mind about art as a career, then i think you did the right thing pulling out to look at other non-art fields.
Art as a career is brutal. Only 5% of art majors actually go forward with their respective fields. If there's a single doubt in your mind, then it is not for you and it's good you realized it very early on.
Btw yes you can get jobs as an artist/designer with just a portfolio, if you ever change your mind in the future. My animation studio doesnt even READ the resumes we send in, they just look at the portfolio!
Also, Jay, i ended up learning a lot from art school. Not everything i wanted, because we didn't have an animation program or proper illustration program, but still quite a lot. I never had anything like what youre describing, and i do have a well paying job in my field now. So I'd suggest opening your mind a bit further than the art school stereotypes that are perpetuated.
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Post by funnybunnyjay on Jan 15, 2015 12:27:22 GMT -6
Also, Jay, i ended up learning a lot from art school. Not everything i wanted, because we didn't have an animation program or proper illustration program, but still quite a lot. I never had anything like what youre describing, and i do have a well paying job in my field now. So I'd suggest opening your mind a bit further than the art school stereotypes that are perpetuated. Sorry if what I said about art classes offended you. I wasn't being completely serious about what I said but I should have been more considerate with my wording. I admit I was wrong about art school and I apologize. And sorry for getting off topic but I felt like I should say something because I felt reeeeeeeeeeeeally bad about this. Anyways back on topic: I think taking your time to decide your major is a good idea. If you make a bad decision about your college degree now you could end up working at a job you don't like for the rest of your life. |
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Post by Deleted on Jan 23, 2015 19:45:50 GMT -6
Well I graduated of high school but in 2011 when I was around a bit on the internet community since late 2011 I retired and quit, but I was also on a special ed career center for over 3 years until I graduated on 2014, I had to say I was pretty on the internet community a little bit until 2013 I finally stopped. Despite of me that I have autism, a disability since I DID NOT go to any college or university heck it little expensive, university thing out of the question but that something people wanted to move out and stay at a room - I hear a lot of indecent on the new what been going on lately. I WAS ORIGINALLY WANTED TO GO TO ART SCHOOL a long time ago but I never did, the economies LMAFO is like bad right now I believe. It would be nice if I go to the one if they have any disability / special ed program that has something to do on art school well in college and university yes they do have the stuff. Right now i'm like I have started working at my new job - well it not new anymore it been 1 month later since I was at this job I work at it's a international market thing call "World Market" I be fair but I don't want to give out my personal life, I been working at the job for over 1 month since Christmas season start off and I been saving money on something and focusing on going to some anime convention to the last one such as Katsucon (the one in Maryland) and Anime Mid-Atlantic (the one at Virginia, i'm from VA too). So it been a busy life for me a little, well the stress less of school it has been for me in the past a bit  since I finished now i'm on the business on working. |
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since I finished now i'm on the business on working.