<p>There have been a lot of discussions about this topic, about the ‘value’ of a music degree versus going to straight college, and the general opinion from most people is that if you are talking a typical liberal arts degree versus a BM degree, both are going to be equally valuable. While it is true that let’s say a degree in computer science or accounting might be easier to get a job in those fields coming out of school, a degree in history or poly sci or English or many other degrees aren’t quite as direct a match to most jobs. Even kids coming out with business degrees, even in targeted fields like Finance or marketing, for example, have a huge learning curve, what they learned in school barely scratches the surface of ‘the real world’…</p>
<p>BM degrees can actually be more valuable in my experience (and I am speaking as a hiring manager for many years running). There was an article not long ago that Goldman Sachs, not exactly known for being innovative with hiring (they who loved ivy graduates with business degrees, their interview process is a trip) are looking for non traditional backgrounds, and they specifically mentioned music performance majors. Employers know how hard it is to get into schools like Berklee, and they also know how much self discipline there is once in there, the practicing, ensembles and so forth, the comprehensive theory and ear training, which give very unique skills. </p>
<p>And Berklee is a good school, the one big knock against it (like most of the top conservatories, unfortunately) is that it is really expensive. I had several friends who went there and who ended up in other careers (both IT), they both are active in music, have bands, do producing, but also have an IT career, it is quite common in IT, lot of ex music types there:). </p>
<p>One of the things you have to decide for yourself is whether you want that kind of environment, do you want only music, or do you want the typical college experience of taking a wide range of core courses, and not being stuck 24/7 with music. Schools like Berklee don’t offer a lot of liberal arts classes (though they may have something NEC has, where you could potentially take classes at Northeastern, which is nearby, but I don’t know for certain)…it is something to think about, for you, maybe getting a ‘regular’ college degree at a ‘regular’ college would drive you more…on the other hand, you may want the music focus at a place like Berklee, being around all kinds of talented musicians, living it…</p>
<p>In terms of already being there with your music, my answer would be that while rock/pop and music like it aren’t like classical music, in that you can do what you already have done, learn the instrument, perform, etc, and obviously most people in the rock world have done something similar, I would argue that there are benefits to the kind of training you would get at Berklee. You likely would get a lot more breadth to your musical knowledge, learn about Jazz and other forms, and more importantly, it may give you an understanding of what you are doing that you didn’t have before. The other advantage is you are meeting people there, networking, possibly doing gigs through the school, and you could end up creating the basis for your professional career there. You also may learn other skills there, like recording, that could help you, too (and I don’t know what actually the curricula would be like for someone like yourself, I only know what others I know did there), which could broaden your abilities to do other things, too. </p>
<p>In the end, I would do it based on your feelings about the school and the way the program is done and what you need, and not worry about the value of the degree, it is valuable, as valuable and potentially more valuable, than a standard degree. It doesn’t hurt that it is in a great section of Boston, and being a college town it has a lot of opportunities, both for fun and also potentially to be able to perform and play regularly. </p>
<p>Wish you luck!</p>