Son wants to get a BFA in photography, but we're worried about his employability with it...

[Luv Bunnies]

Our DS23 graduated with a BFA in Musical Theater last spring. We talked through all the risks/benefits with him in great detail. In the end, theater is the thing he’s most passionate about, he’s always worked hard at it and he definitely has the talent. He flourished in college. I couldn’t imagine ever telling him that we wouldn’t fully support his chosen profession. He just got cast in his first professional role and we’re all very excited. If he can’t support himself right away, we will help him out, as will several other family members. It might be a tough path, but it’s what he truly wants to do.

 

[DLgal]

Our DS23 graduated with a BFA in Musical Theater last spring. We talked through all the risks/benefits with him in great detail. In the end, theater is the thing he’s most passionate about, he’s always worked hard at it and he definitely has the talent. He flourished in college. I couldn’t imagine ever telling him that we wouldn’t fully support his chosen profession. He just got cast in his first professional role and we’re all very excited. If he can’t support himself right away, we will help him out, as will several other family members. It might be a tough path, but it’s what he truly wants to do.

A theater degree is a different animal, though, as far as professional opportunities after graduation. Many jobs in the theater arts require that degree to even get in the door. Photography is not that way.

 

[bjscheel]

We have a limited amount set aside for him for university. He's already used up a quarter of it, but he can do at least 3 years without going in to debt. More, if he doesn't live in residence.

A double major is a good idea.

A BFA will be hard to fit a double major with though, because it probably requires more credits than a BS or BA. But you can check the college catalog.

 

[MillauFr]

It has been 5-7 years since then and he is still listless in his life bouncing from one job to another unsure of his future, pursuing jobs that will make him money, not make him happy. The only thing that makes him happy is music.

Trying to ram a square peg in a round hole rarely works.

 

[FigmentSpark]

A BFA will be hard to fit a double major with though, because it probably requires more credits than a BS or BA. But you can check the college catalog.

Maybe a minor at least in business or something. That way, he can manage his own business?

 

[jdb in AZ]

My cousin got his BFA in photography and has done some commercial photography for hotels and magazines. He's spent more time as a house-husband, photographing his DD in dance class or on the soccer field. The other parents love his skills. His wife is a regional manager for several restaurants so they aren't hurting for cash.

 

[NotUrsula]

One double-major option that can have a hidden gotcha when combined with FA photography can be secondary education. A lot of people who really want to be artists will get a teaching degree as a fallback position, but I have to tell you that in the case of men, unfair judgements can interfere with career prospects.

I have a good friend who did just this; got a teaching degree as a double major with a BFA in photography, and he could not get hired at any school. The reason why was that most of his best work in art classes had been figure studies, and they had won prizes. The high schools universally decided that it was too risky to hire a male art teacher who had a known history of photographing the human body, never mind that figure studies are required subjects to get the degree. My friend eventually gave up and got another degree entirely, and never mentions the first one.

 

[ashley0139]

A theater degree is a different animal, though, as far as professional opportunities after graduation. Many jobs in the theater arts require that degree to even get in the door. Photography is not that way.

As someone with a theatre degree, absolutely no performing jobs require or even ask if you have a degree. It's good training but absolutely not required for performers. Where did you get that idea?

 

[georgina]

I decided when my kids were going to college not to interfere in their major choices, despite my misgivings.

Oldest chose International affairs, which many told us was not a good job prospect. A couple of years in, she discovered a love for economics and added that as a double major. She has been working in consulting for 10 years, got an MBA and is on track to become a partner in her company.

Son chose video game design (yikes!) despite me gently pushing for a more general comp sci degree. He has been gainfully employed for 8 years and survived several rounds of layoffs at his company because his position is a vital one. And apparently he is good at it. He decided he wanted to move from the east coast to the pacific NW 6 years ago and they gave him a laptop and away he went to work from home.

Youngest was thinking liberal arts - psychology, philosophy, who knows? but at college found a liking for computer science. Many young people change their minds.

It is their life to live, I would not my kids resenting me because I refused to let them follow their chosen paths, (if I even could have). So far it has worked out well. They could get by waiting tables if they had to. I think they need to be able to try their dream.

 

[DLgal]

As someone with a theatre degree, absolutely no performing jobs require or even ask if you have a degree. It's good training but absolutely not required for performers. Where did you get that idea?

Not all jobs are actual performers. There are plenty of "supporting roles" jobs in the theater arts that require a degree. I know 2 people with that degree, one who had a long career at Disney as a performer in a stage show both here and in Hong Kong, and another who is a producer for Sesame Street Live touring shows. The producer job required a related degree. The performer one did not but the degree was instrumental in helping him land the job. It was his first job out of college and he did it for 20 years until he was furloughed in 2020.

 

[ashley0139]

Not all jobs are actual performers. There are plenty of "supporting roles" jobs in the theater arts that require a degree. I know 2 people with that degree, one who had a long career at Disney as a performer in a stage show both here and in Hong Kong, and another who is a producer for Sesame Street Live touring shows. The producer job required a related degree. The performer one did not but the degree was instrumental in helping him land the job. It was his first job out of college and he did it for 20 years until he was furloughed in 2020.

Of course not all jobs are performers, but @Luv Bunnies son is a performer which is who you directly responded to saying that it was different and needed a degree. Most jobs in theatre really do not require a degree. My theatre degree, which I did end up working in for a while, would know.

 

[RamblingMad]

If you think the ROI is low, have the kid pay their own way. Another option would be film school.

