Ever since I can remember, all I've worried about is what to major in at college. I want to do something I enjoy, but I also want to get a job in the future and live a comfortable lifestyle. My dream job would be to work as an animator or a professional artist one day whether it be freelancing or working for a major company like Disney, Dreamworks, Ubisoft, Rockstar, etc. Other things I'm interested in is learning languages (French, Japanese, Chinese, Italian... but mainly French... would like to move to Canada or France one day), Animals (becoming a vet or doing wildlife biology), and I'm sorta interested in Environmental Studies but I feel like studying that would be depressing and all I could really do is become a park ranger, which I'm definitely not interested in. I've thought about environmental engineering or going into landscape architecture but MATH. Ugh, I hate math. I'm not terrible at it, but getting anywhere past basic calculus looks super scary to me. I've also thought about Computer Science since that could help my artistic endeavors in the field, but, again, MATH. And I can't see myself going for a serious business degree (like International Business) because I would probably want to kill myself. ^ But yeah, this is the endless circle I go through thinking about this all the time. Right now I am a Graphic Design major.... I'm seriously considering switching my major to French and doing a like a computer science or business minor, but I'm not sure how much that would help my case to get a good paying job with a BA degree. I'm just not sure what to do! Am I over thinking all of this and I should just do what I'm interested in or should I try my best to take on math? :bang:
Ok. A few things: ~On languages, I would not major in a language unless you plan on becoming a teacher or translator on the subject. If you are only interested in learning the language a minor and/or self determination might be enough by itself. ~Although animals are amazing, studying for them will essentially take up your whole block if you plan on becoming a vet or something of the sort. Unless that is really what you want to do, I would probably let that one go. So that leaves us with Animator and Professional Artist. There are animators; there are professional artist; it is perfectly possible to find a nice job in that field with the right amount of determination. Do you like your Graphic Design major? If so, that would probably be a good one to stay in unless there are other design/animation type majors at your university. The minor in business and/or computer science would probably be the best to go with it. One last thing that stood out to me. There nothing wrong with only having a BA, but essentially all of the possible interests you have specified would be a bit harder to get into with only it. In this age, going and getting a masters can make a big difference in the workplace.
Maybe just take a break for a while.. live some life and you will become more aware of where you want to be. I don't know how old you are, have you had much of a break between school and college? What about just pursuing some of these ideas outside of college and seeing where it takes you? you can always go back. Also alot of things (animation, design, etc) you don't really need a degree. How exactly do you think computer science will help your creative endeavours? My story is this: I spent 8 years at uni studying all sorts of things, all of which I'm super interested in. But now? I wish I'd never gone in the first place. I teach myself faster on my own. I hate the way they teach, it drains the fun (for me) from the topics. None of the things I want to do require a degree (in the way that being a doctor does, etc) .. I wish after school finished I'd just got a job, moved out, experienced life and developed myself as I felt appropriate in any direction I felt appropriate.. As for money vs. passion... I'm not sure what you feel, but one way or the other - dive fully in, rather than being one foot in/one foot out.
I definitely plan to go to grad school, whether it be art school to gain more connections with or without an art degree, or even business school and go on to get a MBA or MAT. I've thought about doing teaching, but I'm not sure if that's something I'd really enjoy (unless I teach French or Art) but I've heard you can easily get teaching certification without a teaching degree. I guess I can stick with Art as my major. I just feel like there's so many artists out there and little job security with it. I also want to be able to have other options in case I get into the field and find out I'd rather do art more as a personal thing. I haven't had any break between school since I graduated. Going into college I was very determined to become a successful artist, so I picked art as my major. Now that I'm into it, I love it, but I'm not sure if I should really be spending money on it when there's little job security and I could easily teach myself and keep it personal... I've figured out getting a job in the art world is about talent and connections, and you don't necessarily need a degree to work in it. I'm not sure where to start to pursue anything outside of college... other than working in retail or fast food. Working as an animator or for a game design company (especially when it comes to 3D animation), it helps a lot to know different programming languages, such as Java, within the workplace. These companies hire programmers all the time.
Oh ok. Graduate School should definitely help. If you love Graphic Design than you should definitely stay in it. As you said, if all else fails you could still get your teaching certifications and teach Art or Graphic Design specifically at a university. This is true, but pursuing those degrees will definitely help you with your talent and connections with determination. I would start researching all of the jobs and careers pertaining to Art and Graphic Design in your area. You can easily reach out to them and ask them about what they normally look for in an applicant. Your professors have been in your shoes as well. I would take advantage of that and ask them about what they did with their degrees before they began teaching, and how easy it was for them to become professors after. Try to look for things such as internships and lesser jobs around the fields you find yourself interested in. That is usually the best way to make connections. Most people are very open and friendly with this information. It can definitely help. At the end of the day, we need Animators, Artists, and Graphic Designers. They are not impossible careers to get into; they just take a bit more thought.
The first couple of things I can say are to take an assessment test (several) offered by your career counseling and testing center at your college (go cheap, since you already pay for these services) and try to shadow the occupation by talking to those currently in it, about the typical work day, the nuances, and the what the future might hold. I know that mine swung drastically between freshman year in high school and a couple of years after college, when I retook them. College can be so enjoyable for many. For those struggling with what might be a major that is not suitable for them, together with any kind of personal issues, it can be less than enjoyable. Argh. Those are some times I'd rather not revisit, though I did have fun every now and then, because I met some people I enjoyed knowing. You might need to do some homework, and not of the variety that is assigned to you in a class. Let us know.
I received this piece of advice from a professor at the university I am going to attend in the fall. He told me that if I ever considered changing majors to take a few classes in the major that I wanted to switch into to determine If I would really like that major. So if I were you I would figure out which one that I wanted to switch to the most and take a few classes to test the waters. Personally I would learn a language outside of college, even Rosetta Stone is bound to be more cost effective. As far as math goes, math is a tool, don't let it dissuade you. As long as you can do it, it shouldn't hinder you. Plenty of people who are in math heavy fields don't like math, but they know how to use it. Just make sure that you are doing something that you want to do. If you are going to try to go for something profitable, make sure that you can also enjoy it.
