Bachelor`s or Associate ???

[mstefanova]

Hello everyone, I'm writing this because I'm confused, need answers and don't know where to get them.

First of all do I need to go for the Bachelors for photography or can I get A. Will it be the same?

 

I've been looking a lot at SVA in NY and want to go there but I've heard that they have classes all day and it's

impossible to be a full time student and have a job. Plus I'm 22 years old and I'm afraid 4 years is a long of

time. My friends are telling me that I'm gonna loose a lot of time and money if I go for the B and that it's not

that important. My mother on the other hand wants me to have a B degree and says I'll have more job

opportunities. Thing is none of them are photographers. I'm completely lost. I don't think the online schools

are for me.

 

I've tried finding cheaper schools in NY but no luck so far.

 

I really need your opinion.

 

Thank you in advance.

[SCL]

It's not as simple as saying which degree.. You need to look at the curriculum for each school you are considering, the qualifications and reputation of the teachers, the breadth of the program (including business courses on how to financially manage your photography business), and the placement ratio of graduates in their field of study...then look at costs, financial assistance, etc. Your mother is probably right only in the sense that most college age students change majors several times as they are exposed to an increasingly wide range of opportunities and careers. I mention that only because my wife was a counselor for years for students who had student loans, and our own personal experiences with our child and her friends. That doesn't mean that a BA is necessarily better than an associate's degree, for photographers...but it is different. A friend of mine in college said repeatedly he wanted to be a cinematographer...he got his BA and then went for a masters...the depth of his knowledge, the contacts he had built up in his schools, and a strong knowledge of business practices and others' cinematographic skills got him a crack at a job in Hollywood, and today he is a celebrated cinematographer. Whatever you choose, be persistent, study harder than anybody else, and seize every opportunity to make contacts. Good luck

[hjoseph7]

"Plus I'm 22 years old and I'm afraid 4 years is a long of time."

 

You got plenty of time.

[fullmetalphotograper]

These days it really depends on your interest and what courses the school offers. I would talk to a college consular and a

department head and see what courses and degrees meet your needs. I majored in photojournalism and minored in art but

today that same major would be in Mass media. The odds of the world ending in four years is slim, the odds of you making

S20,000 a year more because of college degree is great. So if you have a chance to go to school do it.

[jason_mekeel2]

I have a bachelor's in photography and I consider it pretty worthless. No one cares. All it is good for is getting into

graduate school. If you really want to get into the cookie-cutter world of commercial photography the best degree to get is

a business degree

[ctbruce]

You need to read some of the articles on Dan Heller's web site concerning a career in photography. He discusses if you need a degree in photography or not and what you can expect to gain from it. His web site is www.danheller.com and read the topic "Read Me (Pros)" under his Photography business section. It is well worth your time to read this and hopefully it will provide some insight to the questions you are asking. That being said a business degree is more what you should be looking at with a minor in art. Most good photographers fail at a career in photography because they don't know how to run a successful business.

[jason_mekeel2]

I'll read it.

[artisitc_eye]

Mariela,

 

Your friends and family all have opinions that will matter to you, because they are there for you. You need to make your decision on what is best for you. Set aside the cost for a moment and look at what you want to gain from it. Are you looking for the degree to say "I have a degree" so you may be more likely to be hired down the road? Are you interested in the material you will learn and what you can take from the courses to apply to your talent and ability? Or is this something that you have dreamed about and have not yet found the specific path you will follow with your photography, but want to gain experience?

 

All of these things had crossed my mind over the past 8 years. I was 2 seconds away from studying underwater motion picture at Brooks Institute in Santa Barbara, CA back then. I had a dream, I was crushed when I decided to go another route. Now I run my own business shooting sports, portraits and weddings & I could not be happier! Well of course, more wedding bookings would be good... :-) I will be starting an Associates in Photography program at my local community college this fall to learn more about the thing I love most! I'm 30. I work full time. I run a business full time in the summer & part time the rest of the year. The degree program may take me 3 or 4 years. YOU ARE YOUNG!!!! And I assure you that you have much more energy than I do! ;-D

 

My last rant for you. Look outside of your home town. Life experience, travel, spontaneous life changes are all what make for a well rounded individual in my opinion! Get out of dodge girl, and go see the world! You can make it on your own & amaze yourself!

[christopher hartt dallas]

Get the Bachelor's Degree in something other than photography - consider photography as a minor. It will be good to have a "real" degree when the photography career doesn't work out, or during the time you're doing another job to pay the bills while you're working into a photography career. Contrary to some popular opinions, a photography degree of any sort doesn't make recruiters from all the big "Photography Corporations" rushing in your direction :-). Besides, how old will you be in four years if you don't go to school?