 

[Tattylou]

All I know is if he is passionate about it and set on going in that direction it's probably a good idea to just be supportive. Fighting against something like that is going to cause a lot of animosity. Not to mention if he does heed your advice he probably will look back wondering "what if". Escpecially if he ends up in a career he doesn't love. It happened to me.

I agree with this- and a BA in anything is still a BA when any jobs out there say “bachelors required” (if photography doesn’t work out). I think a bachelors degree in basically anything can be valuable- bc just having a bachelors in anything goes a long way with being employable.
I’ve been a therapist for 20 years and have had many adult clients looking back and wishing they had pursued the degree that was their passion even if there wasn’t a guarantee it would’ve worked out. It often is people who wanted a degree that was art based or potentially led to a lower paying job (ie education) and instead took the road that would lead to more money and job security generally bc of a parental pressure. These people are in therapy as adults and it is not bc they are glad they make good money with a secure job- it is bc they don’t feel fulfilled by those things and regret not trying for what they really loved or wanted. This is not going to be the case for everyone, but it is something I have seen frequently in my years of being a therapist. Just another perspective.

 

[HeatherC]

If it is going to put you or him into a lot of debt, I would not do it. While I always think education is a great thing, with student loans today and the cost of tuition, I would not have him go into debt for a major that would “probably” not help him earn enough to pay them off easily. Just something else to keep in mind.

 

[1GoldenSun]

I agree with others that the most important thing is to get that degree, and if photography is a something that will motivate him to get through then a BFA might be the way to go. But it might be best for him to go to an inexpensive state school rather than a private arts college. From what I've seen, arts schools can be very expensive.

 

[HopperFan]

My son seems to have a knack for photography (but what do I know?) He's floated the idea of going to a good art school to get a BFA (Bachelor of Fine Arts) in photography. I'm just happy he wants to pursue a post-secondary education at this point, but his dad needs some convincing.

Can you be successful with a BFA in photography and if so, what paths might be in his future (beyond WDW photopass photographer!).

Thanks.

Have him explore a MINOR in Photography and get his major in something more employable OR that combined with photography could lead to a job with both.

Not sure where you are or the options but many colleges allow students to design their own degree, my DS did. Think of where photography could be used in a job, then blend them creating his own path.

And one thing to remember is that sometimes when your passion has to pay the bills, sometimes you lose that passion. The pressure is intense. Is there something else he could do that gives him access to places where on his off time he could develop his photography? He could develop it as a side job where the income pressure is less? Slowly grow that business and one day move to it full time. This way he isn't abandoning what he loves, just keeping it in a place in his life where he loves it.

 

[Neverbeast]

I started as a music performance major… changed to English. Both degrees no one considers employable. Ended up with two BAs, an MA and an amazing job that literally didn’t exist when I was in college. If I had talked myself out of trying I wouldn’t have my amazing life. I’m in an Ed tech related field so not rich, but comfortable and HAPPY. The world changes so fast, and as other have said, a good college should open his interests and opportunities in ways neither of you predict. Find a school he can afford, urge him to get involved with the advisors, not to get hyper focused on a specific job outcome and to try new things and you both might be surprised where this can take him.

 

[FigmentSpark]

Students definitely change their minds mid-way. I know I did. And this is a change for DS. I told him that I didn't want him to feel trapped in a program if he wanted to change. The problem is he wants to change schools, as well and I don't know if we need to report that he's previously attended university (and has some failures on his record) or if we can just lose those 9 successful courses and start over.

I think a minor might be the way to go. Scary about the teaching degree issue and very sad.

 

[Skippy918]

Like some of the other said, the photography field seems over saturated at this point. On a few of my mom’s groups, it seems like every other person does photography as a side hustle or while they are a stay at home mom. Maybe he can major in marketing or business and minor in photography. Many businesses have marketing departments and require those with photography skills as well.

My friend had a similar discussion with her son and so he’s doing a business minor with a major in kinesiology. He want to do something sports related.

 

[Pea-n-Me]

I taught myself photography as sort of a bucket-list thing after having a bout of cancer. I’m no slouch to learning and had the time to devote to it. I used various methods to study, and bought a lot of the latest equipment, at the time. After several years, I got pretty good at it. But although I could usually crank out some pretty nice pictures, I always felt there was a little something missing because I hadn’t had formal training. For sure, I was ahead of the game - I would sometimes stop to ‘talk shop‘ to other ‘photographers’, and was often surprised to learn they kept their high-tech equipment on Auto all the time and weren’t even able to engage in basic conversation about things like exposure, manual settings or RAW data, etc. At least I had a pretty good working knowledge and use of those things.

But I turned down plenty of requests to do weddings and portraits because I didn’t have the confidence to handle those so-important things really well if someone was paying me; it seemed like too much pressure (when I already have a high-pressure career) so I wanted to mainly keep it as something I did for fun (and often gave away my pictures for free). But my point is that, I think there is a lot to be said for formal training in photography even if others seem to do it on-the-fly. Sure, camera, processing, and other equipment has come a long way, but if the person using it isn’t able to operate it to its fullest, or easily, then it’s not as good as it can be. And there is a lot of that out there.

So I would favor getting the degree if that’s what he’s passionate about, and I’m sure he could launch a career that would lead him to places that are hard to imagine right now, as others have said. (And, as I told my own kids, it could be the place he meets his future spouse or something!) The other thing he could consider, besides getting a degree, would be seek out more of a technical program in photography. Something to build confidence and credentials.

Lots of options:
Photography Schools