I think another pipeline is from those working in the sketch comedy field and have some experience. My son-in-law is an actor, director, writer in sketch comedy and I’m somewhat familiar with that field and the scene for it in NYC.
I think of the parental pressure to go into something more lucrative as an audition of sorts. If you can withstand that and perhaps even go to school for pre-professional major, then you are probably closer to the type to succeed.
Howard Stern (a verbal genius in my opinion) asked Sarah Silverman why some very funny comics didn’t succeed. Sarah said something like this - it is more than just about being the funniest, it’s sort of about mastery of one’s craft and life.
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Of course not every aspiring artist makes it. That’s true in many fields. Yes, making it in the arts is very competitive and challenging. But if one has the fortitude, talent, persistence, and drive, is it not worth ever trying to make it? So what if one doesn’t make it? I know some who did not and then they switched gears. My kid has been fortunate, but is also super driven and has a diversified skill set (some I know just do one thing) and so she has three simultaneous careers going on, though all are in theater and music. Just because it is a challenging field, doesn’t mean one should not pursue it, if they go in with eyes wide open. As well, create your own work and don’t wait for people to hire you. That also helps.
It would be a shame if nobody pursued these fields because it is difficult to become successful. Some do become successful and some don’t. What would the world be like if nobody pursued further education and a career in the arts? We need people who do this in our society.
Should nobody ever apply to colleges with acceptance rates less than 10%? The odds are very slim, but are worth a shot if you have what it takes to be considered.
In my daughter’s field, musical theater, if going the BFA in MT route, the acceptance rates to get in range from about 2-8%, and so that is one huge hurdle from the start, though a BFA degree program is not the only route to a career in the field. It is a common one. To apply/audition for BFA in MT programs, one better be VERY aware of how competitive the field is. That is not meant to discourage someone who has what it takes, because some DO make it, and for those who do not, they still have a college degree and can find other work.
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Not to take away from your overall points. I agree with many of them, but was LMM actually a FGLI student? I didn’t think so though certainly his work speaks to many issues of concern to first generation, low income people as well as immigrants and POC. Admit that I have not read his biography, but others probably know more. I do think his creative work is brilliant and he seems to be a strong advocate for people with little economic, social and political power.
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As other people have explained on this thread, many parents and students seem to not understand when is the appropriate time to switch gears (Re: the example of the wealthy parents supporting their 30 year-old in the arts in NYC). At some point, it’s time to call it quits, and being a starving artist in NYC at 30 is past that point.
The other big factor is opportunity cost. Let’s say you spend the first ten years after graduation making $30k/year as a starving artist (of course, I know some who make way more/less, but we’re going by statistics and mass majority here). If that same student majored in, say, CS or Econ, they could have a starting salary of $130k after graduation that only goes up. That extra money is crucial to almost every young adult who doesn’t have wealthy parents. I know many former artists in their 30s and 40s who regret not seizing their 20s to increase their financial capital and kickstart on more lucrative careers.
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The answer to that question varies for different people.
Someone who can compete for the dream (highly competitive) career path without closing off other (less difficult to enter) career paths of interest, and who has more of a family safety net to cushion the consequences of failure may be more willing to enter that competition for the dream career path than someone whose preferred alternate career paths would be difficult to keep open while competing for the dream career path and/or has no family safety net.
Personal spending habits also matter. Someone with very frugal spending habits is less financially vulnerable to career failure or periods of low income in career paths with fluctuating income than someone with high spending habits.
Of course, when considering whether to compete for a dream career path that is highly competitive, having a realistic assessment of your own talent and chances of winning the competition can also affect whether one would find it worth trying.
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He is not. Both parents are college-educated. I think his mom has a PhD. And not low income.
He went to a top gifted school in Manhattan
k-12 then Wesleyan. Yes, I am a fan girl!
His maternal ancestors are interesting. He has a set of white/former slave ancestors Li. They moved to Texas when the laws were changing rapidly, and they had to do some legal maneouvering to keep the kids free.
A very sobering piece of our history.
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No. He wasn’t first gen. Yes, he went to the Hunter College Campus Schools for elementary and high school. Worked there as a substitute English teacher when he was first starting out. His wife was 2 years behind him in the high school, but she did not go to the elementary.
No, LMM was not a First Generation student. That was never my point in bringing him up! I was responding to @janemommy who said that most current artists in several fields of the arts have no creativity or originality and I have not heard people say that as a blanket statement or even about people like LMM and his body of work.
