So right now Im working on a BFA in Theatrical Design, emphasis in lighting. I'm about to be a junior and going to graduate Spring 13. I might be asking this a little early, but I just wanted to get some advice. Theres no doubt in my mind that I want to get an MFA in Lighting design. And I'm pretty sure I've narrowed it down to a couple of schools I want to go to. But do you think it's smart to go straight for my MFA right after my bachelors? Or should I take some time first to work in the industry and design some shows outside of school before applying?
Education Advice
- Thread starterShawncfer
- Start date
First of all I'm assuming you have taken the standard advice and are doing as much volunteer and/or paid work outside of college right now as you can. Too many people isolate themselves to just working on university shows while in school. Get out as much outside work as you can. This helps build a resume, connections, and prepare you for real world work.
I got my B.A., got married then spent almost 3 years working full time as a custodian to pay my wife's way through nursing school before going back for my Masters. It was really difficult to leave the working world, and the reliable money, to return to being poor and focused on school. When you start working and decent money starts coming in it's hard to leave that behind and go back to being a student. It's also just hard to discipline yourself back into reading books and doing homework when you've been used to the freedom of not being in school.
So I guess I would say, if you can afford to go to grad school right now do it. As I have said many times, don't get yourself deep in debt trying to get your college degree. I know a couple of technicians who can't afford to work as a technician now because they are paying off their expensive student loan debt. So take a serious look at what grad school will do to your finances and make a choice that will best suit you financially. It's much harder to stop working and go back later. On the other hand if you can't REALLY afford grad school stop now, start working, and never look back.
As always, remember Gaff's rule of education vs. employment:
Get as much education as you can reasonably afford then get to work. Finding a good job in theater is a combination of 3 factors: Education, Hard work/who you impress with your hard work, and dumb luck. Unlike other fields, you don't have to have all three to find a career in tech. The less education you have, the more hard work and luck you need, but you don't have to have an MFA to have a great career. The truth is you don't even need a B.A., but it's going to be a lot more work and you are going to need to get really lucky. I've done a lot of talking to pros about this and some will tell you their degree is the only reason they got their job. However, others will tell you get your B.A. and start working as soon as you can. The will say you are only wasting time and money on the MFA, work is what is most important. 10 years from now no one will ask where you got your degree from or what type of degree you got. They will want to know where you worked and what you did. Thus, the most important thing is to not get yourself way into debt. Get as much education as you can reasonably afford then get to work.
I got my B.A., got married then spent almost 3 years working full time as a custodian to pay my wife's way through nursing school before going back for my Masters. It was really difficult to leave the working world, and the reliable money, to return to being poor and focused on school. When you start working and decent money starts coming in it's hard to leave that behind and go back to being a student. It's also just hard to discipline yourself back into reading books and doing homework when you've been used to the freedom of not being in school.
So I guess I would say, if you can afford to go to grad school right now do it. As I have said many times, don't get yourself deep in debt trying to get your college degree. I know a couple of technicians who can't afford to work as a technician now because they are paying off their expensive student loan debt. So take a serious look at what grad school will do to your finances and make a choice that will best suit you financially. It's much harder to stop working and go back later. On the other hand if you can't REALLY afford grad school stop now, start working, and never look back.
As always, remember Gaff's rule of education vs. employment:
Get as much education as you can reasonably afford then get to work. Finding a good job in theater is a combination of 3 factors: Education, Hard work/who you impress with your hard work, and dumb luck. Unlike other fields, you don't have to have all three to find a career in tech. The less education you have, the more hard work and luck you need, but you don't have to have an MFA to have a great career. The truth is you don't even need a B.A., but it's going to be a lot more work and you are going to need to get really lucky. I've done a lot of talking to pros about this and some will tell you their degree is the only reason they got their job. However, others will tell you get your B.A. and start working as soon as you can. The will say you are only wasting time and money on the MFA, work is what is most important. 10 years from now no one will ask where you got your degree from or what type of degree you got. They will want to know where you worked and what you did. Thus, the most important thing is to not get yourself way into debt. Get as much education as you can reasonably afford then get to work.
I'd say take some time. I'm doing roughly the same, just graduated in december and I'll be doing a couple years or three doing whatever work I can get. This way I end up with some money before my masters as well as some more real experience. Everyone I've talked to said take the time. Yeah you can go right into it and it's not terrible but when you look at it after almost 20 years of education you've got no real work experience (outside of volunteering/freelance jobs etc) and it just gives you a little more diversity, while you've actually practiced what you've learned and applied it in the real world.
First, read this: Theatre Communications Group - American Theatre - January 2011
Second. Watch two Senior Team members disagree:
Personally, I say put the brakes on, go out into the world, and see what its all about. The "real world" is different from even the world of summer stock. You get a taste of it in summer theatre, but its not the same as getting out and doing real work. Added to that, coming out of undergrad you are not really certain about what you want to do. You THINK you know what you want to do, but you don't know. Its not good to sink another 3 years into your education and get out only to realize that you don't like this field or can't make it in this field.
I know at least 4 people with MFA's right now, who are 30 something, and are now trying to go back to school to do something outside of entertainment. They spent a good amount of money on school, and now find themselves without work that can support themselves and their family. Being a designer is very, very, difficult. Universitys are cutting back their programs to pay less instructors, which directly effects most people with MFAs mealticket.
And then on top of all that... You need to have real world experience and have your MFA. If you get out of school, have a few summerstocks under your belt, and have an MFA you are really not that hireable outside of academia. No one is going to turn their show over to you because you don't have a professional resume'. You are going to have to start at the bottom just like everyone else does.
