help

J

jhsatt

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Need some major help. My son is hot on Full Sail for their recording arts degree. I don't see it. I think they prey on kids and walk with their 45K+. If I spent 1/2 that in a dedicated building, could a smart kid learn enough of this stuff on his own to earn a living? On his own or with someone else? He already does recording on his midi and computer set up. thanks Jeff
 
jhsatt said:
Need some major help. My son is hot on Full Sail for their recording arts degree. I don't see it. I think they prey on kids and walk with their 45K+. If I spent 1/2 that in a dedicated building, could a smart kid learn enough of this stuff on his own to earn a living? On his own or with someone else? He already does recording on his midi and computer set up. thanks Jeff
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My personal suggestion, and I may not be the best person to ask since I'm starting my music technology degree this fall, is that he get some education on recording. Although, that's no guarantee that he'll get to work in a studio, it's really difficult to get a decent job in the professional biz right now from what I gather.
A degree would give him the extra oopmh on a resume, as well as set him up with the right connections to snag a job.
It's not impossible to learn this stuff on your own, just really difficult and would require alot of self discipline to concentrate on it every day. For me I need structure or I won't follow through.
It will also be difficult for him to get an internship without any experience, which is where a degree comes in handy.
If you are concerned about Full Sail not being legit, then perhaps a good compromise with your son is for him to get a recording degree from a local college. There are a ton that offer great programs, I'm going to Indiana University Purdue University Indianapolis myself. This route would also give him some general education classes and a minor to fall back on in case the recording thing doesn't work out.
My advisor at IUPUI strongly recommended I stay away from Full Sail and others like it, though I wouldn't know first hand, but I do trust her. She said alot of horror stories of kids not getting jobs when completing Full Sail programs.
Good luck
James
 
I think that a degree in Audio Engineering would be great, but from what I've heard, most of these guys got their start from doing mostly internships under the masters, and the degree don't mean squat if you don't have an ear for the craft.

In this time and with our economy (and the fact that computer based recording and mixing has shut down a lot of major studios), I think you would be better off steering him toward something he can make an actual living at, and save the music for a hobby.
 
Rokket said:
I think that a degree in Audio Engineering would be great, but from what I've heard, most of these guys got their start from doing mostly internships under the masters, and the degree don't mean squat if you don't have an ear for the craft.

In this time and with our economy (and the fact that computer based recording and mixing has shut down a lot of major studios), I think you would be better off steering him toward something he can make an actual living at, and save the music for a hobby.
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Kinda what I was meaning. I was suggesting the audio education as a means to get into a studio. Most colleges will tell you straight up that after graduation you'll start out with low pay and work your way up to a rewarding career. With the economy, and homerecording its very hard now to get an internship, education gives you the extra edge.
But yes, I am very strongly inclined to say he will be better off with a more practical degree.
As for me, well I'm a dreamer hoping to be living the dream one day. But even then I'm not taking a strict audio engineering program, its music technology which employes various cutting edge technological practices with an emphasis on music. In otherwords I'll be able to write computer software and troubleshoot various technologies, I'll just be familiar with rewriting finale or other music programs. I think this gives me more options instead of just record or die. A safety net if you will.
James
 
I'm currently in school going for my bachelors in audio production. And then my masters in music composition. If I wanted to be a rockstar recording engineer, I dont think I would be in school. I'd be doing exactly what you suggested and getting a studio and making a lot of connections in a culturally musical area. But I'm getting this kind of education so I can be a teacher not a golden record producer.

This is not a lucrative business for many at all. To spend so much money on a dream is difficult to fathom, since the first things required are an innate ability and a hell of a lot of drive. If you don't think your son has these, Full Sail or even opening a studio might not be a good idea just yet. At least if you don't want him living with you till he's 35.

I think Rokket's post has a lot of merit. If you think your son can actually be successful doing it, it's worth doing .. but be aware his chances are limited. It may be good to first have some sort of alternate plan.
 
didgijimmy said:
so to me that list is pretty uninspiring for a school that focusus on audio.
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Pretty uninspiring since it's the most well known school for audio...

And I've had an small internship without a degree, so what real clout does "internship" have.
 
didgijimmy said:
Man, some helpful threads, but I gotta say thats a pretty small list on the Full Sail site. Not everyone will be a success, but they listed dudes with internships, not even full fledged jobs, so to me that list is pretty uninspiring for a school that focusus on audio.
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sorry i'm late in responding to this.

well, it's not a comprehensive list of EVERYBODY. It's mostly of people who have responded to e-mails from the counseling department asking how they have been doing and where they are currently working at. I know this because the guys I know (and myself) who ARE still working in the industry aren't listed on that page. And truth is, half those people who are listed as interns probably aren't interns anymore anyway.

Many people will have you believe that the studio world is all glitz and glamor and you'll be working in huge recording studios with big name clients. The truth is the industry is struggling for most people because a lot of cities have smaller studios who are fighting the recession right now. I know of two studios in my town who have been having troubles...one of them has hardly any work and another sold their studio to another studio. Luckily my company has a video production/post side to keep us a float. But even the video only companies in my town are struggling.

You'll need to understand that just because you have a degree doesn't mean you'll skip the internship phase. Interning isn't just for people who don't know how to work the equipment...it's also a period of time where the studio learns to trust the kid coming in. Unless you have a demo and years of experience under your belt, most people won't trust you with millions of dollars of equipment right off the bat. Luckily my internship was only two weeks and it was paid.
School is what you make of it. It is an expensive school...so if you can't afford it, don't go there. There are other opportunities. But don't go there also if you don't have the desire to push yourself. Like it was stated above, this industry has few opportunities available, and only the ones who can stand out will survive.

GL
 
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