Should You Go To Art School?

[@djhutchison]

I had a friend that went to one of those "Art Institute" type schools. One of the reasons he went is that they guaranteed job placement. When he completed his course, they found him work. At the local KFC.

[@BrandonDayton]

Ha, ha ha! Be skeptical of guarantees, ESPECIALLY when it comes to art.

[@GoldenVulpes]

I went to college for graphic design and it was great for me. It provided me structure and educated me on the correct workflow. Could I have learned online? Sure. But I was also so young I don't know if I could have been focused enough to learn everything I needed to succeed. Self learning requiring a lot of self discipline that not everyone can do.

[@BrandonDayton]

Totally agree. It's really about what's the best fit for your personality and your finances.

[@CloudSnakeGames]

I highly recommend anyone thinking about a degree in art consider community college. It's a fraction of the price for the same, if not better education. In the end no studio cares about your education. it's valuable to grow yourself as an artist who can work with others, but spending 40k, compared to 8k isn't going to affect the quality of learning you get. But also, don't rely on your degree to get you a job. The most important thing that no school can teach you is mileage. If you're investing in schooling, make sure to draw as much as possible during that time to get ahead of the competition.

[@BrandonDayton]

Great advice. One of the best illustrators I've ever worked with went to community college. I know others that didn't even graduate.

[@epiczeven6378]

A very mature and balanced idea. A must watch for someone considering college.

[@BrandonDayton]

Thanks EpicZEVEN!

[@pombie6377]

Hi! I’m a junior in high school right now. I’m in the process of looking at/applying to colleges, and I’m considering both art school and prelaw (kind of opposite career paths, I know). I’m in a very fortunate position in that my parents can pay for my college for 4 years, whatever path I choose to go down. I keep hearing again and again about how an art degree isn’t necessary to become an artist, so I’m leaning more towards studying prelaw, but it’s a time consuming major and I don’t know if I’d have time to work on creative endeavors, which brings me to look at art schools. But on the other hand, if I get a degree in art, I don’t know if I’d have any safety net if I can’t get an art-related job. I’d really appreciate anyone giving their two cents on my situation!

[@BrandonDayton]

Hopefully the video helps a bit. There are advantages and disadvantages to either approach. Whatever you do, you want to make sure that you create options for yourself. You want to create a situation where 10-15 years from now you have the freedom to make more choices. Lots of ways you can do that. Getting a back-up degree may be the best way, but there could be other options too.

[@echze3253]

@@sophieho6823 I have a same question to you, now that your comment is 3 years old and you probably have made your decision

[@HeyaHoyah]

Once again, another great video! Speaking as a current art student, part of the reason I joined was because of the community, in addition to the ability to network with animators or game designers. Like you mentioned, I was critically thinking about whether or not if going to an art school was worth it (considering an art degee is a joke to most) and if a school was a scam or not. It's a big risk, but one thing it's currently teaching me is how to work on an intense schedule and how to multitask, which'll pay off if I find work in a studio some day.

[@BrandonDayton]

The community aspect is a big draw. I just don't think you can get the same thing online.

[@vespertellino]

Ha! I totally agree with you :) I went to art university only to be able to compete with someone close to me, cause I felt like I was not progressing for couple of years before that.

[@mackencheez6552]

This absolutely hit home for me. I always wanted to be an artist and had this grand idea of going to a university and becoming a great illustrator or animator and drew obsessively everyday. After the 1st semester my dream was a little shattered...I realized I didn't like the constraints a regular education was having on my creativity, and I just didn't see the right return for the investment into tuition, art supplies, etc. Wasn't interested in student loans, so I dropped out and worked different jobs to pay bills and feed myself. Decided that I had other interests that could better fund my future and went into medicine. I love what I do now and make a good yearly wage. I did have to put my art on hold for a little bit so there's that but I still have a passion for it and plan to really get back into it when I've had my fill of my current career. Don't care if I'm 50 by the time I return to art full time it will happen! Don't regret the route I went at all.

[@BrandonDayton]

Sometimes I think we've universitized things that don't really fit into the university. For highly technical career training like engineering, or medicine, it makes sense, but I'm and more skeptical about how art interfaces with higher education.

