Would grad school be worth it?? (bachelors, skills, degree, cost)

[nikongirl24]

Hi guys! I have my BFA in Photography and am trying to decide whether or not I should go to grad school. It is REALLY hard to find any jobs here in WV in photography that are not, say, Sears or Walmart portrait studios-- so I really want to relocate.

It would be great to be able to teach, but I'm not sure if I'd really benefit from a MFA in Photo. Would a MFA in photo limit me? I have a background in art history and a minor in English. It would be great to find a program such as an MAT/ MIT so I could teach general art to secondary or even upper level education.

I am not sure about the availability of college level teaching positions out there, but I would love to teach.

Someone has mentioned to me that if there are not enough teaching jobs, to study conservation or curating.

Any help would be appreciated.

I have looked at SCAD (Savannah College of Art and Design) as well as Florida State and Georgia. The school doesn't HAVE to be an art specific school.

[artsyguy]

No way, unless you want to later get a teaching certificate and teach at a community college or art institute.

[hnsq]

What kind of job do you want? Make a list of 10 jobs you want, and see if they say a master's degree is recommended/required. If they say that, go for it.

I have a friend who is a curator, and she would not have been able to get the job with just a bachelors degree

[nikongirl24]

I do know that for a career path such as curating or conservation I will need an MA or higher. That is not a problem if I know I'll be able to find a job.

At this point, would it hurt me to just go ahead, get my MAT/MIT and teach for a while? I am aware that most places look at experience, and typically hire someone with a master's over someone with a bachelors.

And in this state... a teaching certificate won't allow me to teach, I would still need to take the Praxis 1 and have some sort of background or degree in education. I can sub though, without that. In WV you just need a BA in something, fill out an application and undergo orientation. (very hard up for subs here...)

Do you guys think the MAT/MIT route is the best to go??

[uptown_urbanist]

Don't expect to get a job in conservation or as a curator - museums everywhere are laying off staff left and right. It's extremely competitive, and yes, you will need a graduate degree (as well as internships). If you do manage to find a job it may not pay well. You'll be even more limited if you want to work in a specific location - many people, especially those starting out - have to move to where the job is, even if that means a small town in the middle of nowhere.

I'm not saying that you shouldn't consider being a curator or as a photographer, but you should certainly not think of it as a backup degree.

The top conservation programs won't even consider you unless you have significant science experience/coursework in addition to your fine arts skills, and I know that some (all?) also require many hours of relevant experience prior to entering the program. I assume that you would have to get that through internships, or if you're lucky, through the few low-paying entry jobs out there that aren't already filled by people with impressive and lengthy resumes.

I don't know about the teaching world, but I think you'd be better off pursuing that route, unless you decide for sure that working as a conservator or as a curator is something you REALLY want to do.

[goi_cuon]

In many states there are accelerated pathways to become a school teacher, because so many states are in a crisis to fill teaching positions.

Before you enter an MFA program, consider carefully why you are doing it. The only real reason to do it is because you really want that degree. It will not guarantee you success as a photographer or a teacher.

A friend of mine has her MFA, is a master potter, holds a prestigious "artist in residence" position at a clay center of some renown, and still has to teach classes as an adjunct at two colleges and hold a desk job at a hotel on the weekends in order live on the edge of poverty from one day to the next. She is a great artist and has mastered many of the technical aspects of her medium, but that has not made her commercially successful. I don't think that she regrets following her passion for clay, but she has her eyes open about the ongoing cost of following her dreams.

I think that you will find better guidance in a forum devoted to issues of higher education such as degreediscussion.com or degreeinfo.com or those at the Chronicle of Higher Education. There may be specialized forums for working photographers or other artists; those will give you better information than you are going to find in a generalized discussion like this one.

goi_cuon