Mic: The news: With many Americans still feeling the effects of the Great Recession, a frequent refrain about college education is that an arts degree simply isn't worth it. Studying the creative arts is economically risky: Sure, you'll spend four years poring over famous paintings and releasing your creative energies, but your post-graduate life will be one of low income, low employment and misery as a "starving artist."
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It's very reassuring to see statistics saying that theatre student can actually get jobs even though this university is so well known for people being employed readily after graduation. This economy is so flimsy, and the Great Recession still has such a large impact on our lives that the subject of employment is nerve racking for most people. There is also the subject of debt, and so many of us will be in extreme debt. The fact that we are almost guaranteed employment after graduation and therefore debt will not be such a large problem for us is also good to remember.
This article seemed a bit too general for me. Obviously, I'm a little biased in the faith of my eventual degree to provide me great opportunities in the future, but I think we look way too often at the fact that someone has the actual degree as compared to the level of actual skill or knowledge earned while working towards that degree. Here, where the program forces you to be thrown into critical situations that require a high level of technical knowledge (I speak in terms of DP's), we have the advantage of not simply being able to skim by and just receive our degree. We have to challenge ourselves to succeed, which will lead to immense knowledge that puts us at the leading edge of the industry.
It is really nice to hear that all the money I am putting into my degree will be worth it all. I am not going to lie though based on the last year and half that I have been here I really have not been too concerned on whether or not I would be able to get a job. We are incredibly lucky to be in the school that we are in and should be successful after we leave. Talking with different alumni of recent years most seem to be in a good job that they are able to live comfortably off of. Beyond the recent alumni we have so many that have gone so far in their careers. I do not anticipate having to ever be a starving artist. I have faith in the education I am getting and where it will take me in the future,
It is nice to see positive articles about arts majors. Usually there are few and far between but this is the second one in 2 weeks. Statistics from both articles suggest that arts majors are not having much trouble finding jobs. And for a lot of them, those jobs are in their desired field. I honestly could be satisfied in a lot of different jobs and so income plays a higher role for me, but this article had 50% satisfied with income and being at a school like CMU I tend not to worry that I will be able to find my way into that category.
I've never actually been worried about going to art school and not being able to find a job, because I feel that no matter where I go finding a job is gonna be difficult. Plus, coming from CMU there is a great network and we have a great reputation in the working world. More concerning to me has always been telling my friends from home and their parents that i'm at art school. In high school I did a lot of physics and science stuff, and a lot of people could perceive my choosing art school over engineering school as laziness, a cop out, or some other dumb excuse because they don't get it. But oh well, because as the article says, I'm going to be happier doing what I'm doing. Every once in a while I think about if I had ended up choosing an engineering program, and I would have been just miserable. Yes, I might have more marketable skills and seem like a smarter person, but theatre is fun and I get to always work on something new and after a few months I get to throw everything away and start on something new. There are a lot of articles out there about how bad theatre and arts degrees are in this economy, so I'm really glad that this article took a pro art school stance. I also liked how honest it was too. Yeah, we may not make as much money as you, but we'll have more fun doing it.
I was wary about applying to an architecture program during my senior year of high school. My friends around me we looking at engineering, law, medicine, etc, and I was set on going into a creative industry. Fast forward a couple years and I'm enrolled in an even more "art" oriented program. In the back of my mind I will always be worried about job security, but I love what I'm doing and I am also learning so many different skills that I could have never dreamed of in high school. There is also the added bonus of attending one of the most highly regarded schools in the industry. I think employers are realizing that art students are leaving college with a strong intellectual background as well as a repertory of skills that most liberal arts students don't have. These skills make us marketable in so many different fields. Here's to hoping that I will never be a starving artist!
Art teaches you so much more than being able to distinguish a Van Gogh from a Monet. (Believe me. We can do that too.) It allows for a whole new realm of creative thinking and problem solving, skills that are highly valued in essentially every field in existence. Also, at least at CMU, the incense rigor of creation and the ability to think and be creative despite huge amounts of pressure and work creates a person with an incredible work ethic who does not shy away from challenging tasks. If it were up to me, art would be required through all majors, as it creates qualities in people which are valuable to anyone hoping to excel at their work. For that reason, it does not surprise me to hear that statistics are at last turning in favor of those "starving artists" like me!
While it is reassuring to hear that arts graduates feel satisfied with their jobs after graduation, and while it is true that CMU Drama is very good at getting its graduates hired in their field, the job market is still something to keep an eye on. Too often people fall into the trap that CMU's reputation alone will be enough to get them hired right out of college, and I think that's just not realistic. A lot of things can change in four years, and while one would hope that they would change for the better following the recession, it is still worthwhile to be conscious of this, especially as someone who had to pull a lot of financial strings in order to even attend this program.
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