school

[blinking8s]

so i am looking into switching my major in school to photography, i mean the last 3 months owning an SLR have been awesome, and I am still in that whole "what do i want to do in college" sort of phase...buuuuut

i think my school has issues, cause the entire photography course (4-6) years they claim, is film...they said I could use digitial im ONE class...umm...can you spell "not cool"? N O T space C O O L!!!

I understand in basic photo and the first few classes, learning to dev, exposure and all that...but come on, how much of this industry is still film?

just wondering if anyone has any thoughts?

it sort of tore me up knowing my huge investment wouldnt get touched if i took classes to learn...

[timmyquest]

Before i start anything i want to say this:

I'm 18
I just finished Highschool
I have never taken a photography class
I have never (really) made any money off of my photography.

That out of the way, hear this:

Dont waste your time bud, i'm not saying dont take the classes, but if you want to get into photography i kind of doubt that a degree in it will get you anywhere other then a teaching job.

The truth is if i can take a better photo then you, the newspaper will buy mine...they wont give two craps if you have a degree because the degree has nothing to do with the photo.

I guess if you were going to go get a job at a paper/magazine (whatever) then maybe you'd have an edge over someone who didnt have the degree...but again, if he's got a better port. then it doesnt really matter what peice of paper you have.

Just my .02

If you ask around, most people (espeically here) do not have degrees.

[blinking8s]

its no different with web design, my current major, plus 9/10 highschoolers i meet that go into my field know more about a computer and web dev than i ever will...and I honeslty think I am pretty good at that, it kills me

but i have to do SOMETHING while i am in school, and I WILL finish college...so yeah, might as well be something interesting

[timmyquest]

There is a lot of truth to what you say. The more important thing is to just get a degree really. Your more likely to get a good job with a degree in picking up **** then without having a degree at all.

[blinking8s]

i dont think you can manage a McDonalds now without 2 years under the belt...haha

well, i guess the way I look at it now, ive never found anything i really liked before, and for the short amount of time ive been into photography, I think I have learned a lot...and as long as i believe i could beuild up a solid portfolio, a degree in it stacked on top would never hurt

but, i dont think i have ever met someone with a degree in photography, so yeah...who knows

[Steveo31]

I'm going to major in photo, but I also have a bit of web development under my belt just in case. Have a fallback, man.

[blinking8s]

well, im very close to my web dev minor as is...it would be hard for me to get, and the major for photography takes a long time, so i wouldnt be pressed to pickup anything else in the digital media department, should they improve during my time here

[John_T]

I think first in line is to take a long look at what you want with your life and what suits you best.

Wanna live and experience everything, see the world, be free to try everything until you find your heart's delight?

Two car garage, mow the lawn on Saturdays, poker Wednesday night, five weeks vacation p/a, regular promotions if you are a good boy?

Put photography and everything else aside and get down to the basics of you. When you've gotten the insight into yourself, what you truly need, truly want, under the influence of nobody else, it all falls in place by itself.

Then go YOUR way. It's your life, and no matter what anybody else thinks, you are the only guy in the universe that can live it.