I’ve reading about it, thinking about it, and deciding about it for weeks now and all signs point to this being a bad idea.
But it’s all I want to do.
I transferred to a good university from community college two years ago and tried majoring in accounting, english, and then mathematics and I failed all of them because of either boredom, not being able to focus, or just dropping out. After two years I’m going back to the same university and choosing a major that I think I will actually be interested in instead of just picking what I think will make me the most money.
I’m not stupid but I guess if I have to make that defense I might be? I’ve been called smart all my life by everyone and got a 3.8 GPA for my degree at community college but so far I have not been able to reflect that at university and I blame boredom and lack of interest in the subjects I’m studying for why I’m failing and not that I don’t have the intelligence.
I’ve been writing a novel and studying stories for the last four years. I would say it’s coming along but I don’t have a first draft or anything to show for it. But it’s all I do in my free time and trying to create the most perfect story and trying to understand stories and why some work and others don’t. I’m majoring in theater because I’m hoping it becomes an extension of my hobby and will improve how I think about it. I don’t have delusions about being famous or revered and am perfectly happy just living in the moment doing what I love, even if I have to work minimum wage for the rest of my life.
I guess what my question for all of you is what do you think about this? What are your opinions on going after something that truly is your passion and when you’re not choosing something just because it’s safe, secure, or for money? I looked at all of the majors my university offers and I deduced all of them down to the ones I liked and saw myself doing for the rest of my life and the only ones I was left with were theater and english.
Thanks.
Are you only interested in being on stage, or do other aspects of theater appeal to you?
I am definitely not interested in being on stage but just about everything else like writing for the screen, directing, producing, and learning about all-things drama which I guess will include acting but I don’t see myself as an actor.
@drifter265, you know the great thing about being a writer is that you can do it without majoring in it. I’m not sure whether your college has a dedicated curriculum in playwriting or screenwriting or whatever you want to study, but if it doesn’t, try to get the best possible education you can (so you’ll have more to write about). To supplement that, there are a ton of books and online courses and, depending where you live, short courses and seminars on playwriting/screenwriting, as well as a fair number of contests, some of them with student divisions. The main thing is to start writing.
Thank you, Kelly. I don’t know what I’m going to do. Yes, I am always writing and really into novels but hate English. I hate most stories, and it’s why I want to write my own, so studying them really loses my focus. The thing about majoring in theater is it’s really about the look and presentation and I’m more into what makes a story tick. I guess then why I want to major in theater is because I’m really interested in learning about movies and possibly becoming a screenwriter and director but not wanting to go to film school for it.
I’m thinking that this just might a total waste of money, but like I said, I deduced all the majors my university has to offer and got down to only theater and english because the rest I don’t see myself doing. If I were to become an accountant, mathematician, or finance officer, I think I would probably kill myself because I wouldn’t be given the freedom to go after my creative endeavors.
I’ve never acted or held a camera before but is being twenty-four years old too late to discover if you like and want to pursue something like that?
24 is too late for Olympic gymnastics, but not much else. Good luck. 
Why don’t you see what the major really involves. See what the requirements are. It might not be what you think it is. Maybe you should take a few years off and get a job. Write and reflect often.
I have looked at what the major really involves and I like it. I did take two years off and got a job, and I was writing and reflecting the whole time, and I got tired of working minimum wage and living on people’s couches and decided I should go back to school, which if I am, I don’t know if it should be for theater, which is why I am apprehensive about it and created this thread in the first place.
Also, how come there are no replies about this being a bad idea? Is it not as bad as I thought as long as I have a passion for it? What gives?
To ME (just my opinion- and don’t let the STEM people on other forums hear this) there is no such thing as a “bad” degree. There are successful people who majored in all sorts of things- philosophy, 19th century poetry, and even theater If you don’t want to work minimum wage etc- then get back to school. Maybe you will love being a theater major, maybe you will find something else that interests you.
Not sure why you are looking for us to say this is a bad idea. This is the theater forum- the people here like that option. If you want someone to tell you that it’s a poor plan- try the parents forum- there is a thread going there about “majors most likely to have kids living in basement” or some such thing.
You talk about wanting to learn about movies and screenwriting and directing. You won’t learn about movies or screenwriting as a theater major. If you want to learn about movies, major in film studies. If you want to learn screenwriting (which is very different from playwriting), major in screen writing. You can learn about directing as a theater major, but directing for stage and directing for film are vastly different things. Before enrolling full time, I strongly suggest you take an introductory theater class AND get involved with a local theater to get a behind the scenes understanding of what it is you think you are interested in.
I don’t think there are a lot of colleges who offer screenwriting as a major, and it is certainly not a requirement for a successful career in screenwriting. Look, I’m a writer (not a screenwriter). I make a living at it. I didn’t major in creative writing or English or anything like that. I did learn how to write very clearly at college and read a lot of great books and met a bunch of interesting people. All of which makes me better at what I do now.
You should really get a decent education, work on your writing and invest in a couple of “how to” books to help you with the formatting and unique characteristics of screenwriting. English would be fine. Theater would be fine. History or Poly-Sci or Comparative Literature or Philosophy or ANYTHING that gets your brain engaged would also work just as well. Learn how to learn. Learn how to write. That’s what happens in a good BA program. You can figure out narrative arcs and how wide your margins have to be in dialogue pages later.