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The Green Room / Re: COLLEGE GENERAL DISCUSSION: Is the traditional four year college worth it now?
« on: Jun 25, 2010, 07:42 pm »
Here's my two cents as a "non-traditional" student. I have been a professional stage manager for eight years and last year made the decision that I would go and finish this degree that I started a long time ago. I chose to get a BFA in Stage Management from Point Park University. I chose this school because, although an SM track, I can still do other things and I have to take lots of classes in scene design, lighting, props, costumes, etc. I wanted to learn "everything else" and I knew that without starting over in other areas, I would be limited in finding good ways to learn these types of things. Who knew I'd like lighting design so much?! I also picked a school in an area where I could continue to make contacts and even find work in theatre. With plans to stay in Pittsburgh long after graduation, it seems to be working out for me. I don't think that I need a degree to stage manage, but I would like one. If I had gone to a program that was so structured when I was 18, I probably wouldn't have gotten as much out of it. A lot of more traditional students look at college as something you have to do, mostly because other people tell you you should do it; but I've seen many students happy with simply "passing" and therefore not learning as much as they could.
We'll see how I feel in a couple of years when I'm paying back my student loans...
We'll see how I feel in a couple of years when I'm paying back my student loans...