[@mackencheez6552]

Brandon Dayton exactly, I think (unfortunately) universities are sometimes more about making money than actually providing a viable job skill for a lot of people. I think there should be more options available in things like affordable trade schools and apprenticeships for those of us that don't fit the model university path but still have the capability to contribute desirable goods and services.

[@DoctorWhyDesigns]

This will give me something to chaw on, as we say in the south. I've been thinking about art school for a while now, and I don't know if it's really for me, other than that getting a degree would help me land an art job easier.

[@BrandonDayton]

Great to hear. Let me know if you have any other questions.

[@TylerRietz]

Such a great video that was everything I was looking for! Thank you

[@jesseward3438]

I'm in my final year of high school and am starting to look at schooling afterwards. my family supports my art and my passions. they want me to go to art school (Emily Carr, Vancouver BC) I also want to but I don't want to just do that because people are telling me to then in 10 years be screwed over and broke with nothing to fall back on. but I also don't want to go through a 4 year degree just to have a safety net which will end up costing even more money if I decide to do that plus art school. You seem like a wise person who kinda or at least understands more than I do about this. Love to talk to you about this. DM me on Instagram @jessewilliamward if you have the time, thank you.

[@charlenewright3738]

old video but thank you its ridiculously helpful

[@mr.guzwee7695]

what about those of us struggling in college and hope to be done with it once and for all? The strategy of working for 5 or 6 years and might not really work for us. what about learning a skill that pays pretty well and then going to work for an organization? Like Adam Savage and Jamie hynemann?

[@just_lunna7862]

Look at those hands!!! Where do I sign up to learn?

[@SkeletonRevenge]

Just loooooove your stuff !❤️

[@BrandonDayton]

Thanks!

[@TokenDuelist]

I'm currently in an art college, and while it is helping me in part - I am curious if I should keep going. One of my professors is incredibly harsh with their grading to a point where I, and other classmates - might be at risk of failing their class. Said professor gloats about their work but never shows it. They make false judgements and assumptions of my work (and others) that make me feel they do not understand the creative process... Upon looking for the professor's portfolio all I found was stencil tracings and biased taste in art. Should I be reporting this?... my education is at risk from someone who doesn't seem to actually create art. They don't feel suited to the field

[@ShellPrestoDiBaggio]

If a teacher's grading seems unusually harsh, it might be worth talking to a higher-up about it. I once had a professor who boasted he didn't give out A's because nobody was perfect. I regret not reporting that, because a grade isn't an indication of a person's innate worth or perfectness, it's a standard of effort and results. He was literally just dropping everyone's GPA on a whim. I think you need to share more concrete statements of what he says and what he tells you and others when giving bad grades, because by only hearing a vague statement from you can't really say if he's being too hard on you and others or if perhaps he's correct and you deserve a failing grade (I'm not saying that you do, I'm just saying no one can know who isn't there an experiencing it). Professors have to be able to fail students if the students deserve to fail, but students have to be able to pass if they deserve to pass -- it's a two way street. Likewise, someone absolutely can teach something without being a master at it. If the requirements for passing are clearly laid out and you're meeting them, talk to the professor first. Some professors don't realize all that's going on behind the scenes, or no one talks to them about their class issues because they're afraid, so the professor doesn't know. But if something truly unfair seems to be taking place, yes, you can talk to someone else in the university about it. Especially if it's a professor you're going to have to deal with again.

[@cascafdasca6379]

Lately I've been curious if date of birth correlates to creative people; mind sharing your month and day? not year. Although you can refuse if you think its not right to correlate what you do to astrology. I'm a Cancer born June 30. For the description of my day it said entrepreneur as a career, but it also said I won't sacrifice work for family time. However people born as Cancer are emotional, caring, want security, family, yet have creative goals. Such a bad combo ahhh.

[@BrandonDayton]

I've never looked much into astrology, but I wouldn't mind sharing my birthdate, if you find it interesting: September 12th.

[@cascafdasca6379]

Thank you. I'm really impressed with the way it described people born on your date.

[@paulcallahan4279]

An atelier is one way to go, Like Watts to name one.

[@BrandonDayton]

I haven't had any direct experience, but I like what I've heard, and in general, I like the concept.

[@ohtheJester]

👌

[@sainmagnus1058]

It was a waste of time and money for me. Dropped out after one semester.