<p>Hi, </p>
<p>So I am a senior in high school and have been accepted into many schools for film production. My main schools are:</p>
<p>NYU - $69,000 per year
Emerson - $36,000
Syracuse - $48,000
LMU - $49,300
UC Santa Cruz - $33,000</p>
<p>NYU is obviously high above the rest, but the cost is a huge issue. My question to you is, how easy does each school make it for me to get a job out of college, and what are the starting salaries of these jobs. I don't want to be stuck $150,000 in debt in 20 years.</p>
<p>Thanks</p>
<p>I honestly don’t think any school is worth over $100k in loans for a film production degree.</p>
<p>Jeez that is expensive. I wouldn’t pay any of that for Film School considering the grim job prospects.</p>
<p>I know 2 people that studied Film. One went to UC Santa Cruz and now works in retail and the other went to UC Berkeley and is currently working a part time job to support himself while trying to get gigs on the side.</p>
<p>I’m 26 years old. This question really really depresses me. The fact that I live in a country where someone is considering taking on $150k in debt for a job with a median starting salary of $36,000. … I’m not mad / annoyed at you, but annoyed to live in a society where this is even an option, that an 18-year-old could be financially hampered for most of their adult life. This would have been unheard of even a generation ago. The cost of college is getting disgusting. I say this with the pain of looking at at least ten more years of student loan payments, severely hampering my ability to build any wealth.</p>
<p>What is your dream job?</p>
<p>How much are your parents paying for college? Or are you entirely on your own?</p>
<p>What you really should do is this: go to community college for virtually free, thanks to Pell Grants. Study hard, and then go to whatever school is cheapest for your final two years, ideally a state school, ideally one were you can live at home while attending. If at all possible, don’t take out debt. If you have to, try to take out no more than $20k total for the entire bachelor’s degree. … If you really want to work in film, move to LA after college. Trust me, almost no one there will care what your major was, or where you went to college. A 27yo friend of mine went to a completely random state school in the midwest, majored in English, and then moved to LA. He’s now an assistant producer on a very successful TV show, making lots of great connections. </p>
<p>Don’t let the university marketing machines fool you.</p>
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<p>But don’t you have to be extremely poor just to get a few hundred dollars?</p>
<p>@redumbrella
Not necessarily. My mom made about $53,000 last year (which I don’t consider “extremely poor”) and I was awarded $1,900 for Pell. I live in GA, so I get the HOPE scholarship too.</p>
<p>In my state, Louisiana, we have a booming film industry. I believe the local university has a program. You could maybe start out on the ground floor in local film and work your way up. </p>
<p>However, there is something to be said about being in the thick of things. Going to a university in the location where the industry is will more likely get your internships, but that’s not a guarantee either.</p>
<p>Good luck to you!</p>