Ever since I was a child, I have loved art. Art school seemed like the obvious choice. However, I didn’t choose that path; I went the opposite way. I was told constantly by family that I would never get a job if I went to art school, so I convinced myself I loved science and I’m going to a tech school that does not offer humanities degrees, because that seemed like the “practical” thing to do. I do not want to study science at all and I am dreading going to school, I wish I had just applied to art schools. What can I do, if anything?
You did not mention which science, but the major-specific job markets in sciences (particularly biology) are not necessarily good either.
Seems like it would have been better to choose a school that has a wide range of majors that are not difficult to switch between, so that you would not have to commit and close off some of your options now by choosing a specialized school (either art school or tech school).
One option is to start at a community college instead, aiming to transfer to a four year school when you are ready and decided on a major.
Could you be a science Illustrator ? It’s a specific field but it requires both excellent science knowledge and artistic skills.
It’s in demande and well paid.
Art school is for kids who do nothing but art. Since that’s not you, it probably wouldn’t have been a good choice. However, as mentioned above, a university with a wide range of fields may have been better than a tech school. … ask them (email) about art classes in order to become a science Illustrator.
Note that not all science fields lead to better job prospects (biology is worse than English for instance) and that many introductory science classes are weedout, so that it takes a lot of hard work, skill, motivation and even luck to do well.
Do you want to do art for fun? or as a profession?
Did you get feedback from your HS art teacher that you should pursue art?
Did you take HS art classes?
Did you start college already and want to transfer now, or are you re-thinking things before you start college this fall?
If you are re-thinking, hen ask to defer enrollment for a year and take a break from academics altogether for a bit. During the time off look around for colleges and universities that offer a broader choice of classes. Most do. There are very few places that only offer science and engineering and nothing else.
Your parents do make a good point that students who only study art can have difficulties making a living. If your family isn’t wealthy enough to pay the full cost of art school, and you aren’t the rare, extremely gifted, student who can get one of the few big scholarships there, then art school is probably not a good choice. However, there are plenty of places that offer art along with many other majors. Those would be good places to think about. Art plus business => advertising or marketing. Industrial design and product design require both art and some engineering type classwork.
There are still art schools (and good ones) that are accepting applications for the fall. Here is a list of all the schools that are still accepting applications as of this moment, even if their deadline has passed. See if there are any schools here that you like:
https://www.nacacnet.org/news–publications/Research/CollegeOpenings/
Examples of schools on that list that are either good in art (but are broad unis, so if you change your mind or decide to double major, you don’t need to transfer) or which are pure art schools include Arizona State U, Columbia College Chicago, Illinois State U, Mass Art (which is very good), Minneapolis College of Art, Montclair State, Pacific NW College of Art, etc. Have a look. Apply to those you like, and add them to your FAFSA. See where you get in, see what aid you are offered by each, then make your decision.
If you don’t do this, then consider transferring from your sophomore year at least to a school that has an art major, so you can double major or change your major. While you’re at your current school, take the “general” classes that tend to be required by all unis (freshman English, college math, history, etc.) And keep doing your art on your own.