2 Year VS 4 Year College

  • Thread starter Thread starter Jerzy Piff
  • Start date Start date
J

Jerzy Piff

New member
So basically Im tryna work in a studio and pretty soon open my own (technically I have one but I mean a real high tech one). I also want to do maybe copywrighting, publishing, and other legal shit to make money. Now heres my two choices Im at a community college now (only took english in the summer) and I can get a two year degree in Music Recording Technology which is pretty much just recording and stuff like that, but Im looking at York College of PA and they have a 4 year program in Music Industry and Recording Technology. So its obvious the 4 year program would be better if it was free but you no how that is. So I guess what Im asking is it really worth it 2 go thru all the hassle of student loans and all that for a 4 year degree.

Some Courses

2 Year: Piano, Pro Tools, Finale, Notation, but its pretty much just pro tools after you do the piano first semester

4 Year: Intros in Public Relations, Commercial Song Writing, Entertainment and Promotion, Marketing, Management, Small Business Ventures, a Internship, plus everything in the 2 year

Do you think I can just learn all the business things myself through books and trial and error or naw. I do have a good business sense lol.
 
Doesn't sound like a great answer, but only you or someone who knows you very well can tell you what your best choice is.

I have a bit of a gripe with audio production education, cos i figure it's such a competitive industry that to have any chance of success, you need to be the kind of person who 'just gets it', or is able to teach himself through trial and error and a constant will to learn.

Obviously that's a pretty bold statement though, i'm not saying that it's pointless to study.

I've just finished 3 years and got the degree, but to be honest, i feel like i did a whole lot of proving what i know, and a little tiny bit of learning stuff.
If you're the kind of person who's keen, you'll always find questions to ask and people to learn from, but personally, if i'd been paying for my course i'd feel a little robbed.

From your OP, it sounds like maybe you should be getting as much real world recording experience as possible, whilst taking a nightcourse in business.

Any one else got any thoughts?
 
word i mean for the most part i no how to record use plug-ins and most hardware if not i can figure it out. ive done the soundboards on church before and have used a hardware recording device before i switched to pc. i dont no i guess its just good to have it in paper i dont no
 
You're right; It's always good to have something on paper.

That said, i don't have a job yet :p
 
A Bachelors degree is what a high school degree used to be on the job market. An Associates degree is a good start and fortunately almost all of your credits are transferable into a four year program if you transfer right away.
You can certainly make a living and be successful without a college degree if all you want to do is work in the recording industry, but if you should want to go into a different profession or take another fork in the road within the industry, having a college degree will not hurt you and it can certainly help.

The option is to get by making excuses for not having a degree and watching less talented people get hired for the better paying jobs because the have that piece of paper. This won't be a problem if you are working as a grunt in some small community studio, but if you want to go further and maybe some day teach at a music school after you've earned a reputation in the field, having a college degree is a definite advantage. I am a college teacher and have been for about 30 years.
 
Well my belief is that recording can be taught but doesn't necessarily need to be, since so many people pick it up on their own. When I took classes for audio at the local community college the class was to crowded and most of what was being taught I had already learned on my own. The only thing that I felt I took from that class was a knowledge of using protools. I think that it would be fine to only have an associates in audio engineering, What do studio's that you've researched look for?
 
Be aware that, if the USA is anything like the UK, there are degrees and DEGREES. Some courses command a lot of industry respect while others are just pieces of paper.

If you were in the UK, I'd point you towards the University of Surrey "TONMEISTER" course which turns out superbly qualified people who tend to be snapped up. Or, for the live side of things, the University of Derby SOUND LIGHT AND LIVE EVENT TECHNOLOGY course also has a great industry reputation and graduates tend to get good jobs.

I'm sure similar things apply in the US...so, rather than just thinking about the length of the course, also do some research on what the industry thinks of the graduates.

Bob
 
I graduate end of the year. I"m happy I did the extra 2 years, I've been doing audio for a long time before starting school. The first two years I didn't learn much I didn't already know but the last two years opened me up to post production for tv and film, audio for gaming, audio for the web, etc. Things I haven't previously dealt with. So I guess it depends on the courses your taking. As far business yes you can learn that on your own, but having a teacher makes its easier because you have someone you can ask questions to if you don't understand something
 
I'm currently in a PhD program. Never had ambitions to be in school this long, but every time I enter a new program, I enter with naive visions of what a life in my new field would be like. Then after a couple year of classes and I realize that it's interesting material, but not necessarily what I want to spend my life doing; or that it's not practical. Often I hit the wall of: Yes, my dream job does exist, but only a few people in the world have that job, and you gotta know somebody and have the timing just right to get that job.

A two-year degree won't give you much flexibility if you decide it's not what you want to do. Or if you get a significant other and he/she has a job or family situation that only allows them to live in a city where your desired job does not exist. You never know what'll happen.

A two-year degree will teach you more about what you already know. A four-year degree will teach you about things you currently aren't aware of. Again, I never had ambitions to be in college for 10 years, but it's been mostly good. I've worked hard, but not so hard I burned out. I've been able to sustain it, and now I think, even if I drop out, I have a masters degree and that ain't bad. If I had gone for technical training to learn more about my hobbies ten years ago, I'd probably be bored and stuck. Now I feel like I can do whatever I want to do.

Then again, if you dread the thought of a 4 year program, don't do it. Two years of fun is preferable to four years of misery. Personally, I took 5 years for my 4 year program because I was having perhaps a little too much fun...
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top