Greetings Graphic Gurus!

[purpletib]

Hi, my name is Zack and I am falling in love with this forum. I'm sure I'll learn plenty! I'm 29, and have gone back to school after a layoff from the industrial sector, with my first choice being secondary education. With the bleak job outlook in Michigan for teachers, I have decided to change my major to one of my passions that I am just now really learning; Photography and graphic design. :)

I have always been artistic, and love the idea of creating digital images. Unfortunately, my change in majors will require at least an extra year of college. I am considering a transfer to a four year University with a graphics design major, but would love the opportunity to go to a private art school. My mother always wished she could afford to send me to art school, and now I am contemplating the burden on my own. :(

My first question to all of you is, is the cost of a private college really worth the degree? The art school I have wanted to attend for over ten years now has an "estimated" cost of $25,000/year. (Tuition and books estimated at $15,000 based on 12 credit hours) I just don't see how anyone can justify spending $100,000 to get a bachelors or $150,000 on a masters that will more than likely yield $30-$35k for the first few years. (At my previous job I made $40-$45k with no college education) Doctors and lawyers spend that kind of money on an education, and their pay is significantly higher.... :rolleyes:

Just wanted to hear some opinions from those of you in this field. I will be visiting both the public University and the private art college soon and compare. I'd love to go to the private school, and can get financial aid to help with the cost, but it still seems hard to justify. :confused:

By the way, my first two years have been at a community college, as will be my third year just to get some credits that will transfer to a degree at a four year school in this field.

Any input from you guys will be greatly appreciated, and I appreciate your insight! I will take into consideration all comments here...

Also, if you want me to state my two colleges of choice to better the picture for opinions, I have no problem with that. Just trying to keep things generic and unbiased for now.

[Two-Toe Tom]

welcome to the forum, zack! :)

you forgot to factor in lost opportunity cost, i.e. the amount of money you could've been making instead of going to school :p

i had to make the same decision, and i opted to go to school, but then again, i'm not a very practical person.

[tZ]

a fellow michagander,lol- welcome.

Much of what you learn in school is based on what you put into it. I've seen alot of crap but, at the same time I've seen alot of great work- so it all depends. I'm attending one of those costly colleges you speak of. You may loose allot of credits if your transfer to a private design/art school so I would recommend looking into that. So it might just be best to attend an university based on that.

[budafist]

Welcome to GDF - hope you will find it as useful and entertaining as I have!

Honestly, you don't go into graphic design to make a lot of money. You do it because you love design. American university tuition fees are very high and I am amazed at the difference to my own fees. Our fees here are subsidised so that it costs only $3500 NZ per year or around $2000 US per year of university. I was lucky enough to get a $10,000NZ scholarship so had fees waivered for my 3 year degree.

Doing a 3 year Graphic Design degree here costs around $10,000NZ or about $8000US so it wasn't much of a decision since this is what I really wanted to do. I can't say that it would have been such an easy decision if it was $100,000US! That is mind boggling!

I highly recommend you look into scholarships on offer at your institution and apply for anything you can get.

[Tea]

Welcome Zack.

With the bleak job outlook in Michigan for teachers, I have decided to change my major to one of my passions that I am just now really learning; Photography and graphic design.

Honestly, you don't go into graphic design to make a lot of money. You do it because you love design.

Both of those are interesting statements and Buda's statement sounds exactly like what they say when you go into teaching. So follow your passion. You never know you may end up teaching it somewhere, somehow, but not in the sense you started out doing.

I teach and have a passion for art and design, but recently I have come across the mind-set that expects us to give up all of our time without being compensated. So, that given, it's going to be important for you to make sure that you can afford to live once you've earned your degree. If there is not that much money in graphic design, I think you can find nearly the same quality of instruction at the university level as a private school.

Sometimes my students come back and share their portfolios. There is a huge difference in the caliber of work that I see.

[morea]

Welcome to the forum, Zack. There's loads to learn here.

