Graduating from college is sticky business too~ A little advice?

[overclocked~fox~]

Warning: This is kind of long. Though this is about graduating from university I hope some can find it helpful.

My problem is choosing a major.

Here is the thing. My parents are nagging at me to graduate college. And they want me to chose a major of course

Say I do chose a major.
I thought it would be normal to explore what i want to do in college.

This is what I was told before I got into college. "hahaha its okay you'll find out what you like"

Sccreew the person that told me that. Seriously. Lies. I want to get out.

I feel rushed.. But I dont want to chose the wrong focus.
Honestly when will I ever get to go an expensive art college again?

I want stability.. But at the same time all I've had is internships... They were more like week-long commissions than actual internships too.

Do you think it would be good to force myself to commission and juggle school at the same time? Some people tell me no, some people tell me yes.

I'm taking it seriously. I have to admit though, its really easy to get blinded by your homework and forget the fact that your graduating..This is especially true for me at least.


My teachers talk about it all so vageuly. "Just do extra stuff for yourself on your own time." Was what I did enough? Is it REALLY going to take me where I need to go?

Am I wasting my time spending 3 hours watching a movie after I get home?
Is 3 hours thrown away at a bar 3 hours wasted?

edit: what sort of habits describe going above and beyond with the "extra stuff"? What is the average way people deal with the "extra stuff" ? What is a mediocre way to approach "extra stuff"?

My interests include:

Character design/ Environment painting

Story-boarding

Producing..
My school happens to have a great producers program.

(((Just fyi.. being a producer means getting paid alright and having a little control over making sure a project is marketable, audience friendly and well budgeted... plus I'll get to work with people and motivate people... I'd be good at that. I read a book on producing animation and it sounds like a dream job for me. ))

But then so does everything..

I figure.. If I can draw.. I can do any of those things (Storyboarding, background painting.)

Then again what if producing is right for me after all?

My savings are running low.. Though I get lots of grant money my parents stopped helping me a year and half ago.

I cant help but think this is the last time I'll ever have money to be in school. How can I pay to take classes later when im a starving artist?

I want to do the right thing now and go in the right direction.

And there's the other thing that's bothering me..going in a completely different direction.. It calls to me and i am scared if i miss out.. Of wasting time doing the wrong thing. Mostly of wasting time.

Being a producer does not have to be an evil thing (as so many directors say). I want to find talent and give them the opportunity to be in the spotlight.. Yet make sure that genius is not shutting out a general audience. I know it sounds tricky and maybe too bold? But its like .. my dream. This is what a producer has the POTENTIAL to do for people.. amirite?

So these are the reasons why im scared of just sticking with illustration.

<:^) Please be nice to the noob. I dont mind a sincere asskicking with good intent, but please be respectful and nice to the noob.

[Storyboard Dave]

Fret not. We were all noobs at one point. Just be prepared for some very frank observations from me.

One of the things I ask my students (soon to be art school grads) is to find their niche. Obviously they chose art school to begin with many years ago- and that was based upon a passion to draw. So tap into that passion again! And just apply it for the next stage of your life- which would be your career.

But don't think just because you try one route (or as in student's cases, one major) that you're not locked into it forever. If you don't like your career path, simply put- change it. While I might make it sound awfully simplistic, I don't mean to. I know there are finances, family, roots, loans, debts, and all sorts of other things to take into consideration- I'm asking you to make more of a mental switch. If you don't like your current position- do something about it. Not all Illustration majors become illustrators or concept artists and there's no shame in that. People change their focus in college and do so in life too! Ultimately you've got to find what's going to make you happy.

Bully for you if you know what you want before, during and after college- but part of the cool thing about school is that you're allowed to experiment and royally f*** up and not have it affect your career. You can settle for the C+ in school whereas working professionals can't. So yeah, while you're in school- try different things; explore! You'll never know where it might end up and how it can influence you. One of these days after you've sunk down some roots, you'll wish for that freedom again.

You want stability? HA! It's all a fallacy. Who's more secure- the guy who works 40+ hours a week for The Man (regular paycheck), but can get canned any minute or the freelance guy (sporadic paycheck) that jumps from one gig to another never knowing where his next meal ticket is coming from? I've seen guys who are making six figures regularly nervous as can be and I've also seen people up to their eyeballs in debt look serene as can be. Security is what you make of it.

One thing I would seriously have you do is to find that goal again. Narrow your focus. College is just a stepping stone for the lifelong career so I agree that don't make homework the do-all, end-all of your existence. Keep an eye on a long term goal. Understand the market that you're going into. Who can use your skills? How can you get compensated for your knowledge and skills??

And once you understand that market, how are you going to approach them? You can't be shy. Understand their culture, their needs and then make sure your portfolio shows off those skill sets that they're looking for. Give them exactly what it is they're looking for. This applies to whether you're looking for full time work or freelance gigs.

But please go through life with some sense of purpose and confidence. Try to think of every decision you make as the best one you can at that given moment. Of course you can always look back with 20/20 vision and wish that you could've done things better but in the mean time, make the best informed decisions you can about art, life, dinner, or whatever. Trust your gut- you've made it this far. Have faith in yourself and don't go through life with any regrets.

So if this sounds more philosophical than what you wanted, forgive me. Your request for a reply seemed a little more open ended as well.

Good luck with it all!

[Storyboard Dave]

Just remember that life is too damn short to be stuck with a miserable job. You want a career out of all this!