<p>EmsDad, I guess I never quite looked at it in the way you are mentioning. I saw my kid as getting a college degree and while she hopes to have a career in musical theater (so far so good!), if she didn’t, that would be OK too because a college degree typically (no matter the major) is a pre-requisite for a lot of jobs. A lot of jobs that people have are not always related to their college major, but employers like to have educated workers and train them on the job (in some areas, not all). A theater major brings various skills to an employer…leadership skills, self-confidence, concentration, goal-orientation, self-discipline, ability to work under pressure, flexibility, ability to learn quickly, promptness, respect for deadlines, collaboration skills, motivation, commitment, creativity, problem solving skills, ability to take direction, and oral communication skills. So, like with ANY major, a person with a college degree is employable in many fields, not just the field of their major. As well, within the theater/arts field, there are many jobs that are non-performance type jobs where having a background in performance comes in handy (i.e., working in a casting office, working for a theater company, teaching theater to kids). So, in terms of JOBS, I felt that my kid’s college degree in MT was as good as any college degree. Many people do not work in the same field as their college major. </p>
<p>Also, not all college BFA programs are the same. At my kid’s college program (NYU/Tisch), there were a significant amount of liberal arts courses. My kid read and wrote many papers in college and didn’t just train in the studio. She became educated. She happens to also like academics. Not all BFA in MT programs are 90% training and so if this matters to your kid, seek out programs that have significant liberal arts as part of the degree.</p>
<p>Also, some people have more skills beyond performing on stage. I know my kid does…in her case, she is an excellent writer and also an accompanist, musical director, composer, teacher/coach, and can and does earn money doing those things, as well as performing on stage. She can do more than sing, act, and dance. Her four years in college involved gaining experience in all those areas. Maybe some other kid has a different combo of skills…like she has friends who trained as MT performers who also have experience (for pay) as directors, choreographers, costumers, stage managers, theater/music teachers, etc. all while they also pursue their performing careers. </p>
<p>While I hope my kid can continue to perform and work in the field of musical theater, I didn’t send her to college only with the goal in mind that she get a job in MT when she got out (let alone makes it to Broadway). I didn’t care what my kids majored in. They got fine educations. They pursued their interests. So far, every job they have held has been in their chosen fields. But if they weren’t and they got a different job, that would be OK too. </p>
<p>I never thought I was going to be sending my kid to college for MT and she’d come out simply waiting tables. I do not know what the future holds, but so far, every single job she has done since graduating college has been in theater and music. I would say that the majority of her friends she went to Tisch with are also doing the same. Some juggle theater/music with an unrelated survival job at the same time. Her so called “survival” jobs are all in the field of music/theater. </p>
<p>I feel every penny of her college education was worth it (will still be paying it out for a number of years to go) and I’d feel that way even if she never got a job in MT because she got an education and I feel that in both life and in terms of employment, an education will be beneficial. The idea of not going to college never arose in my kids’ minds. The goal was never simply to get a job. College by itself was worth it for its own sake. Fortunately, they have gotten jobs as well. My kids also know we will not support them when not in school and we haven’t (though we fully took responsibility for the time they were in college and they are not paying for it). </p>
<p>You mention the “payback” for the cost of attending a BFA in MT and to me, the payback has been that my kid received a really good education, as well as honed her MT training, had a great four years of growth, and is happy. No college degree is the guarantee of a job. I don’t measure college’s worth by the payback of what job is attained. That said, so far my kid is pursuing her dreams and in her area of passion and supporting herself in this field.</p>
<p>I think one’s view of all this might be skewed by whether one sees college as “job training” or as an “education.” I see it as the latter. A kid can major in English, History, Classics, etc. and these are not necessarily job training but they become more educated. An educated person is employable. The importance of one’s undergraduate major is not the main thing, in my view, but the overall education itself. I really don’t care what my kids majored in. They got an education and while in college, did concentrate in one area but also learned many other things too. Also, in today’s world, a college education is like a basic and one often goes to grad school and for some, education doesn’t stop with an undergraduate degree. My BFA in MT kid is not going to grad school (but some do!) and my kid who got a BA is going to grad school, as did my husband and I.</p>