- The threads posted HERE (http://www.graphicdesignforum.com/forum/showpost.php?p=137155&postcount=2) discuss the relative merits of education and work experience.

- The official answer from our New User FAQ (http://www.graphicdesignforum.com/forum/showthread.php?t=7786) is as follows:



Question: What type of degree do I need to be successful in this field?

Answer: While a degree is certainly helpful in any line of work, it is not necessarily "required" for a job in graphic design. This does not mean that design is "easy" or that anyone with a computer can easily become a designer. While some designers are successfully self-taught, it is a lot easier to learn in a structured environment with mentors who can tell you that something is good or bad and why. Having real assignments with real deadlines and real grades makes it a lot more likely that you will follow through on projects and training than teaching yourself. You need to be very disciplined to teach yourself a trade. Also, a degree does open some doors that are otherwise closed.

While knowledge of design concepts like color theory, typography, and layout are essential, your experience and portfolio are often given more weight than your degree. Please see the related links in our Frequently Discussed Topics (http://www.graphicdesignforum.com/forum/showthread.php?t=7892) thread.

Question: What is the best school to go to for graphic design?

Answer: This is a very subjective question. Any school that teaches the basics listed above should be sufficient.

We recommend that you read over this thread to help you make a decision:
What to look for when selecting a GD college program (http://www.graphicdesignforum.com/forum/showthread.php?t=16612)


- If you are new to internet forums (we use vBulletin here) be sure to check out the Getting to Know GDF (http://www.graphicdesignforum.com/forum/showthread.php?t=28801) thread for a helpful overview.

- Also, have a look over the other threads posted HERE (http://www.graphicdesignforum.com/forum/forumdisplay.php?f=42), which explain just about everything you need to know about the place.

Welcome aboard, I hope that you find the forum a helpful resource.

[Exodus]

I have to be honest. That was too much for me to read this early in the morning. I'm not 100% awake yet. Well, anyway...

Welcome to the forum. :)

[morea]

you might also find this thread helpful:

http://www.graphicdesignforum.com/forum/showthread.php?t=25079

[Virgo Nightingale]

Welcome aboard purpletib. I like purple too.

I was in a sorta kinda similar situation. I went to a private university (Syracuse University) for a bachelor's degree in music industry. Quite expensive, still paying off the student loans 10 years after graduation. 200 big ones a month. :eek:

I went back to school a few years ago at a local community college for an associate's in GD. Paid for in full by me each semester. Obviously, much less expensive, but without financial aid, my credit cards became a "student loan." :rolleyes: But at least that's been paid off and it's off my back.

Was the community college the best choice? No, but that's what I could afford and it was conveniently located (literally across the street from my job at the time). It served me well enough, as I got a job within two months of graduating. I think that was more based on the strength of my portfolio than "Ooo, she got straight A's at a community school."

What it really comes down to is you. Regardless of the money you spend and where you choose to go, it's up to you to apply yourself. Build on your strengths, improve your weaknesses and learn as much as you can. Your portfolio can speak volumes over any degree.

[purpletib]

I spent half the night reading threads on here, lol. Well, considering the cost of school in New Zealand (Also mentioned in another thread) it would be REALLY tempting to look into school abroad. I've always wanted to go to New Zealand and Australia, and this would be the perfect excuse. I will have to look into it more. Any info you New Zealanders can provide me will be great! I know a guy who moved here from NZ, I'll have to chat him up about it...

Yes, I understand that experience is more important than education, but school is where I am currently gaining my first experience with some of the software, etc. Also, the way I see it, even though GD jobs don't pay much, I can use my skills and knowledge to do some freelance and artistic work to make some money on the sidelines. I also started up a karaoke/DJ business, and that alone when it gets into full swing can rake in about $40k/year. So, combined I'll be doing the things I love and make halfway decent money all together. I'll be busy as hell, but I wouldn't have it any other way. Not much of one for sitting around watching TV or playing video games.

[carter the artist]

welcome to the forum, zack! :)

you forgot to factor in lost opportunity cost, i.e. the amount of money you could've been making instead of going to school :p

i had to make the same decision, and i opted to go to school, but then again, i'm not a very practical person.

