Is Art School Worth it? (Alternative)

I read this interesting journal today: fox-orian.deviantart.com/journ…

My point of view is slightly different, but very similar. and I attended the same school in different years, with slightly different majors (I added a Fine Art double major to my Illustration). We're not talking about our school specifically, but "art schools in general", specifically meaning a specialized trade school rather than a four year college with an "art department."

Also, I have recently been working as an adjunct faculty for aforementioned school, and have worked for the school in a variety of other positions throughout my time as an undergraduate. (Also, Fox-Orian and I were co-workers for a time in one of these positions)

So here is my response journal. Like his, mine is 100% opinion, so if you make a lifechanging decision based on this little bit of worktime procrastination, I refuse to be held liable.




So you want to go to art school?
This was me in high school:
Middle class. Small town Ohio. High school with a terrible art "department" (six semester long courses labeled "Art 1, Art 2, etc". That's it.) and only one poorly paid, under-appreciated teacher--strangely enough he also happened to be one of the football coaches. No Art History before college. No artists in the family. Liked anime, cartoons, and DnD. Decided sophomore year to be an "artist".

This probably sounds very familiar to a lot of readers. This is the turning point, the moment of truth. You have a few paths open at this point of your life -- attend college for a non-related degree and continue art for 'fun', seek a technical or associate degree at a community college, attend a 4 year college with a 'good art program', or attend an "art school". I chose "Attend an art school", but before I discuss that, here are my thoughts on the other options.

~Attend college for a non-related degree and continue art for 'fun'.
First of all, you have to realize that if you pursue art as a career, there may be a point in time when making art is not fun. You will hate every second of some assignment or class or job. Can you deal with that? This question is essential. If not, figure out your other options! Take some art classes for "fun" in college, at least, but never lose your enjoyment for your favorite activity. I speak as someone for whom art has lost its splendor on a number of occasions, but why do I keep at it? Because I can't help myself. But if this masochistic attitude sounds more like you, you must consider art more seriously in your career goals.

~Technical/Associate degree at a community college
This option is excellent for cost, especially in terms of graphic design or photography. Another advantage is credit transfer. A number of my 'core' classes were taken at community colleges and transferred in, and a number of my classmates transferred from a community college. If you can get 2 years of college at an extreme discount, then deal with 2 years at a higher cost, I think this is an excellent option. However it is limited in approach. In my opinion, nothing at a community college replaces a Foundation year at an art school. The graphic designers who came from CCs were just fine and competitive with the 4 year students, but fine artists and illustrators tended to lack basic drawing skills and discipline. Again, not a rule, but simply what I have observed.

I have also heard from a cartoonist that he wishes he had taken a 2 year technical degree rather than a 4 year bachelors (college with good art program, not art school), but his specialty is caricature and he makes his living drawing (primarily local) portraits. He's doing alright, but if your focus is not as specific, a technical degree might lack range.

~Attend a 4 year college with a "good art program"
This option is excellent if you're on the fence about art. You can try it out with the safety net of the university behind you. However, I have noticed a number of problems with this approach. First, the school you choose must be incredibly well researched. There are a lot of schools that offer art as a major, but very few who do so in a manner that will prepare you to enter the art world. Every illustrator that I have interviewed that chose this option regretted it as it offered no professional counseling and was riddled with too many credits of non-art courses. Remember that a major most colleges consists of about 40-50 credits of your chosen field, while graduation requires upwards of 100-110 credits. What are you spending those other 60+ credits doing? Think about this carefully. It was this fact that was the #1 make-or-break point for me.

Criticisms are similar to those of the community college, where foundation in fundamentals is lacking. Art departments tend to be smaller with less resources than an "art school" (not always true, but research your college carefully), and a "foundation year" is nonexistent. Also, the degrees offered tend to be "fine arts" and "graphic design" so if you are looking for animation, illustration, or another specific field such as game design, you either have to find a 4 year college that offers these degrees or find a way to make the program work for you.

Finally, compare the cost to that of an art school. If you are looking at an in-state public college, you will most likely find a discount and be eligible for additional aid and scholarship programs available to in-state students. If you are looking at an out-of-state or private college, you are probably looking at the same cost as if you were attending an art school. This was my #2 make-or-break fact. I knew I wanted to go out of state, and before financial aid was considered, art schools were actually cheaper than the "regular 4-year college". My private school was also cheaper than the public MassArt because MassArt charges out-of-state tuition. The out-of-state public college I applied to was actually considerably more expensive than my private art school due to (I kid you not) 10k additional out-of-state tuition. For that extra amount I could have gotten two years of community college!!!

I know my friends in-state have had better luck, and MassArt has been a great thing for my friends who are Massachusetts residents, but for the rest of us, really do the math and consider whether you are willing to pay almost the same amount for 60+ non-art credits.

