ARTICLE: NY TIMES saying no to college

[MatthewShiner]

The advance or specialty degree can help you prove you provide a special service for a need that may not be able to be filled in that country. 

[NomieRae]

I fought with this idea for a long time while in a 4 year BFA program and getting myself saddled with debt.

Ultimately I ended up with an amazing liberal arts degree that also gave me a varied background in all the aspects of theater with some good contacts in the NYC theater scene.

Did I need to go to college to become a stage manager? No. Do I think I ever get hired because of my BFA? No. I usually get hired by networking connections and good word-of-mouth, very few of which were made while at my college.

Now several years out of school I feel the pull of grad school (we were told as undergrads to NEVER go straight to graduate school, to take a few years off and feel it out) and always get told by stage managers with years more experience that it is a waste of time and money to get an MFA. Always. Without exception. Even people who have graduated from my dream schools will tell me not to bother.

So in the last year I have decided to give myself 2013 to freelance and then apply for graduate schools, but for Arts Administration and Early Childhood Education- two things which are valuable for me in my long term career plans.

But you know, if that open ended B'way run calls, I may toss those applications in the trash for now and enjoy the excitement while it lasts.

[MatthewShiner]

my party line has always been my degrees have never helped me get a job, but my education have helped me perform the jobs I received. 

[David_McGraw]

Now several years out of school I feel the pull of grad school (we were told as undergrads to NEVER go straight to graduate school, to take a few years off and feel it out) and always get told by stage managers with years more experience that it is a waste of time and money to get an MFA. Always. Without exception. Even people who have graduated from my dream schools will tell me not to bother.

Why do you think those older more experienced stage managers don't see value in grad school?  Bad experiences in their own studies?  Disappointment in those who have graduated with a MFA?  Or do they only see the MFA as an extended internship?

A grad degree is not required to get work in Arts Administration.  And a grad degree in Early Childhood Education doesn't actually train anyone how to work with children (you will do that in internships and placements).  So why does the MFA in Stage Management get a bad reputation compared to other fields that also rely on applied learning in addition to formal studies?

[The Intern]

I'm in the concert touring production arena and am proud to say that I am on one of the only crews that I know of where every member is a college graduate. My college experience was amazing and I wouldn't be where I am today without it. I've earned the respect of many, many, many non degree holding people in my field who often times have years of experience that I would die to have been a part of. Now I may not have the years, but I have their respect and a willingness to learn. However, I do have a degree I can always walk away with and helped me get there. I would recommend a degree, it maybe doesn't have to be done and completed right out of high school, but it is well worth it.