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Im 18 years old and heading off to college soon.
I planned on majoring in criminal justice, to pursue a job in the FBI or
something of that nature...but the thing is, i really dont see myself as a 9-5
guy, i dont think i could do it. The only thing ive found that has been a hobby
of mine for years, well more of an obsession, is photography. Id really like to
have a formal education in college on photography, as i have applied to The
University Of The Arts in Philladelphia. The only thing thats holding me back
from this pursuit is the worry that when i graduate i wont have a job or i wont
be able to make enough money...I need security. The cost of living here, at the
bare minimum is like 35K a year...and thats just feeding yourself and a roof
over your head. I also need something that will earn me enough money SOON so
that i can be able to support myself if need be. Im really ready to toss out
any thought of attending anything but an arts college so that i can pursue a
professional career in photography. This realization came about a few days ago
when i looked over a print i had just processed, and it just blew me away.
well this has turned out to be more of a rant then anything...
but can anyone give me some direction here? advice even? anything?!?
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Would you rather hear the truth, or do you want to feel good? I think you already suspect the truth -- that there are too many
people who can be photographers for them all to make a good
living at it. You ought to read the book, "What Color is Your Parachute?"
available in most libraries and bookstores, and online at:
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1580082424/qid=972014272/sr=1-... Also, take a look at the classified ads in your favorite newspaper
to see what opportunities there are for photographers. For instance,
the Washington Post has an online job search at:
http://washingtonpost.com:80/wl/JS_JobSearch.shtml?TS=972014547695 When I checked, the Washington Post listed six job descriptions that
included the keyword "photographer." If you read the detailed job
descriptions, you may be surprised to discover that most of the
actual work has little or nothing to do with the photographs you take. For contrast, looking up the keyword phrase "computer AND
programmer AND analyst" resulted in 244 hits. If you just
look up the word "computer," there are over 500 hits, and
if you just look up the word "programmer," it doesn't mention
how many hits there are, it just tells you to narrow your search. I work as a computer programmer, and photography is one of
my hobbies. Based on the jobs being advertised, I don't think
I could afford to become a professional photographer.
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