And finally
~Art School!
Since this is what I chose, you might expect me to fully endorse this option, but I don't. It is not for everyone. The fact is, you might not be art school material. That sounds harsh, but think about it this way -- I'm not business school material, those who are are probably not art school material. Its about who you are, where your passions lie, and whether you're resourceful enough to take them on. However, you also might be art school material but face other problems -- funding for example. There are ways to achieve your goals without going to art school, but those take another type of person entirely. You might need the measured instruction and discipline-building that goes on in a school setting. I did. I will not exaggerate my abilities; I needed the structure, the discipline, the resources and the setting. If I had chosen to be self-taught, I'd probably still be drawing dragons on the corner of napkins and working as a waitress, wondering my career wasn't taking off. But I'd be debt free.

However, it really takes an outstanding portfolio to get over the no-degree hurdle, so if you don't have employers stumbling over each other to get at your work, it might be the fact you don't have the right piece of paper with gold leafing in a commemorative case... That is, a bachelor's. Or maybe even a Master's.

So for those of you who have the interest, the funds (or willingness to go into debt), require the setting, or have a less than professional portfolio, continue to the next section.

I read your options and I still like Art School! But... is it worth it? How do I know I can do it?

Your parents hate the idea of you going to art school. Its a waste of time, and couldn't you just go into business or accounting? You know, get a REAL job? If you're going to go into debt you should get a career that will pay it back...

Except that simply majoring in these fields does not guarantee a return investment. In a recent article ( cew.georgetown.edu/whatsitwort… ), average earnings by major were investigated. Explore the findings for yourself. While Arts is one of the lowest for Bachelor's median earnings, it shares this place with Psychology, Education, and "Humanities and Liberal Arts" (i.e. History, Philosophy, etc.). The median for Art is less than 10k lower than the median for Law. And don't forget what "median" really means; for every Business major actually making more than 60k, there are tens of thousands making less, pulling the average down. So really, if you're going to be in a shitty job making about 30k/year, do you want to be running accounts or typesetting a newspaper? These are realistic expectations for an entry level position, and in order to advance you need the skills required for these fields, as well as the ability to "play the politics" in the office. You could be doing these tasks for 40-60+ hours a week over the course of 30+ years, so this is not a decision to be based on a fuzzy "return of investment". If you can't hack it in the business world your business/accounting/finance degree will be just as useless as if you majored in art and then sat outside 7-11 with a cup. Rumor is you can make 30k a year panhandling if you're good at it.

So you've convinced yourself you can do it. If you're like me, you've spent considerable time researching and worked up a great argument to convince your parents too. However, college is going to throw surprises. It's going to be a hell of a lot harder than you think. Lets assume, for the sake of argument, that your finances are not an issue. It still might not be a good idea to go to an art school. Despite what Hollywood says, you don't get to just run around having parties and splashing paint on canvas the night before. You can, but those people either drop out or wind up having little to show for themselves and nothing but bitter cynicism about how "worthless" art school is when they scrape by to senior year. Despite what high school art class is like, art school is not happy fun and games time. People who go because they think it will be "fun" don't even last a year.

Art school is not "fun." But more on that later.

First, you should really try to figure out whether you belong in the first place. A great starting place is Pre-College. I guarantee it will be the best investment you make towards post-secondary education. Live on a college campus for a couple weeks, take some courses there, throw yourself into the experience. Make sure you take a serious drawing/painting/sculpture class instead of just fun electives like fashion design or sci fi illustration, and do this BEFORE you apply to any colleges. If you still can't get enough, and you want to go back to class the second it's over, or wish there was an evening block of classes instead of that stupid boat ride, go to art school. If it was fun but mostly when you think about your time you think about the awesome friends you made and romping around New York City unchaperoned and that cute boy/girl that hit on you on the trip to, oh what museum was it? Chances are you should pursue art for fun and reconsider your degree options.

During your junior/senior year, research options at your high school for a program called "Post-Secondary Enrollment Options" or PSEO. Your school might call it something different, but it translates to is "take college classes for free." Some schools offer this, and if yours does, use it to sign up for an art class. If it doesn't, research the colleges around you and see if they will accept you as a special student, or if there is a program in place for high school students. You'd be surprised how popular "early college" options are. Like Pre-College, don't just sign up for a fluffy fun class, choose a heavy hitter like Drawing 1, Figure Drawing/Painting, etc. You can take fluffy fun classes when you're in college, taking one of these core classes will give you a taste of Foundation Year, and what you need to get the most out of your fluffy, fun classes. You will also get to interact with Real College Students and Real College Professors, who will provide a valuable perspective on college that you won't get out of a brochure, through your parents, or even guidance counselors. If this sounds distasteful or you don't want to put in the extra time taking another course on top of high school work, reconsider your career choice.

Also, the recommendation of taking on an apprenticeship under a working artist is a great one. I did not really get to do this, but I did take a class with a local artist where I learned some "insider" information about the industry that helped me make an informed choice, even if it was "I don't want to do what he does!"

All these extra things might not be necessary but all will give you a boost. Getting into art school and getting a scholarship is extremely competitive, and all these options give you portfolio pieces without having to go out of your way to set up a still life or ask your parents and friends to model. Even if your work is good enough to make it through the portfolio review gauntlet without these extra things, you will not be surprised Foundation year. Many of my peers were--many dropped out or transferred after the first year. Many that stayed struggled grade-wise due to lack of preparation and discipline.

Most importantly, if you do these things and realize that art school is not for you, you will save a small fortune.