To get the B.F.A., or not...

[Dramatis]

Hello all! I recently stumbled across this forum (which has been sooo helpful in educating a noob such as myself) and thought I'd pose a question to all the pros and semi-pros out there.

I'm a recent graduate from a southern university (got out this past May) with a B.A. in arts studies. My focus at the time was theatre though I've recently decided that it's just not for me. Since graduation I've spent a lot of time with a camera (currently a Canon Powershot S5 IS) and I've fallen in love with the art of photography. I've come to the realization that this is what I want to do for the rest of my life.

I'm wondering though: is it worth it for me to go back to school and spend four or five more years and thousands upon thousands of dollars to get a B.F.A. in Photography? Is it really going to help me establish myself any better in the professional world than just going out, shooting, and shopping around my portfolio will? Are there things I will learn/experiences I will have in a B.F.A. program that I just can't get anywhere else?

Any suggestions, advice, or relevant anecdotes would be greatly appreciated! :D

Thanks in advance!

[Woolburr]

You might want to give this a read...http://www.aicad.org/whatsbfa.htm

You already have all the necessary Liberal Arts credits...so you just need the FA component...certainly shouldn't take you four or five more years to complete. Does it make you more marketable? It really depends on who you talk to and the aspect of the field you are trying to enter.

[Ronald S. Jr.]

People very often ask me "did you go to school for that?". No, I didn't. I don't know if they're disappointed by that answer, or impressed.

I like to think that if you're good enough, your work will speak for itself. A degree won't do you a bit of good if you're a terrible photographer.

Nothing about you personally.

[BillsBayou]

Why on Earth would you want another Bachelor's degree? What you need now is a Master's degree. Find out which schools offer MFA in Photography. Much of what you've already taken for the BA will apply as undergraduate work for the MFA. Whatever you've missed can be taken while being a MFA student.

I have a BS in Computer Science and an MBA. I did very little in my BS undergraduate work to prepare me for my MBA studies. I went to evening classes to make up the prerequisite classes I needed (which was considerable). As prerequisites were met, more and more graduate level classes were available to me. I completed my degree work in 4 years. The university is nationally accredited, by the way.

Here's a link to the first article I could find. There'll be more out there: LINK (http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m2479/is_n1_v25/ai_20198545)

[gymell]

Like others have said, you shouldn't have to go back and get an entire 2nd bachelor's degree. Typically you don't have to have an undergraduate degree in a particular field to start a graduate degree. I agree with the suggestion that an MFA would be more valuable. You may need to take some prereqs, and they may accept you on a conditional basis until you fulfill those. I speak from experience, having gone from an undergraduate degree in music, to a masters program in computer science, to a masters program in business information systems.

And to address another point, yes it's true a degree on its own isn't necessarily going to make you great in any field. But a lot of times it can open up doors that might not otherwise be there. For example, I have bachelors and masters degrees in music, and masters in information systems. With the graduate degree I was able to teach on the college level and I would definitely not be where I am in my career today (a well-paid computer consultant) without that experience. In fact, just having the music degrees gets my resume noticed and I can't count the number of times I've been asked about that in interviews.