Is it worth it?

from Demigod Forums

Right now I have reached a cross road which I really can’t tell which way to go. Even with a handful o the problems I have had here and there at my school I really thought not much bad at my school, until recently today. Both my game design and media design instructors have really pushed us to the limit of decision making today with what the media instructor said about the school. Some of the stuff outside the fact the current curriculum which had been rewritten by the two to better fit our (literally) training in not just game design, but the media design industry just to have it taken out without even consulting the two and telling new incoming students that they have programming classes. Then once in telling them that they no longer teach programming, but only game art.

Furthermore, the school seems to care less about the program of choice (viscom, animation, and game art in design all together barely makes up 2% of the schools population out of 2000), by not seeming to try and help their students create connections and get their portfolio’s seen. My instructors said themselves that they know many people in the media industry and has multiple times got many game designers and 3-d artist to agree to come and visit the school to speak with the students; but the school refused to pay when most only asked for was food, hotel and travel expense. I mean ok I could understand if it was a small community college or something, but when the freaking tuition is around 70k and even more for some of use then there just isn’t an excuse… I am currently thinking about trying to transfer to somewhere like scad, or change my major to illustration design in genera; which I wonder how they have been fucked with. So do you think it would be worth it to stick around, change the major, or try and transfer to somewhere else like scad or even devry?

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31,451 views 16 replies
Reply #1 from Elemental Forums Top

My advice from experience.....

 

Look at the job market and ask yourself "what are my real chances of getting paid work". I didn't and now have a degree which isn't doing anything for me here in my lovely tiny city. I would have to move to have a chance at a job and I don't want to. I should have done Engineering, Nursing or Computing, instead I did Biotechnology with Honors.

 

Sounds strongly like your job prospect will strongly depend on who you know. Ask your fellow students what they think and if they agree then kick up a major stink. If your paying 70k for your education and you won't get any contacts out of it..... What are your job prospects from this?

 

A degree is not worth anything unless you can get a job from it.

Reply #2 from Demigod Forums Top

Quoting MichaelCook, reply 1
My advice from experience.....

 

Look at the job market and ask yourself "what are my real chances of getting paid work". I didn't and now have a degree which isn't doing anything for me here in my lovely tiny city. I would have to move to have a chance at a job and I don't want to. I should have done Engineering, Nursing or Computing, instead I did Biotechnology with Honors.

 

Sounds strongly like your job prospect will strongly depend on who you know. Ask your fellow students what they think and if they agree then kick up a major stink. If your paying 70k for your education and you won't get any contacts out of it..... What are your job prospects from this?

 

A degree is not worth anything unless you can get a job from it.

Yea it is strongly dependent on who you know, but in a place like atlanta there are a bit of opportunities but only if you can get your name out there on peoples lips.

Sins of a Solar Empire II
Reply #3 from Demigod Forums Top

If you can do good 3D animation, you will always have a job. Companies pay insane amounts of money for pointless animations in their commercials. My boss designs web sites and knows a lot of people in the graphic design industry. He says animation is the field you should go in if you want to make some serious $.  If you feel that your school isn't helping you learn the skills you need, you should definitely transfer to a school that will be more useful to your goals.

Reply #4 from Elemental Forums Top

Quoting Splitshadow, reply 3
If you can do good 3D animation, you will always have a job. Companies pay insane amounts of money for pointless animations in their commercials. My boss designs web sites and knows a lot of people in the graphic design industry. He says animation is the field you should go in if you want to make some serious $.  If you feel that your school isn't helping you learn the skills you need, you should definitely transfer to a school that will be more useful to your goals.

 

If there are big $ jobs there will be every single 3D artist going for them.

 

synnworld, talk to your fellow students, talk with the school and demand more for your dollar. Your paying for it, so demand your money's worth.

Reply #5 from Demigod Forums Top

I need to be whatever animal is in Cook's avatar <3

Reply #6 from Elemental Forums Top

Tuition is 70k?????

 

Is that USD because if so, then... well wtf?

Reply #7 from Demigod Forums Top

 

Tuition is 70k?????

Is that USD because if so, then... well wtf?

