is it at all possible for me to
switch between the two careers? my plan, as it stands now, is to get my BA do tech work for a few years (pay down some loans, and meet people, firm up my knowledge i
gain in college [heh, that rhymes]), adn then go somewhere (possibly London) for my MFA and then possibly get some quick work teching so i can further pay down loans and such, while looking for a design job. and if i find i don't really like it or what not, then go back to tech work (and who knows from there, at least i have the next probably 10 years outlined, a lot better than some college students!). is that feasible? once i get my MFA should i not take any tech work and just live in abject poverty while i find something to do with designing?
also how hard are good (read: reasonably well paying, ie i can pay of my student loans and not eat Kraft Dinner morning noon and night?) tech jobs to come by out of college, and how hard are are design jobs to come by with an MFA? (in the realm of concerts at least, as that is currently where my interest is)
In short, you can pretty much make whatever you want of your career. If you want to do some tech and do some design, you can. If you find you like one better than the other you can stick to it.
There are many schools of though on finding design jobs. I know that I have classmates who went out right after college as freelance designers and have had steady work. On the other
hand, some people say you should get in as an assistant to a known designer as they can help you make contacts, continue to teach you, and get your name out there.
It is really up to you. You may find a
theatre that is looking for a designer/ME so you could get the best of both worlds. As for finding good jobs, they are out there and there are plenty, surf ArtSearch, BackstageJobs, Playbill.com,
etc, and you will see that there is always a company looking for people.
Graduating college and moving on with life is daunting, but we all have done it, or will. Some find it easier than others. I suppose the thing about working in this industry is that often you have to be willing to move to take a job, you can't always say, "well I want to be in my home state." Sometimes the "perfect" job will take you across the country or across the world.
The other thing that you have to pay attention to is what you have to do to move up in the world. It may be great to take an ME position at a
theatre, but it also may mean that if you want to move up you may have to move out. Sometimes taking the cable wrangling job at a larger
venue may provide you a means to work up the ladder and maybe even become the designer for the place.
There are a lot of angles to take, and I am sure that as you have more questions, we will be happy to help as we can. Those of us out working have faced the decision process you are looking at.