My Artistic Inclinations

College Majors Visual Arts and Film Majors
1

<p>Okay, so after my grueling debate of whether I should attend FSU, UCF, or UF, I finally decided on joining the Gator Nation. Now I face the challenge of pursuing a major that people often scoff at. I am currently an Art History major with an Environmental Science minor. But I am thinking about dropping the minor and becoming an English Lit.- Art History double major. All of my family's constant "What are you gonna do with a degree in that?" questioning aside, I recently discovered a web article claiming Lit and Art Hist. to be among "The 10 Most Worthless College Majors". I found this article to have no real validity. However, as a human being, I let it get to me. Sure, I love the environment and would love to save it, but I honestly don't believe I can pull myself through the chemistry, calculus, statistics and economic courses required to secure a degree. In high school, these were my worst subjects! However I absolutely loved every waking minute of my AP Art History and AP English Literature classes. I love art, theater, music, literature and most fine arts. But will I really be a starving artist? I need advice from someone please. Should I go with env. sci. and play it safe? Or should I follow my heart and pursue my loves?</p>

<p>Thank you!</p>

2

<p>I saw that list as well and it made me chuckle. For MOST people who study studio art, the performing arts or art history---these majors are usually ARE a big waste of time. The opportunities are few and the competition high. I can relate to your apprehensions--I have my masters in art history, my D is pursuing grad school in vocal performance and my H is in the performing arts as well. You can make a living, but you need a lot of passion and you need to work harder than ANYONE else you know. If you really want to pursue art history, I recommend minoring in languages related to your field of interest. If you just want to pursue it because its a love (not a passion/obsession) I would recommend minoring in art history.</p>

3

<p>would you mind if i asked what you did with your degree?</p>

4

<p>I also studied art restoration and museum sciences (museologia) in Italy. I returned to the US and taught art history breifly, but was not at all happy in academia. I worked as a production assistant at a film studio and later I worked in a family business and strangely enough I am now a painter. I know plenty of people who have made a success in doing full time scholarship and teaching, as well as connoisseurship (mostly as appraisers).</p>

5

<p>fg, I have a double major in English and Art History, chosen for exactly the same reasons that they appeal to you. </p>

<p>Fast forward some four decades and I am gainfully employed in international business. The path from then to now was anything but direct, but careers often evolve along unpredictable lines.</p>

<p>I've often regretted not pursuing academia or museum work but I've never regretted my majors. English communication -- oral and written -- is used in just about every career under the sun and the ability to articulate clearly is a bi-product that makes English majors valuable commodities in many fields. Art History is a little more obscure, but the ability to really look, to understand the influences, to evaluate and critique is also transferable to many, many jobs. Plus, wherever your life takes you there will be books and art!</p>

<p>Museum work and any one of a myriad of positions involving the arts are generally not the highest paid positions (but then neither is environmentalism).Having said that many people do build careers around the arts. You will not starve. Most of the people I know who are curators or who work for arts-focused NGO's are decently paid and, most importantly, love their work! </p>

<p>In the higher income bracket but still with a creative connection, are jobs like arts law, advertising, retail. Museum directors are very well paid.</p>

<p>Talk to your campus career center for some ideas. Start now on internships and summer jobs so that you'll better understand the types of jobs that are available.</p>

6

<p>Freshgator, another approach to a career in Art History is to major in Library
Sciences(aka Information Sciences) and minor (or double major) in Art History.
I have two friends who did this,(one with an undergrad in Art History and grad work in Library Sciences), who are VERY successful and have worked all over the world. They have had no problem finding interesting and rewarding work. One is currently employed at the Getty and the other at the Smithsonian. I guess what Im getting at is that you should study two subjects that compliment each other.</p>

7

<p>Just chiming in to say that the advice given in this thread seems pretty sound to me. The only caveat I'd add is that if you're working on your first BA, don't sweat too much over the exact major. You should have some leeway as to what coursework you can do as you go along, and you will probably want a higher degree as well, and that one is more important in terms of a career. If you are interested in an MLIS, you can get there via quite a few different BAs. As the other posters have commented, few people follow a straight line from high school to undgrad to grad to career. There will be twists along the way, so don't worry too much about a small deviation from any supposed ideal.</p>

<p>Best of luck to you.</p>

8

<p>FG, I broadly support everything that others have advised you to do.</p>

<p>(1) Major in what you want to major in, get a well-rounded education including social sciences (history, economics, sociology, anthropology, political science) and don't neglect quantitative skills (math, stats).</p>

<p>(2) Travel abroad -- study abroad if you can, in a non-English-speaking country to develop your foreign language skills (do be sure you're taking foreign languages from freshman year onward, don't wait!).</p>

<p>(3) Your interests are going to evolve. Maintain some flexibility and take that really good/exciting course with the inspirational professor that you're bound to hear about that interests you but may not seem to "fit" your major.</p>

<p>(4) Look for productive work experience and internships while an undergrad, especially during summers. These will help to shape what kind of work, and what kind of work environment, you may want later. </p>

<p>(5) Volunteer some of your time to nonprofits that may be working in areas of interest to you (hey, even environmentally oriented ones). This experience, too, will help you to find work after graduation as well as provide some more substance to your resume. You may even continue this volunteering after you get your first real job.</p>

<p>I'm not an arts person but my daughter is. She studied industrial design in college, worked in it for 4 years, volunteered with "environmental design" (green design, sustainainable design) nonprofits. She found more satisfaction in thinking about green design strategy and policy than making products directly. Now she's about to begin business school (MBA) with a dual degree program in "sustainable enterprise." She'll still be a designer but at a different level of the process.</p>

<p>I'm not saying this is where you will end up, but it illustrates how early career paths can evolve if you have the energy and the initiative to follow your interests and develop your skills and credentials.</p>

9

<p>Depends. Would you groan every day with regret if you chose Environmental Science? Is there anything else you'd like to do? I agree with what the person before me said, your interest will probably expand, so don't limit yourself. Honestly, even though I'm interested in art as well, I can't bring myself to major in pure art studio (for example). I'm probably going with design. That way, I can still surround myself with art, but I'm not doing something I dislike either. If you don't think ES will kill you, then stick it through since you've already started, and have Art History as what you look forward to every day. It is harder to get a job with AH than say...accounting, but it's not impossible either if you have connections. Life can't be all fun and enjoyable, but you don't want to make yourself completely uncontent either. Just my two cents.</p>