"School"?

AMSProductions

AMSProductions

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So, I've been doing some thinking. Too much thinking, honestly. I have no job, no prospects, and no desire to return to the world of retail and that shitty 9-5 world of corporate jargon and mouth-breathing customers. I'm wondering about school, wondering if the good people of home recording have any experience with "formal" education in the field. I'm looking to become an engineer, but I really don't see any reason why I should get a 2 year degree and never see the inside of a studio and then take my little piece of paper around town for a month before ending up right where I am now. However, there is a 10-month program available with the Ohio-Illinois Center For Broadcasting, and it seems like they incorporate many aspects of the term, and that I'd be working hands-on with mixing boards and other type equipment. That, along with the internships they can hook you up with, and also the job placement assistance... Definitely looks appealing. They do, however, focus a few of the classes on talking in front of a microphone or camera (both, really) and I just have no desire to ever do that in my life. I'm not out for fame, I'm out to gain a practical skill that I can use to actually make a career. Summary: Anyone been to Ohio-Illinois Center for Broadcasting, or any similar schools? Suggestions?
 
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If you don't have a job that means you have all the time in the world to do your own studies on sound engineering. Like Spaceboy mention, you're not going to get much jobwise by having program education except the abilities you might learn there. I'm guessing if you have some gear lots of those abilities can be picked up from own experience and reading, or am I wrong?
 
I'm in one right now at a local tech school. It's a 1 1/2 year program and is $3k for the whole program and a total of 12 classes and you go a learn in the studio with a few other people, they don't really advertise the program so it's stays small. But I was talking to one of the instructors one day after I was doing my project for one of the classes, and had mentioned I had wanted to do a little more in studio learning. Saying it's all fine and dandy to read the text book and learn definitions of what compressors do, etc, but it's not time that should be spent behind a board actually tracking and mixing. So I asked if he would allow me to come in and sit in, watch, and help when ever he some smaller clients come in for something, simpler things like voice overs, tracking vocals over a beat. I did that for a few sessions over the weeks continuing the classes and learning a lot over the past 9 months. And lately he's been calling me to come in and help with tracking rock bands which is what I wanted to do. So I'm basically setting up the session, setting up mics etc, and then watching as he tracks behind the console. It became a formal internship 3 weeks ago so I'll be there for the next 6 months learning as much as I can. Doing some b**** work every so often, but it's expected lol.

There are programs like that out there, just search around. Or just try and go help out in a studio and hopefully prove you can work and land a job, even try a production company setting up concerts and shows.
 
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You need to research the job opportunities before you waste your money on this education. Do job shadowing to see what the actual job entails. Audio engineering in anything like a TV or radio station requires a degree AFAIK. How many jobs do you think there are for music studio engineers in the US? You should get a degree or trade in something else and open your own project studio once you have a good job and a place to record.
 
in the end, practical, hands on experience is what will get you wherever you want to be. education is a wonderful thing but whatever you do, don't let it get in the way of real experience.

the best thing about taking a program in audio engineering is that you'll have access to tools you might not have for a long time if you only learned on your own at home, not to mention having access to a professor that you can ask questions of and get a timely response (something that home recording is not so good at).

imo, don't worry about the job market - if its something you want to learn, just get involved. that's what is most important.
 
elbandito said:
imo, don't worry about the job market - if its something you want to learn, just get involved. that's what is most important.
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Yeah just let your parents pay the tuition and living expenses with no return on their investment. Why should you care if you can get a job once you graduate? You won't have to pay it back anyway. Life is good! Have fun! No responsibility!
 
elbandito said:
imo, don't worry about the job market - if its something you want to learn, just get involved. that's what is most important.
Click to expand...

ido1957 said:
Yeah just let your parents pay the tuition and living expenses with no return on their investment. Why should you care if you can get a job once you graduate? You won't have to pay it back anyway. Life is good! Have fun! No responsibility!
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I think what elbandito was getting at is that you can't predict what tomorrow's job market will be like so just because it may not be promising today doesn't mean you shouldn't pursue a particular field. It could change and even if it doesn't, that doesn't mean you can't take the bull by the horns and be determined in making things happen. And along the line, you're still going to have to get a job of some sort !
 
ido1957 said:
Yeah just let your parents pay the tuition and living expenses with no return on their investment. Why should you care if you can get a job once you graduate? You won't have to pay it back anyway. Life is good! Have fun! No responsibility!
Click to expand...

maybe you got an education on your parents dime but I certainly didn't. I paid my own way and struggled all the while. I'm still paying it back, btw and in the end, decided against a career in that field. a lot of kids do it that way and the OP didn't mention how he planned to fund his education.

grimtraveller expounded my point nicely. cost is no reason not to expand one's horizons, imo. for all we know, OP could turn out to be the most sought after engineer in the world! or, he could decide to become a carpenter, only to find that when he's done school, nobody needs another woodworker.
 
When you get a job as an audio engineer in a real studio then remember to come back here and let us know how many paltinum albums you've engineered....
 
I would say education is all a personal thing.

My view, and I'm sure I'll be called dumb for this- but, I basically came to terms with the fact that in the world today I can have the same results coming out of my spare bedroom as the person coming out of full sail (or something similar).
and im not limiting that to the audio field btw.
examples: there are two big mechanics in my town. One is self taught, and one went to a tech school
megadeth came out of a bedroom. dream theater came out of a college.
there is a college educated computer tech, and there is a computer educated computer tech

the same view i have on success is the same view i have on failure.
ex: [x] left his bedroom and went nowhere. [y] left college and went nowhere.

I think a person can have anything they want in life as long as they go get it and don't expect it to come to them.
Whether they want the newspaper, the job at gamestop, the role in the movie, etc.
 
kidkage said:
I would say education is all a personal thing.

My view, and I'm sure I'll be called dumb for this- but, I basically came to terms with the fact that in the world today I can have the same results coming out of my spare bedroom as the person coming out of full sail (or something similar).
and im not limiting that to the audio field btw.
examples: there are two big mechanics in my town. One is self taught, and one went to a tech school
megadeth came out of a bedroom. dream theater came out of a college.
there is a college educated computer tech, and there is a computer educated computer tech

the same view i have on success is the same view i have on failure.
ex: [x] left his bedroom and went nowhere. [y] left college and went nowhere.

I think a person can have anything they want in life as long as they go get it and don't expect it to come to them.
Whether they want the newspaper, the job at gamestop, the role in the movie, etc.
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great post!
 
Yes indeed it's a great post and let's not be ignorant of the fact that we are only here for a very short period of time!
Know what you want in life and don't dilly dally =----> Go for it now!
 
Not to mention...not matter what path you take...you need to also consider what kind of income you need in order to live in whatever style you desire.
 
moresound said:
Is that rule #1?
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It's not really a rule but more like an internalised mode of thinking/reacting based on culture in Scandinavia. Of course very generalizing, but I think it's fair to say that generally people envy others very easily over here so we are careful about talking about the good sides of ourselves.

It is not a good thing :D
 
ido1957 said:
let your parents pay the tuition and living expenses
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Don't you have student loans in Canada? You certainly do so why involve the parents of all things? There is nothing worse than owing your parents money. Not in terms of shame or anything like that but it feels really awful.
 
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