REALLY Need Advice!!!!!!!!

[camerateur]

HI, I have been thinking about going to school for photography (more specifically, Brooks Institute of Photography in Santa Barbara)
i love photography... so much. i research techniques/equipment all day during class.
and this is one of the only things i'm Super Passionate about doing for a living....

my dilemma is this:
do i spend 90,000 dollars and possibly 20,000 on living expenses on this two and a half year program? (which i heard from one person that during the first year you hardly even touch your camera, but study lighting, etc)

or do i stay in my hometown and try to start out small and not be in debt?
i know that a lot of people don't go to school for it and are really talented, i've seen great work from people who teach themselves...
but the contacts and connections i can make at Brooks are very valuable as well...
but i wouldn't want to graduate from there in debt and possibly not making too much more money than i would have.........

it's a scary decision, one that i've discussed with many friends,
but i am VERY interested to know what photography-knowledgeable people might think??

thank you for any insight/information/advice!!

 

[dxqcanada1]

Umm, you sure you got those numbers correct ?

 

[MTVision]

HI, I have been thinking about going to school for photography (more specifically, Brooks Institute of Photography in Santa Barbara)
i love photography... so much. i research techniques/equipment all day during class.
and this is one of the only things i'm Super Passionate about doing for a living....

my dilemma is this:
do i spend 90,000 dollars and possibly 20,000 on living expenses on this two and a half year program? (which i heard from one person that during the first year you hardly even touch your camera, but study lighting, etc)

or do i stay in my hometown and try to start out small and not be in debt?
i know that a lot of people don't go to school for it and are really talented, i've seen great work from people who teach themselves...
but the contacts and connections i can make at Brooks are very valuable as well...
but i wouldn't want to graduate from there in debt and possibly not making too much more money than i would have.........

it's a scary decision, one that i've discussed with many friends,
but i am VERY interested to know what photography-knowledgeable people might think??

thank you for any insight/information/advice!!

90,000 is way overpriced for a 2yr photography school IMO. WAY WAY OVERPRICED. Find a local community college and take some photography classes. Read and practice on your own. Find a photographer whose willing to teach you or needs an assistant or something.

90,000 will take forever to pay back and who knows if you will even be successful. Plus to run a photography business - you need to know more then just photography. It's a complete waste of money since a degree/certificate will not give you a leg up on the competition or help you get a job

 

[480sparky39 38]

For just a measly $10,000, I'll give you the correct answer.

 

[Elswick12]

I agree. I am getting my bachelors degree for about the same price and that is 4 years of school, not 2. It is really your choice to enroll into school for Photography. I know your doubts though, I had the same doubts when I enrolled. But if you are as passionate as you say you are, then it is a no-brainer. I have heard people say they have the same passion drop out within the first year and I have also seen others envolve so quickly that they are geniouses at what they do. You can definitley pick out the ones that are going to move on and make something great of themselves and the ones that aren't going anywhere because of their lack of motivation. Photography is really something you have to be dedicated to because school is going to push you to your limit. I have pulled all nighters and all weekers to complete projects They are also right about the first year. I did more drawing, color theories, and gen ed classes then anything. But for me, taking those classes opened up my mind so much further. So it is really your decision. I don't regret enrolling in school but I can't wait for it to be over at the same time. It will all be worth it in the long run. Happy decision making!

 

[dxqcanada1]

Hmm, I recall paying $800.00 for a year at College (Canadian) for Photography ... and from day one we were shooting/developing (yeah it was back in the days of film).

It appears the current day cost is $2400.00 / year (2 year course).

 

[IByte]

You could finish at a community college, go to a university and keep your equipment updated throughout your school career.

 

[Ysarex85 79]

For just a measly $10,000, I'll give you the correct answer.

I bid $9500.00

Seriously: NO!!!!! The only thing worse than borrowing that kind of money as a student loan would be to get it from Louie down at the docks.

The only way would be if you're absolutely sure that Brooks graduates are placed in the workforce after graduation because of the connections made there at the school. Get hard proof of that before you sign anything!

A 4 year degree in English from a public college for bleep bleep's sake will be worth more and give you a better shot at employment. You want a job out of school and have to get past the HR dept. There's a guy in HR who scans all applications. He starts by ranking them in order of experience then education etc. Any 4 year degree trumps any 2 year degree. Your application goes to the bottom of the pile while you can't make a loan payment. No problem they'll defer that $110,000.00 for you while the interest raises it to $150,000.00.

Joe

 

[camerateur]

i am sure about the numbers, dxqcanada. it's a "prestigious" photography school, basically it's well known and regarded as a great school, and apparently people who are high up in the photography business look to brooks for "new blood"
but i do think it is A Lot. most of what i would be paying for i believe is the connections i would be making and the quality of the personalized education. i don't necessarily want to be just a family or wedding photographer, but possibly more... for instance one of their students right now is doing amazing work with Celebrity Underwater Family Portraits, and she hasn't even graduated yet... not that i'm expecting that to be handed to me without work of course.

and although community classes would help with hobbyists, i've been part of community college photo classes, and they are pretty frustrating, a lot of "i like this photo" or "these are my kids" not enough technical details or serious discussion.
and this school that i'm referring to does a lot for the business side of things.
but that is a great suggestion and something i've thought about (finding someone willing to teach me the trade). but it's pretty tough to find a talented photographer who would have the time for that...

