Serious input only please

[Sweettart29]

Serious input only please

I need everyone input....

the other day I was screwing around and filled out something for the Art Institute of Philadephia online to get my associates degree in graphic design...The school is accredited, and I actually went ahead and applied for the stafford loan to see if I would actually get anything..I got the phone call today and I got approved for 9,310 through the stafford loan for the first year. They gave me three options to look over and figure out what looked good, option 1 was graduate in 2011 and pay a little over 9,000.00 out of pocket...option 2 was graduate in the fall of 2011 and pay out of pocket little over 4,000 and option 3 is graduate in the winter of 2013 and pay $308 out of pocket....

This is where I need some input...I would love to do this and go through with it and actually have something to fall back on or even chance careers, but I would have to apply for the stafford loan every year and right now as I see it if I go and do this I would have to do option 3 cuz that is the most financially available option, but I am not sure if I can handle a loan payment after graduation in the amount of 45,000.00+ I actually have to tell you I am scared to death of this decision and I have not been scared of anything at all before in my life....Just the thought of a student loan scares me and knowing that in about 4 years I am going to have a son who wants to go to college and then a few years later two more kids who want to go to college...

So what should I do....HELP

 

[juaneye]

get your education, and when your kids are old enough to go you tell them to get their own money for school. tell them you will help them with books and food, a place to stay while getting passing grades. college is not for every one, so if they want it bad enough they can pay their own way. that's the way it has happened for generations, unless one's family is loaded and can send them.

 

[Preacher]

Hey, PM with info on what exactly you want from Graphic Design and maybe I can help..... MAYBE.......

 

[shaqdeezl]

Go to school. The payments will be minimal once you graduate (you will pay nothing while enrolled at least half-time) and you will be living your dream. That's a VERY small price to pay.

 

[txjustin]

^^Exactly what Shaq said! You dont want to have regrets when you're old and disabled...just do it!

 

[Package]

Do you see yourself in your job in 5 years and do you like it, if yes , stay ,,,if not time to make a move

 

[Sweettart29]

Do you see yourself in your job in 5 years and do you like it, if yes , stay ,,,if not time to make a move

I absolutely LOVE what I am doing....I have learned a lot about the business also...The funny thing is that since getting this job I actually look at things like the tv and computer, okay well everything differently....If something breaks like the kids toy or something like that I will take it apart find the board and see if I can figure out who fabricated it....Yes they put their little emblem on it somewhere in the silkscreening....I actually thought that if I ever left my job I would start my own parts supplier business, cuz I can honestly find any part that is needed even if it is not available I can find the exact replacement....So in a few words yes I love my job....

 

[Phreezer]

Be very careful with graphic design.. My wife has a four year Graphic arts degree. She designed full page lay out adds for one of the largest phone books in the country. They paid her $14 an hour with a 4 year degeree. She actually took a promotion/job in a new city. We got an apartment there, signed a lease. She was living there and I was living here trying to get my transfer to go through.. long story short and about three months and a lot of bull shit later .They downsized and eliminated her position. She has been trying like crazy for the last few weeks to find a job in the graphic arts field and can't find anything. Apparently, advertising related fields are the first to feel the economic down turn crunch.

She had to take a clerical job making $11 an hour just so we can make ends meet. She hates her job as all she does is input data into excel and spreadsheets every day all day long.

If you're going to spend that kind of money make sure it's for something you really want to do.. and make sure there is a job market out there for it.. Not to sound condescending but there are a million graphic artists out there who work dirt cheap so you might find it tough to make a good living in that field as employers don't pay well for those jobs because they get so many applicants for one position.

Another example. My wife responded to an add in Kansas city about a graphic art designer to lay out coupon adds in the Kansas city star newspaper (that big ass insert that comes once a week on sundays). When she called, the human resources person told her he wasn't accepting any more applicatons and to not even bother sending in her portfolio and resume. He said within three days of the add being listed he had already received 70 portfolios from people wanting the job and he just didn't have time to filter through any more additional portfolios. And this was for a $12 an hour job. Over 70 Graphic artists applying for a $12 an hour job in three days... It's a very tough market in that field, so again... I'd think it over very carefully.

Best of luck!

 

[MorganKane]

I have seen tons of resumes (work) for students graduating from the Arts institute of Houston. I think thats the same "chain" as the one you are looking at.

One HUGE problem with the school is that they will take any student regardless of artistic talent. Trust me you need artistic talent. The will teach them how to use the tools (director, photoshop, etc( but that does not help someone that does not have one inkling of artistic talent. The work they produce just suck, I feel sorry for someone that just spend a small fortune on an education in a field where they have no talent. Sure they know director well but can put together anything worthy of viewing.

I understand that you might want to do this but MAKE sure you actually have artistic talent. I have employed designers for the last 9 years and I can tell you this - its very few thats actually good and very few that can make a good living.

If you have the talent then go for it, just understand this is not one of those jobs where you can learn how to do it. You must have artistic talent to be good. I have absolutely none myself, I thought I did but I dont.

You must be able to create....and if you do you will have tons of fun in that school I think.

 

[Bigkarch]

have you tried for grants rather than loans....if you can sustain how your living....go for the later days as time goes by, the economy will get better in a few years...

 

[Phreezer]

My wife has a 4 year degree from a state university with a minor in marketing. So what you're saying is very true.

my wife has a website for her freelance work and was recently contacted by a small magazine out of St.Louis that runs medical articles, ads and herbal stuff wanting her to design and lay out adds for the magazine. Mind you she normally charges $75-$150 per add depending on the complexity but she needed the work so she bid the adds at $50 a piece because she had just gotten laid off. My wife is a good graphic artist and this guy actually emailed her back and told her she was too expensive at $50 per add. These adds were complex adds too. He told he found someone who would do them for $15 an add. There were only an average 10-14 adds per issue and they were full color adds that had to be designed from scratch. (which for a graphic artist who actually wanted to make them look nice and professional would require about 1-3 hours per add depending on the complexity..

So you have people who aren't that talented who are willing to spend 25-30 hours per week working on something for $150.... I'm sure he'll find out the hard way that good art isn't cheap and cheap art isn't good.

You get what you pay for.

I have seen tons of resumes (work) for students graduating from the Arts institute of Houston. I think thats the same "chain" as the one you are looking at.

One HUGE problem with the school is that they will take any student regardless of artistic talent. Trust me you need artistic talent. The will teach them how to use the tools (director, photoshop, etc( but that does not help someone that does not have one inkling of artistic talent. The work they produce just suck, I feel sorry for someone that just spend a small fortune on an education in a field where they have no talent. Sure they know director well but can put together anything worthy of viewing.

I understand that you might want to do this but MAKE sure you actually have artistic talent. I have employed designers for the last 9 years and I can tell you this - its very few thats actually good and very few that can make a good living.

If you have the talent then go for it, just understand this is not one of those jobs where you can learn how to do it. You must have artistic talent to be good. I have absolutely none myself, I thought I did but I dont.

You must be able to create....and if you do you will have tons of fun in that school I think.