Well, I have gathered from your posts that the goal is a lucrative career, but that is not everyone’s goal. So what if the young adult is supporting themselves in whatever they choose to do? Not everyone aspires to being wealthy (nothing wrong with wealth of course!). I’m not speaking of the young artists whose parents are supporting them. I only know ONE friend of my daughter’s in the arts whose parents contribute money, and the rest are making it on their own. They may not be well off, but they are doing what they love. (actually some are making considerable income) And if they no longer love it or find the struggle too much or want to earn a higher level of income, they have switched gears (I know some who did that and went to grad school later on). If they are happy, what’s wrong with that? They are not depending on their parents for financial support. Who cares that they could have made more money as a computer programmer than as an actor or musician if they make enough to survive and not starve?
Keep in mind that not everyone who goes into the arts becomes a starving artist by the way. I don’t know how much my kid in the performing arts earns, but feel quite certain it is more than I earn and I’m in the field of education and have a few decades on her.
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Judging from the current supply/demand imbalance, we do not have to worry about too few students pursuing the arts anytime in the next 50 years.
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Not every failed or failing artist can just pick up a career in CS or Econ.
And when did the age of 30 become the line of demarcation for changing careers from the arts to a career in STEM? Obviously there are many examples of artists who began earning large sums of money post-30.
What’s ironic here is that no one in my family and friends network is an artist, but here I am arguing for the arts. 
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I dont think anyone was suggesting a career change at 30 so much as no longer receiving parental income support at that point.
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Ironically, one of the theatre kids from my neighborhood just got her first major TV role…at the age of 30.
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If one has tried and can’t make it in the arts, it doesn’t then follow that they try for a career in CS or Econ or any STEM field. Perhaps they go into another facet of their field…example, instead of acting, they work in casting. Or they go into conducting training programs for companies, or teaching/coaching. Or they go into a managerial job for an organization. I know one who switched to grad school for physical therapy and another who pursued law school. Maybe an actor switches to producing? Maybe they open a dance studio? Perhaps they become a creative director for an organization? Maybe they run community arts programs? Maybe they pursue further coursework to become an arts therapist? Maybe they become a cultural events coordinator? Perhaps they become a talent agent? Maybe they become a public speaker for advocacy? An interpretive guide? Maybe they become a high level office assistant?
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Yeah, I think it can often take that long (ie, 8 years) to go from being a graduate from a performing arts degree program to truly really making it steadily and at higher levels and more pay. It doesn’t typically happen right out of the gate.
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That’s not how I read it, but using your interpretation, I personally wouldn’t cut my kid off if they were still trying to “make it on Broadway” (using that phrase as a catch-all) at the age of 30+. That’s not how I’m built.
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All of that varies by where you are in the country (world as well). I own a house. It hasn’t, nor will it ever, provide intergenerational wealth. Young couples/families are moving in (as some of us “old” empty-nesters sell). Some of them may build intergenerational wealth but I expect most will not. They are financially stable though.
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I believe that most kids don’t start out to build intergenerational wealth. I surely didn’t. Coming from a low SES my goal was to live in a safe neighborhood and pay my bills. That’s it. My husband wanted to work in CS and did.
In my 30’s, I realized that there were many lifestyles and options. By our late 40’s/early 50s we realized that we had a lot more than we set out to achieve. A timely sale of one of our companies helped a lot, so did investing from a young age (my spouse). So people make choices, but how many 20 somethings are trying to create wealth? They are figuring out their careers.
I guess we will/do have intergenerational wealth as do others in our family. No one set out with this in mind. Our kids will surely benefit. But we raised them to be independent and pay their own way. They’ve worked since 15. Not in internships we found them but in service jobs that are public facing.
I know a lot of people who are able to retire early. I don’t think any of them had their eyes on creating intergenerational wealth. Though some have it. The entrepreneurs ( who in my world are mainly the ones with intergenerational wealth) liked the challenge of creating a business. The money was a sideline.
I live in an are with lots of FGLI students, all the students I know that went to top schools are doing well except for one. He actually majored in engineering at an Ivy, but he moved back to our area where he has a low paying job to care for his sick mother.
Most of the kids are working in consulting, finance or tech companies including all the humanities majors.The key to them being successful is not their major, but having zero debt since the schools covered everything for them.
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