thinking about my future/careers/education...

Honestly, I'm in the same boat. All I can tell you is to not freak out about it. It will all be okay in the end. Just sit back, and enjoy the ride.

 

Why not go to a career counselor?

You can also be one of those artist that draw the culprit...what are they called again.

I sit and describe the perpetrator to you and you draw up a picture for the police to use.

That can be something alternative...there is also a specialty in that field where they will reconstruct the face of the victim by just having their skull.

It is almost like a sculpture.

There are ways to combine art and science when it comes to medical/forensic work.

My advice is to not go to a school that will put you in major debt. Get good grades and get accepted into a school that is respected but not one that will put you so deep in debt you could never get out of it. You just might have to travel far from your hometown.

 

at 16 years old, why do you feel compelled to make decisions about which direction to go? You have plenty of time to decide. Your still in the process of figuring yourself out, trying to figure out what career you want to do should be a lower priority. I am sure you parents might be pressuring you, but hasty decisions today can lead to the wrong direction later on.

 

Many, many years ago, I had that same decision. Hmm...doesn't seem like *that* long ago. But I'm old enough to be your father.

I was choosing between going the artist route and a more technical route. An online friend (yes...before the web there were still online communities. Just had to dial up with a modem and occupy the phone line. ) who was a successful commercial artist advised me to go with the technical route. I'd have more job opportunities. And then I could do art on the side. More importantly, I could do the art *I* wanted to do on the side rather than being beholden to taking any job that would put food on the table.

I'm in my 3rd decade of working. I took his advice. I've never given up my art. I can finance it a lot better than if I had tried to make art my primary profession.

 

I know "follow your dream" is probably the most idealistic answer you could get, but think fora minute. Years down the road, when you have a spouse/partner, a house, couple of cars, etc... is being a comic book artist going to help you support all those? Probably not.

I'd suggest looking at a career that you can earn a good paycheck (such as those you mentioned) and look into artistry as a hobby.

 

Joe Kubert school for comic book artists is 20K$ a year. The SCAD sequential art program is even more expensive. Both are the best schools for becoming a comic book artist, and believe me, it pains me too, since it's a path i'd like to pursue.

BUT you have to think about what will make you an independent person, too. There are many possibilities to get basic education in sequential art (the Kubert school's distance learning courses are quite cheap and cover great bases), and the rest will be up to you. Most pro artists are self-taught, or went into design or architecture since there is more money to be found there after graduation.

In conclusion do not give up on your dream, but please also be realistic regarding your chances of living a life with a minimum of money- and/or regret-induced stress. Work hard, very hard on your drawing abilities, on your own time, and try and try again! =) Persistence is key. Best of luck! (*hug*)

 

Oh I absolutely get that it's hard. I'm sort of similar, I have so many interests and I sometimes feel very lost on what I truly want to pursue. It doesn't help that most of my jobs are what my parents tend to refer as incredibly unstable and difficult to make good money in. Ah well.

I think others have already thrown in some practical advice, and my current lack of experience in the job market makes it hard for me to comment some very good practical, financial knowledge. It also depends somewhat on your economic background. My only advice is to balance between practicality/financial need to pay your bills, and doing something you love. Obviously the ideal job pays the bills, gives you a bit extra, and is a job you enjoy, but that doesn't always happen. Another option is to take up a job that has a steady income to pay the bills and to finance some of your creative pursuits, a job that doesn't take up all of your time. Then you can pursue a creative passion on the side which, if successful enough, can lead to enough financial stability that you can have the option of dropping the other job.

In terms of picking careers I have this advice, that may or may not apply but you can think about - we're often dead set on seeing our career paths as either Job A, Job B, Job C, and so on and so forth, but it isn't always as set in stone. I find it more helpful to think about what you want to do rather than who you want to be. Or in other words, what characteristics of jobs do you enjoy and what do you want to do in the future, rather than "I have to either be an artist or a scientist." For me, staring down a long list of possible career choices was confusing as hell. So, instead of trying to pick and choose at a young age, I began to make a list of things I wanted from a job, and things I thought would suit me. Instead of going "so do I want to be a writer, a teacher, a director...?" I wrote stuff down like, I want a job where I can:

-Be creative and innovative
-Utilise my love for writing and words
-Have a more flexible time table
-Work with small groups of people
-Help others/make a difference

That's an inconclusive list, but making a list of things that suit me gave me a new, fresh perspective on my future and where I want to be. I can then look for opportunities (even when signing up for classes/courses in school) where I can be creative, where I can write, where I can collaborate, where I can have more freedom for my projects, etc, rather than a specific job in itself. I still have some careers in mind, and things I need to do to get there (or to get my degree, for example) but being able to recognise why I want those careers and what specifically I like about them, helps move me forward with more understanding. You could try making some similar lists, if only to help understand yourself better and give yourself a different perspective.
I take no credit for that advice by the way (the, make a list of what you like rather than a list of what you want to be). A friend gave me that advice when we were chatting about careers, but it's been such a good piece of advice I tend to repeat it everywhere I can.

But of course, if you need to go to a specialised school, that's definitely something to consider and money is going to be an issue. You still have some time though, so I think it wouldn't hurt to explore a bit of what you enjoy, why you want to pursue those paths, see if there are even any opportunities now to explore things that could relate to your future career(s). There's often more than one strict path to walk, and people can take a few wrong turns before getting to where they want to be, and there's nothing wrong with that. Also, technical and creative don't have to necessarily cancel themselves out, either. Like people have suggested, you could study the science in further education but lean towards self studying the art more (as there could be more flexibility there, independently).

Sorry for rambling. Just wanted to write some advice that might help here. Good luck (*hug*)

 

A criminal sketch artist would be a solid way to combine both of your career options.

As for people saying its too early, the school systems have changed and they really push kids to figure their stuff sooner.

Ask your school counselor or if you have one; the school resource officer (as they are cops) about meeting a sketch artist from your local police department. It might depend on the size of where you live, but I would think most places over 40-50 thousand people would have one sketch artist. Or just go down to the police station and ask if they have one and if you could speak to them.

I would say the same thing if you just wanted to go into any form of law enforcement, talk to people in the profession.

It is also never to early to start looking at grants. Grants are better simply because you don't have to pay them back.