The cost is prohibitive, but she really wanted to go for it so I began the scholarship search. As I was researching stuff I came across an article about this career path that was discouraging at best.
It said a degree is not necessary to break into this career, but can be helpful. Most all the good jobs are in big cities like New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, Houston etc. There is a lot of competition for jobs in this area. A person who wants work in Advertising Art has to be willing to work long hours and go on little sleep.
She doesn't want to live in a big city and long hours and little sleep doesn't match her body's needs for sleep.
Now she is having second thoughts. She has decided to work for a year after high school, put money away and think about what she wants to do before embarking on an educational path. Wise decision, I think.
This has taken a huge load off my shoulders as I was starting to spend hours each day hunting for scholarships for her to apply for. It was time consuming and was starting to consume time I needed to be doing other things. The essays and time on her end was cutting into her school work as she is juggling a part time job with school now.
We do not know where God may lead her for her future, but I am relieved that she wants to wait and do some more research. I think it is a very wise idea. I would hate to see her jump into something, spend a lot of money and time getting educated in it only to find it wasn't a good match for her after all.
I did that with dental assisting. Spent money and time getting educated to become a dental assistant only to discover that I hated the job. God was merciful though and I was able to find a dental x ray job where I worked pretty much by myself and I was able make up the money spent on the technical college to get the training. God's hand was at work in this. I was hired to do the dental x-ray job by the oral surgeon who had done my jaw surgery 5 years earlier. I believe since he was already familiar with me that it had a bearing on his choice to hire me.
A lot of kids aren't able to actually find a position in their field of training that suits them, so the education goes wasted. I know some who have gone through almost all the schooling for elementary education but when they got to the student teaching near the end, they discovered they hated it and dropped out or had to change their major which meant extra time, money and classes to make up for what wasn't already included in the education major. That is a tragedy. What a waste of time and money.
I went away to three years of Bible college at what is now Corban University in Salem, OR. I got an AA Degree in Theology. I went mainly for the experience of living away from home. I only planned to go for a year but ended up staying for three because I loved it and decided to work toward the AA Degree.
An AA Degree in Theology seems a bit silly in terms of a future career, doesn't it? My husband said he thought is was a useless degree when he first heard that was what my degree was. He thought, how on earth will that be useful for anything? Now, he has changed his tune.
Sure, when it comes to bringing in the bacon, it's not very useful. But since I am a wife, mom, home school teacher and full time homemaker anyway, the degree wasn't going to be needed to make money (however, I didn't know that at the time, hence my training in the dental assistant field).
But it has become very useful for me in life to have had that training. My degree covered the study of God, Bible study methods, public speaking, Biblical counseling, research methods, creative writing, Pastoral Epistles and other subjects that have proved useful to me as I write devotionals, speak at Bridal showers, study my Bible, counsel people who have confided in me etc. My education to get the AA Degree in theology was not wasted. I have never regretted the time and money spent to get it. Nor have I ever regretted the experience of living away from home for a period of time where I had to make my own decisions and manage my own time.
Sometimes, one just never knows how God will lead and how He will use various experiences and education in our lives in the future.
3 comments:
Hey Marsha, I wonder if dd could take some photo/advertising classes at the local community college. It'd be way, way cheaper, and it would give her more information about photography careers--and careers in art. From what I've seen she has a great deal of talent, and God could certainly use that in many ways. . .
One thing I saw that was really cool, is that when we were in Mexico a professional photographer came and took some great pictures of normal things. Then, they were put up on the mission's website so anyone could use them. (He gave permission). It was so very nice to have photos--good photos--to use in our publications, and presentations.
Another field for photography is in journalism--and every small town newspaper needs at least one photographer. And, I suspect there's lots of small town work that needs doing, but it may not be as lucrative as the big cities, but has other wonderful benefits.
Hi Marsha,
I completely understand the dilemma facing Sarah. It's so hard to know which direction to go.
Regarding photography, and further education in general, there are many camps that all say something a little bit different. Ultimately, regardless of education, God will move Sarah where He wants her to be. I have a gal in the flickr 365 group who is a little older than Sarah, was homeschooled, is highly talented in her photography and God seems to be moving her into her own business. She has had senior portraits and weddings offered to her and has done beautiful work. She is slowly becoming more recognized for her work. She's all of 21 or so and is already producing fantastic work. She has no formal education in her photography, other than a few workshops. She has not appeared to strive for any of it, but has instead allowed God to move her into it and provide opportunities, opening doors as He chooses.
There are a few other people on the flickr group as well that are moving into photography at different levels, from news paper sports photography to working for yearbook companies taking student photo's. I don't believe any of them have been formally educated in the field of photography. Most of them seem to just do what they do and are pursued by others to join the photography work force. That doesn't mean they don't promote their work, but they just don't appear to be jostling about for position in the photographic world. They just do their thing and get noticed.
While I wouldn't say upper level education is worthless, I would say that I think it's highly over rated and that we put way too much stock in it. I firmly believe that God will move His people where He wants them, regardless of their education. I also think it's unwise to spend thousands of dollars on an education unless you absolutely have to.
I did not go to college, and while I have struggled at times with the stigma of society believing it is ultra important, I firmly believe that God has used me more fully than I would have ever imagined. I've studied His word, counseled other's, ministered in teaching and leadership, mentored, and the list goes on. I'm not trying to toot my own horn, just saying that if we are willing to be teachable and allow God to do the teaching, we can be used and moved to any place in life.
My advice to Sarah would be to keep refining her talents and gifts and allow God to move her vs striving after it on her own. God knows us better than we know ourselves and, if we allow Him to, He will move us into the perfect places in life.
In case she's interested, here's a link to a flickr thread that Danica, the girl I referred to, posted asking for advice on shooting weddings. You can link from that to her photostream on flickr. http://www.flickr.com/groups/365_dps_assignment/discuss/72157624390259495/
I so appreciate your comments here and your advice...from both of you! You have given us good food for thought and ideas of directions to research out.
I think it is wise that we not be so tunnel visioned that we fail to check out all the possibilities available. Also, God's leading is a major factor that we need to be sensitive too. Good points, Sandy...good reminders.
I think it is very wise for Sarah to take a year to work and explore the opportunities that are out there and see where God leads.
I am at peace with this. I am sharing these comments with her.
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