If you wait you also have a better chance of getting into one of the top tier schools. Yale, Carnegie, FSU, and those on that level tend to give higher consideration to people with more experience. They know that a professional with a few years of real world expereince under their belt know what they want out of a program. They will push to get exactly what they want.
Personally, to me, an MFA without real world experience is pretty much useless. College theatre does not work like the real world. If you do decide to get an MFA, you will have to remember that when you get out you won't automatically get the work that you expect. Like everyone else around you, you will have to work your way up. Until you get more experience in the real world, you will have to take production jobs that you are going to feel you are way overqualified. You also have the possibility of not being hired positions because you are over qualified.
Second. Watch two Senior Team members disagree:
Personally, I say put the brakes on, go out into the world, and see what its all about. The "real world" is different from even the world of summer stock. You get a taste of it in summer theatre, but its not the same as getting out and doing real work. Added to that, coming out of undergrad you are not really certain about what you want to do. You THINK you know what you want to do, but you don't know. Its not good to sink another 3 years into your education and get out only to realize that you don't like this field or can't make it in this field.
I know at least 4 people with MFA's right now, who are 30 something, and are now trying to go back to school to do something outside of entertainment. They spent a good amount of money on school, and now find themselves without work that can support themselves and their family. Being a designer is very, very, difficult. Universitys are cutting back their programs to pay less instructors, which directly effects most people with MFAs mealticket.
And then on top of all that... You need to have real world experience and have your MFA. If you get out of school, have a few summerstocks under your belt, and have an MFA you are really not that hireable outside of academia. No one is going to turn their show over to you because you don't have a professional resume'. You are going to have to start at the bottom just like everyone else does.
If you wait you also have a better chance of getting into one of the top tier schools. Yale, Carnegie, FSU, and those on that level tend to give higher consideration to people with more experience. They know that a professional with a few years of real world expereince under their belt know what they want out of a program. They will push to get exactly what they want.
Personally, to me, an MFA without real world experience is pretty much useless. College theatre does not work like the real world. If you do decide to get an MFA, you will have to remember that when you get out you won't automatically get the work that you expect. Like everyone else around you, you will have to work your way up. Until you get more experience in the real world, you will have to take production jobs that you are going to feel you are way overqualified. You also have the possibility of not being hired positions because you are over qualified.
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You know what I love about Footer? We disagree most of the time on educational advice... and yet I almost always end up agreeing that his counter argument is a really good point.
Going out to find yourself for a few years before spending the time and money on an MFA... can't disagree with that line of thinking. He's right, most of us think we know what we want to do with our lives but the odds are very good that your dream will change once you've been out working in the real world for a while.
Many lighting designers are starving for work. It's a small community of designers who can make a decent living at it and the university system is pumping out the competition year after year. So, when you are able to get the work, it will be fairly low pay unless you happen to luck into the next big thing. After all, you can end up with designers like Luc LaFortune who had no training what-so-ever, but just happened to be working with the right people who created the empire of the circus.
Besides acadamia, the only other entity that I have found to request an MFA in theater are larger reperatory theater companies. Some of the city or other government run properties will often want an MFA or equivalent experience, so even there you don't "need" to spend the money on the degree. So, do you really get a good return on your investment? Consider this, a student studying law or business will often spend the same amount for their Master's degree that you do in theater, but consider the starting and ending wage in comparisson including the actual need for the higher education.
On the other hand, if you decided to go into a Master's program for Theater Administration (business) or Technical Direction (especially corporate or facility direction), then I think that you would have much more viable employment opportunities after graduation. Even still, I have to agree that you need to get out and get work experience between your undergraduate and graduate degree, even if it is extremely difficult to get yourself back in school after making the contacts and working your way up the ladder.
Besides acadamia, the only other entity that I have found to request an MFA in theater are larger reperatory theater companies. Some of the city or other government run properties will often want an MFA or equivalent experience, so even there you don't "need" to spend the money on the degree. So, do you really get a good return on your investment? Consider this, a student studying law or business will often spend the same amount for their Master's degree that you do in theater, but consider the starting and ending wage in comparisson including the actual need for the higher education.
On the other hand, if you decided to go into a Master's program for Theater Administration (business) or Technical Direction (especially corporate or facility direction), then I think that you would have much more viable employment opportunities after graduation. Even still, I have to agree that you need to get out and get work experience between your undergraduate and graduate degree, even if it is extremely difficult to get yourself back in school after making the contacts and working your way up the ladder.
I can't tell you what's going to be the best option for you; only you can decide that in the end. What I can tell you is that I majored in dance, am working as a Lighting Director, and have changed my mind about what kind of career I want to have in this industry at least 5 times, and I'm only 25. I may end up going for my MFA, I may not; I change my mind about THAT at least once a week. Every new job and every new experience expands my view and feelings about my career and the industry, and with it continuously changes my goals and aspirations for the future.
I guess what I'm trying to say is that it might be worth your while to explore and learn about other aspects of the industry than your corner of the world. There's more to lighting than just theatre design, some which you may or may not find even more interesting and fulfilling than you ever imagined. And if you do decide to go for your MFA, make **** sure that there is ZERO doubt in you mind that this is the path you want to make, because that's a pretty expensive mistake to make!
I guess what I'm trying to say is that it might be worth your while to explore and learn about other aspects of the industry than your corner of the world. There's more to lighting than just theatre design, some which you may or may not find even more interesting and fulfilling than you ever imagined. And if you do decide to go for your MFA, make **** sure that there is ZERO doubt in you mind that this is the path you want to make, because that's a pretty expensive mistake to make!
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