Art Students: What You Don’t Want to Hear…
We’ve seen you at your local Starbucks. You come in a variety of flavors; From the I-will-not-conform dreads and hairy armpits, to the pierced and retro-clad free-thinkers. Some of you are too cool and profound to even smile. The rest of you may not take yourselves quite that seriously. Either way, you relish your bohemian ideals and identity and go out of your way to be different. Ironically, you all end up looking the same and sounding the same –fitting into a stereotype known as “the art student.”
Hey, nothing is wrong with going to school for art. Sure, it’s fun to hang out with like-minded beatniks. And smelling like Patchouli oil is the next best thing to not washing your hair. But just remember this; you are probably not doing anything that hasn’t been done before. And if you are, you should be out making money at it and not wasting your time in class copying someone else’s style, or paying high dollar to read classic literature (when you’ll probably just go out and get the cliff notes anyway.)
I don’t want discourage your artful ways, but having an art degree does not mean you will actually be good at it. And it certainly doesn’t mean you will find a job doing it. If you really plan on being an artist, you can get by with taking a few basic classes you need. The rest can be found at your public library. Meanwhile, if you want an education with a higher pay-off, go to a trade school and learn carpentry or something. You can always do art on the side. Otherwise, get used to waiting tables at the coffee house because you could be there for a while…
December 2, 2006
Posted in: Useless Degrees
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