Education is one of the best investments you can make towards your future. But, it is a huge investment of time and money. So, it is smart to weigh your decisions carefully. Some disadvantages of art school might be: cost, length of time to a positive return on your investment, limited program options, and perhaps less diversity. Here are some questions to ask yourself, as you decide: what career path are you interested in? What are the education requirements for a job in that career field? Is art school the only way to get there? Are there more efficient, cost effective ways to get there? Will you need to seek loans to pay tuition? How much can you expect to earn, after school, and how long will it take for you to realize a positive return on your investment? What if you change your mind? Would a more diverse student population be interesting to you, or offer you more diverse exposure and networking opportunities?
If you want to go into digital arts, or apply your creative talents towards architecture design, engineering, marketing, etc., you will need to get a degree, either at an art school, or in an art program at college or university. Your potential starting salary will likely be high enough that you can pay off your loans, and get to a positive return on your investment in a reasonable amount of time.
But, if your dream is to become a painter, a sculptor, or some other type of creator, then the cost of an art school or university degree might not result in a positive return on investment for a very, very long time. Many artistic occupations do not have a high salary potential, especially when you are just getting started. So, you may find yourself becoming "a starving artist" for a little longer than you'd like! If that’s the case for your desired career path, you might want to consider other options. For example, it might be more efficient and cost-effective to attend community college for basic courses, take some art classes to refine your skills, and work with other artists or become an apprentice at an art studio.
Another potential consideration is that an art school might limit your options, if you change your mind after you get started. For example, does the art school offer business programs, science programs, computer programming, international studies, psychology, social sciences, or other possible career paths? When I started college, I was sure I wanted to be an aerospace engineer. But, after my first year of classes, I realized it was not for me. Luckily, my university offered lots of other options, and I was able to switch to the arts & sciences program. An art school may, or may not have a lot of other options to choose from, in case you change your mind.
Lastly, at an art school, you’ll be surrounded by other artsy, creative people, which can be a wonderful thing. But, another college might offer you a more diverse experience. You’ll be surrounded by athletes, future business leaders, entrepreneurs, teachers, scientists, future politicians, you name it! Exposing yourself to a diverse group of people can create lots of interesting connections, and networking opportunities.
Lynette recommends the following next steps:
Check out LinkedIn, Glassdoor, and other job websites, to see what types of jobs sound interesting to you. Employers list exactly what specific education and skills requirements they are looking for.
The Bureau of Labor Statistics is a great resource for average salaries, what career fields are growing, etc.:https://www.bls.gov/ooh/occupation-finder.htm
Average starting salaries by major:http://www.studentsreview.com/salary_by_major.php3
Other interesting perspectives on art school:http://college.usatoday.com/2015/10/24/4-things-you-should-know-about-applying-to-art-school/https://medium.com/i-m-h-o/dont-go-to-art-school-138c5efd45e9