That's pretty much typical of most out of state colleges in the US. Remember kids, work hard and do well in school and that 70K will drop to 0. :thumbsup:  

 

Reply #8 from Elemental Forums Top

Eh.....I owe 30k (ish) apparently I didn't do well enough in school to warrant enough scholarships or something.......

Reply #9 from Elemental Forums Top

My advice from experience is don't borrow money for a degree unless you have strong personal interest in the subject matter and are willing to accept the possibility of doing lots of future tedious work to pay for the privilege of seriously studying something you love.

At least in the U.S., the market value of any given bachelor's degree is seriously at risk due to the past couple-few decades having seen the rise of 'the education industry' and the demise of long-term careers. And that doesn't even touch on the very worthy idea that a bachelor's degree should mainly just mean that a person has learned how to learn.

Reply #10 from Demigod Forums Top

My advice is to get straight As in all of your classes and do all honors/AP courses. Also get a perfect SAT score and stay in state for college. 

Hehe, "learned how to learn," I like it. The educational system has failed us all. We're forced to memorize useless trivia that we are doomed to forget two days after the big test.  My plan to get a good education is to teach myself all of the concepts that bad teachers gloss over and to take the absolute hardest courses available. It's very sad how people view college now. For many, college is just somewhere you have to go for four years to please your parents. Most people don't use it as an opportunity to learn about their future career. Although, most of this is just irrelevant ranting because your job application is more about your race and gender to most companies these days.

Reply #11 from Elemental Forums Top

yea.. I'm scared to go off to college :\  because I don't want to be spending that insane amount of cash on things I may never get a job from, or may not be good enough at to actually have any sort of career at all.. I just don't know what to do because the world is screaming "Go to college!!" but it seems more like a gamble than an investment imo.. Especially these days...

Reply #12 from Demigod Forums Top

If you can't get significant financial aid and/or scholarships, it's best not to go into debt for an extra couple thousand dollars a year. It is worth it in the long run, but your life would suck for about ten years after college while you live within your means. And by all means, live within them. The worst place to be when going to college is lower middle class. If you're poor you'll get financial aid. If your parents were responsible and financially secure, they have to sacrifice their retirement to send you to a good college if you can't get scholarships. My magic instant ticket to any college in the country just went bye bye though. Unless I get a 2200 on my SAT, I'll probably need to go in state :(

Reply #13 from Elemental Forums Top

I stayed in state for my degree......

I stopped at Associates though because the debt is strangling me.....

Reply #14 from Demigod Forums Top

Quoting Splitshadow, reply 7


 

Tuition is 70k?????

Is that USD because if so, then... well wtf?



That's pretty much typical of most out of state colleges in the US. Remember kids, work hard and do well in school and that 70K will drop to 0.  

 

It is a private in state college. I wouldn't survive financially in a out of state college.

Reply #15 from Demigod Forums Top

Quoting Splitshadow, reply 10
My advice is to get straight As in all of your classes and do all honors/AP courses. Also get a perfect SAT score and stay in state for college. 

Hehe, "learned how to learn," I like it. The educational system has failed us all. We're forced to memorize useless trivia that we are doomed to forget two days after the big test.  My plan to get a good education is to teach myself all of the concepts that bad teachers gloss over and to take the absolute hardest courses available. It's very sad how people view college now. For many, college is just somewhere you have to go for four years to please your parents. Most people don't use it as an opportunity to learn about their future career. Although, most of this is just irrelevant ranting because your job application is more about your race and gender to most companies these days.

Yhe educational systen failed us greatly was more the parents fault then the teachers in the past. At onw point the teachers would actually challenge the students to where they would require the parents help, but the oarents themselves couldn't even do the work so they complained to the bored. Then the board told the teachers to dumb down the work, and now public schools are little nothing more then daycares for bad kids and students who just don't want to be there. I don't think the same applies to private schoow now on the other hand.

Reply #16 from Elemental Forums Top

Quoting Splitshadow, reply 7


 

Tuition is 70k?????

Is that USD because if so, then... well wtf?



That's pretty much typical of most out of state colleges in the US. Remember kids, work hard and do well in school and that 70K will drop to 0.  

 

 

70k per year?  Over 5 years? 

 

70k per year is hardly typical.  70k over 4 years is maybe typical for non state schools.  70k over five years is probably reasonable.

 

So I'll assume it was tuition for the course of the entire education.