{"id":48146,"date":"2017-04-23T22:11:41","date_gmt":"2017-04-24T05:11:41","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/erickimphotography.com\/blog\/?p=48146"},"modified":"2017-04-23T22:11:41","modified_gmt":"2017-04-24T05:11:41","slug":"10-reasons-why-you-shouldnt-go-to-photography-or-art-school","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/erickimphotography.com\/blog\/2017\/04\/23\/10-reasons-why-you-shouldnt-go-to-photography-or-art-school\/","title":{"rendered":"10 Reasons Why You Shouldn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t Go to Photography or Art School"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/p>\n

Dear friend,<\/p>\n

If you\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re reading this \u00e2\u20ac\u201d you might be considering whether to go to photography or art school.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

I will give you some honest advice.<\/p>\n

Who are you?<\/h2>\n

You might be 12 years old, 16 years old, 18 years old, 21 years old, or even older.<\/p>\n

Whatever your position, here are some ideas for you.<\/p>\n

1. Debt is death<\/h2>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

First of all, avoid debt at all costs<\/strong>. Debt is death. Debt is slavery. Debt will have you doing shit you don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t want to do in life, just to pay off your student loans.<\/p>\n

If you\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re able to go to art school on a \u00e2\u20ac\u02dcfull ride\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 (100% tuition paid for, as well as living expenses) it might be a good idea. But if you\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re going to go into debt for art or photography school, DON\u00e2\u20ac\u2122T DO IT<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

I have friends who go to photography\/art school and go $200,000 (USD) in debt. Most of them don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t become commercially successful. They might start doing commercial or wedding photography. Yet it might take them 20-30 years to pay off their debt. Some of them will unfortunately probably never pay it off.<\/p>\n

Counter-point<\/h3>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

My friend did something smart (this is if you want to work the system) \u00e2\u20ac\u201d he went to photography\/art school, and after getting $200,000 in debt\u00e2\u20ac\u201d he just declared bankruptcy. His credit was shit (it was hard for him to get a bank account, credit card, apartment, job) \u00e2\u20ac\u201d but he literally erased $200,000 of debt\u00e2\u20ac\u201d and decided to pursue some freelance\/entrepreneurship opportunities.<\/p>\n

2. You might be less creative<\/h2>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Art school is a good opportunity to meet other creative individuals. But unfortunately, a lot of art school kids are posers. Not only that, but a lot of art school kids aren\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t very creative at all \u00e2\u20ac\u201d you get stuck in an \u00e2\u20ac\u02dcart school\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 bubble. You become disconnected with \u00e2\u20ac\u02dcreality\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 and the rest of the \u00e2\u20ac\u02dcreal world.\u00e2\u20ac\u2122<\/p>\n

In-fact, I have gained more knowledge and insight about photography by going to UCLA and studying Sociology. I was able to meet other thinkers who weren\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t traditional \u00e2\u20ac\u02dcartists\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 or photographers. I met my future wife. I was exposed to a variety (general) education \u00e2\u20ac\u201d which ended up helping me in the long run. I learned about human psychology, human behavior through sociology, communication, technology, and other \u00e2\u20ac\u02dcsoft skills\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 that have helped me greatly in life. Everything I learned, and the \u00e2\u20ac\u02dcsocial media\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 internship I did helped me learn how to build an online following, how to start a blog, how to start my own business, and to make a living following my passion.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

The problem is when you are in an art\/photography school bubble\u00e2\u20ac\u201d you forget the sad part of reality:<\/p>\n

\n How are you going to make a living from your art?\n<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

I personally believe in the following:<\/p>\n

\n Pursue your passion in life, but figure out a way to pay the bills.\n<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

My passion was photography, yet I didn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t think I could make a living from it. So I decided to get a full-time job as an Online Community Manager (doing social media stuff) for a start-up tech company (Demand Media), earning $40,000 a year (plus benefits). It was good. I had a secure paycheck, and could pursue my blog, and photography on the side\u00e2\u20ac\u201d without stress.<\/p>\n

3. You can learn it all online<\/h2>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Not only that, but I was able to learn everything about photography\/art through the internet. You don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t need need no professors teaching you. You can self-teach yourself everything.<\/p>\n