this post was submitted on 07 Sep 2023
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The bigger trap IMO is going into a field you aren't passionate about. I have a computer science degree, my program had many students who didn't really like it but were there for the money. While I'm sure some succeeded a lot of people who were just there for the money failed out, or performed so mediocre that they could only get less desirable jobs, which don't pay as well and are also shit working conditions (which since these folks don't like the career means they tend to burn out super quick).
There is a compromise to be had, you need to find something that you at least mostly find enjoyable, but has a viable career to go into, their are plenty of arts careers out there that pay alright, and if you specialize into them early instead of pursuing eye in the sky careers then you'll find yourself ahead of the pack. Of course you must also look outside school to see what these careers value (paid coops are a great opportunity if your school has them) I have a few friends with social work degrees who are doing pretty good for instance.
That said, Tuition is somewhat subsidized where I am (my tuition was 15K USD a year and one of the more expensive schools and programs, an arts degree would be more like 10K USD) so YMMV compared with the USA where I hear tuition can commonly be well over 100K a year.
I went to an art school for a degree in audio engineering and I encountered seniors in their final year who had no idea what the fuck they were doing because they didn't seek out any opportunities outside of classes. I interned at a recording studio for about two years while I was in school and that prepared me better than any class I took. This is an industry where you need to be passionate about what you're doing because work is rare in the beginning and the pay is pretty shit. There were several kids in my advanced practicums who didn't even know how to properly wrap cables or mount microphones onto stands. I couldn't help but think to myself "why the fuck are you even here". You really have to go out of your way and fight for every opportunity you can get in this industry. I'm fortunate to be able to make a living in it but somehow some of the people I graduated with came out with less knowledge than what I learned in my freshman year.
It just baffles me that people get degrees in these highly competitive industries without any sort of drive to actually make a career. Interesting to hear that this happens in STEM fields as well.
There are lots of useful things I learned in school but school is really what you make of it. I did my best to utilize the facilities that my college provided and got a lot of experience. Others just coasted and took courses, doing nothing outside of the coursework. Ultimately, the education helped me get to where I am. Especially in this industry where connections are everything, school can be a great tool to connect with professors and other students. It was also my gateway into the professional world because I was a good candidate for internships because of my background.
Hard disagree. College filled in a lot of missing gaps in my education and gave me a good basis for continuing to learn when I started my career.