Thank you. I have been bashing my head in for months trying to remember the term of Opportunity Cost!

[Two-Toe Tom]

glad i could help :D

[purpletib]

Well, my "opportunity cost" in this crappy economy is basically minimum wage. Even industrial shops, most of which only hire through temp angencies, start you out with the agencies at minimum wage. I don't know what the hell happened in our economy, but ten years ago I was making the same amount with a temp agency, $7/hour. Yet the price of a college education in that time frame has almost tripled? Damn, why the hell didn't I go to college right out of high school? Before long, no-one will be able to afford college.

[cornfed]

I have told my children that they will have to bust ass in high school and make sure to get a good scholarship. There's no way I'll be able to afford to send 3 kids to college. I'll do what I can for them, but the rest will have to be scholarships, grants and loans! In Louisiana we have TOPS, too, which they should all get if they go to school here in LA.

[Ben Kessler]

Purpletib, welcome to GDF!

[Red Kittie Kat]

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v54/RedKittieKat/welcomes/noelle-candy1_welcome.gif


Welcome Aboard Purple :)

[drawingguy]

Welcome aboard purpletib. I like purple too.

I was in a sorta kinda similar situation. I went to a private university (Syracuse University)...

It's good to see another Syraucse person here. I kind of had the same thing happen to me. I went to Syracuse for GD, switched to Illustration, graduated, and now I'm back into GD after taking a few classes and teaching myself the rest.

Oh, and welcome purpletib.

[budafist]

Hey, if you are interested in studying in New Zealand, here is info on the GD degree I did (http://www.aut.ac.nz/schools/art_and_design/our_programmes/graphic_design.htm). I did some research into course fees for international students and it's not a cheap as for local students. I guess the taxpayers of New Zealand heavily subsidise the fees for local students. Still, it's cheaper than studying in the US. Course fees for internation student here is $19,600NZ or around $15,000 US per year. Damn that plan isn't as cool as it was. Otherwise you could marry a NZer and become a NZ citizen? That way you only pay $3500NZ per year.

Being a welfare state is good when you are a local but not so good if you don't live in that country.

[purpletib]

Wow, that is a big difference. That really doesn't seem much cheaper than here. Ha, guess I should start looking for girls in NZ, huh? :p I'll have to look into it a bit more. The school in the other thread that sounded good was Wanganui School of Design. It mentioned tuition for overseas students was about $11,000 but didn't specify per year or total cost. Considering a local student's cost was about $8000, it sounded almost as though it might be total cost. It must have been per year. That is a HUGE difference for local and international students. No wonder they try to pull for international students, ha!

Hmmm... Well by the sound of it, it would cost about the same as for me to finish school over here considering room and board, but it would be so much more enjoyable to do it in "middle earth." ;) If I could find a way to pay some of the bills for my stay, it wouldn't be so bad. Still sounds like a blast, not to mention a lot of great photo opportunities. :D Is karaoke popular over there? I could always set up in local bars to bring in some money. That's how I'm paying the bills over here while I'm in school.

Perhaps a vacation is in order to help me decide.......

[budafist]

They sure do try to pull for international students! So do high schools here too. Mind you, I do seem to be paying a lot of taxes so I guess that's where my money is going.

Karaoke is popular here, but most people have Sing Star at home so I'm not sure if that business would be so great. You could put a spin on it of course and have competitions. Then all the at home Sing Star superstars can show off their new found talents. Sounds like a plan.

[purpletib]

Hmm, no to sure I'm familiar with sing star. I have one of the most complete set-ups around this area though. over 20,000 songs and updating more all the time. I've been doing some research, and I can apply for international financial aid along with student loans.

Also, my local university can do a study abroad program where I can go to NZ for a year and have the credits count toward my degree here. Right not that sounds like the most viable option. I'll be researching it a lot more in the coming months. It would be a great add to my resume when looking for a job in this competitive field.