Elswick 12, what school do you go to? if you don't mind my asking.
thank you for all that insight, i really do love photography, and am AMAZED that i found something i'm this passionate about...but somehow it's still the hardest decision.
i swear each day i go back and forth on my decision several times. if it were a considerably cheaper school, i don't think the decision would be nearly as tough.
such a gamble!!

 

[camerateur]

ysarex, you speak the truth........

it could be either an amazing investment and really give me a leg up or it could be the worst decision i make and be up to my neck in debt...
im getting my AA in psych this year... so it's not like i have put all my eggs in one basket, but discontinuing that education to pursue photography could hurt.

 

[Overread15 3]

Well on the one had photography is one area of work where you don't "need" school. Some professions require official degrees/examinations to be passed others they are almost essential if you want anyone to take you seriously; with photography its pretty much not an issue. What is important is your portfolio, what you are able to produce as a product - after that you've got your contacts (possibly the most important part today with such a saturated entry level market) - then you've got your business skills (and again many would remind that often those in business are not producing the best product; but they do know how to balance their books - get their name out there and get earning work*


If you view it as contact building it sounds like a very expensive way to build contacts - $90K is a lot of money and I wonder if the institution has maybe passed that point where your higher fees are paying for quality and are instead paying for the prestige (no bad thing if you want it, but its still expensive). One consideration is if you've looked into scholarships or sponsoring, either of which might help you lower the study costs if you are eligible.

If you feel you need the structure of a good course to help learn (its not just research its managing to get a more complete picture - self teaching can work great, but can also leave gaps where you don't know that your missing out on details or where common parlance results in details which are slightly less than fully explained) then you might well get that for far less than the course above.
Remember really great creative work won't come from the course, but from the student - a good course might have a few more options to open doors, but in the end the real creativity and drive has to be from yourself.



* don't fall into that deadly trap of working for next to nothing or even nothing at all. One-off freebies might help here and there; but there is no point working just for the sake of work if your earning less than a shelf stacker down the supermarket - because you'll fast find all fun goes right out the window.

 

[camerateur]

i WISH it could be 2400
the education quality and experience gets better with the more you pay, maybe i should just compromise with the school i go to.

although the more effort one puts in, the greater the experience/outcome no matter what school you go to.
but the quality of the professors and equipment are really amazing at this school, that helps.

 

[Overread15 3]

Just a thought, but since its so expensive have you considered contacting them; chatting to whoever is in charge of applications and maybe seeing if you can get a look around and have someone have a glance at your portfolio? My view is that if they want you its their job to sell their services to you, not the other way around. It might also give you a better idea of the course content, facilities and how advanced the course is (a course above your level is good; but if its way below you might find yourself chafing early on).

Plus having them have a peek at your stuff now means you might get an early yes/no reply. No point setting yourself up and then being told at the last hurdle that you need a wider diversity of work - or that what you produce isn't yet up to grade -- or heck maybe they'll love your photos

 

[Kerbouchard]

i WISH it could be 2400
the education quality and experience gets better with the more you pay, maybe i should just compromise with the school i go to.

although the more effort one puts in, the greater the experience/outcome no matter what school you go to.
but the quality of the professors and equipment are really amazing at this school, that helps.

90K could buy a library card, all the equipment you could ever need, a website/SEO specialist to put your site on the first page of most searches, and could also pay for the models to develop your portfolio...

Oh, and you would still have about 50k left over.

 

[SCraig]

...it's a "prestigious" photography school, basically it's well known and regarded as a great school, and apparently people who are high up in the photography business look to brooks for "new blood"
but i do think it is A Lot. most of what i would be paying for i believe is the connections i would be making and the quality of the personalized education....

Who told you these things? Was it professionals already in the photography business or was it someone at the school who want you to pay them $90K? Do your homework. Find out FOR YOURSELF how many graduates are in positions that enable to pay back that enormous tuition fee.

As to the contacts you will make, those contacts will be your peers. They aren't the people who will be hiring you, they are the people who will be competing for the same jobs as you.

Right now you are enthralled with the idea of attending this school but at some point in your career you are going to be faced with the reality of paying for it. Whether you do well or not, whether you find a position as a professional photographer or the portrait guy at Sears, you will still be faced with an enormous debt to repay. It is going to get in the way of your buying a home at some point and it is going to haunt you for years. Before you sign on that dotted line you had better be absolutely 100% certain it's what you want because once you sign your name there is no going back for a good part of your life.

My opinion? It's a monumental mistake.