[secretspaz]

I don't know who else to really go to when it comes to matter that no one seems to be interested in or relate to. For the past year after graduating high school my life has been as boring as... no it has just been boring. I have tried to keep myself busy but that is easier said than done. I have a dream that is called ludicrous by my family or at least express an extreme concern. I am what people seem to label as "another art student". Another person who feels confident on trying out their luck in an Art School.
Problem; I am extremely uncomfortable with owing 80k in student loans. I live near a state university but they do not have a great illustration program and I would be unable to excel as well as going to the art focused academy (duh). I have a plan on cutting down expenses and so far that means delaying the San Francisco dream for a year more and completing my first year at the state university. My question is for those who have taken out loans of over 60k within the past twenty years... was it worth it?
I have a burning desire in my heart to go but my mind is fighting with me about the norms I should follow in society. It's just that At times I feel impatient and just want to leave now. Take what they call "A leap of faith" and pray that all goes well. I want more than anything is to be around people that I can relate to again. Maybe that will be in the State University but, SF has been my dream since middle school and my family is from there. I am just arguing with myself now. Any suggestion or opinion will help.

 

[Empty]

Seems like a very bad idea.

 

[crazyeddie]

I have no idea. Maybe you could build in a safety net? Double major or something? There is something to be said to for going for a dream full-throttle, though.

 

[Muser]

For me, "following the norms of society" wouldn't even be a factor in this decision. Money would be, though.
I know nothing about taking out loans so I'll leave that to other posters here. The situation is different in Australia.

Potential regret for doing/not doing something is something I consider more of as I get older.

 

[qingdom]

weigh your pros and cons. plan your college life out; e.g. where do you see yourself in five years. have a fall back plan. In fact, have several fallback plans.

I never gave thought to any of the above mentioned at all when I went through school. I hopped universities, paid out of pocket for tuition using credit cards; very bad idea.

Sad to say, I never finished even a BA. I could take a few electives just to get a 2yr degree done with or continue head on ramming the wall, but that's not the way to go either.

It has been 14 years since I've graduated high school. It is now 14 years later that I'm ALMOST finished paying off my credit cards of tuition. Then there's a car payment, and I'll be financially debt free. Was a long journey, but dagnabbit, if there was any faster way to get to the finish line without losing sense of personal morals and principles, I would have taken it.

If the idea of school loans scares the crap out of you, it should. But you're in the same boat as every other college person.

What you can do is look at how you can chip away that scary 80k down. For example, you can find alternative sources of income to offset it, automate it, so that you just set it up once and don't worry about it. Set up an investment fund, apply for financial aid and miscellaneous grants, look for a part time job, etc.

However, doing so, you will need to balance your time. If you work too much, you won't have much of a social life, but the rewards after depending on your determination and motivation would pay off eventually. By systematically tackling it a bit at a time, eventually you'll get to it. The key is to start somewhere and stay on focus.

If you want to work towards your dream, if a head on approach is too daunting, think of stepping stones on how to reach it. The stepping stones will be added experience anyway. It's like miniature save points to your dream. Dreams too can change. There's no one path to get to where you want to. Even hitting the lottery may not resolve this either.

Hope this helps.

 

[Empty]

I have $10,000 USD in student loans and it's already annoying me. It's not enough to ruin my life or anything, but it's a thorn in the side. You do not want $60,000+ USD worth of student loans or any type of loans, unless you're confident you will be making major amounts of money in the future or winning the lottery.

Pick your poison.

Also, dreams are the first step towards despair.

 

[nadjasix]

Now's the time to take out stupid amounts of student loans. The cost of an education is so inflated that student loan reforms are politically inevitable. There's already Obama legislation that would make people pay only what they can afford (some percentage of their paycheck), no matter what they owe.

Plus federal student loans are free money. The interest rate on them doesn't keep up with inflation.

I've been trying to tell people this for years. You have to spend $ to make $...

But if you're really worried about it, just get some kind of certification in something practical (like nursing) and teach yourself art.

 

[this is my username]

Is there a way (besides paying for art school) that could also lead you to your dreams? Or are your dreams just to go to art school?

 

[crazyeddie]

Also, dreams are the first step towards despair.

What was that line from Sandman? "What power would hell have, if not for the dream of heaven?"

 

[crazyeddie]

The cost of an education is so inflated that student loan reforms are politically inevitable.

Yay, moral hazard!

But if you're really worried about it, just get some kind of certification in something practical (like nursing) and teach yourself art.

That'd be a good way to go, but the practical route didn't work out so well for me. So far, the impractical route is actually going fairly well, but who can say... Count no man happy before he is dead.

 

[Erudis]

Honestly, if you want to be an illustrator, no art school in the world is worth an 80k debt, even if Da Vinci somehow wake up from his grave and charge you 80k for his drawing lessons.

 

[nadjasix]

I know someone who went to RISD who owns a chain of clothing stores and is doing pretty well...

 

[Empty]

What was that line from Sandman? "What power would hell have, if not for the dream of heaven?"

I am indifferent; hear me meh.

 

[Muser]

Mind giving us a link to this art school? I'm curious to see what the fuss is all about.

 

[Promethea]

I know someone who went to RISD who owns a chain of clothing stores and is doing pretty well...

Results not typical.

 

[nadjasix]

Results not typical.

I don't know, all of the people I know who went to art school are doing fine.

Maybe it helps to have parents with cash, I don't know. But I think the weird obsession with "practical" majors is misplaced. Nothing is recession proof...

OTOH, I think it's silly to think you have to learn creativity from a school program. You either have it or you don't, they're not going to teach you anything you can't learn on your own from books and just practicing...

 

[crazyeddie]

I don't know, all of the people I know who went to art school are doing fine.

Maybe it helps to have parents with cash, I don't know. But I think the weird obsession with "practical" majors is misplaced. Nothing is recession proof...

Yeah, I'm doing better with my 'impractical' path than I was with my 'practical' path. No telling how these things will turn out.

 

[qingdom]

OTOH, I think it's silly to think you have to learn creativity from a school program. You either have it or you don't, they're not going to teach you anything you can't learn on your own from books and just practicing...

I have to disagree with this one. In the digital world, if one does not have photoshop to tinker with at home, this opens a grand scale of opportunities to artists. It's also extra brownie points for those who migrate over to CAD, architecture, interior design, fashion, CG, television and communications, etc.

sure as a hobby, one can pick up a book and learn vector shading and modeling. But not that many books can explain things like proof of concept and/or real world scenarios unless the person is exposed to the environment for some time and learn them on the fly.

 

[Epherion]

sure as a hobby, one can pick up a book and learn vector shading and modeling. But not that many books can explain things like proof of concept and/or real world scenarios unless the person is exposed to the environment for some time and learn them on the fly.

I call BS. I have see people struggle with Blender and 3dsMax.

 

[Peripheral]

Honestly, if you want to be an illustrator, no art school in the world is worth an 80k debt, even if Da Vinci somehow wake up from his grave and charge you 80k for his drawing lessons.

I'd kill him a second time for that.