To think art is a hobby not a degree choice

[smithsally884]

Dd y13 Maths probably C, physics probably B ,but shines at art and is predicted A* (94 percent share AS and coursework to be reused for a level). She is severely limited in what she can apply for because of poor predicted maths and physics . She wants to do some sort of art degree now.previously wanted to do primary ed with qts but now thinks it will be too stressful.i think she might as well burn £50k aibu?

tiredofbeingaGP you go for it. I know some people with huge talent with that write as a 'hobby'

In fact, one of my friends at age 50 has just won several awards for his 3rd novel. The first 2 flopped. He considers his 'a hobby'

Hilarious. Did an arts degree, work in product design. people earn very highly.

I think with the creative industries you're better off getting work experience and learning from the ground up, maybe figuring out what you want to do and then getting the training you need, rather than necessarily getting a degree.

That being said both my husband, brother, and I all have at least one degree in art or music and all three of us are very gainfully employed in related fields. But knowing what you want to do and training for it is important, as it's difficult to move sideways in the field (for example, you might need specialist knowledge in computer programs like indesign or photoshop, or do a specialist degree in conservation).

I'm sitting in a room full of graphics designers, illustrators and animators right now. You're being very short sighted about this.

Slightly odd A level choices given that she clearly finds maths and physics hard.

History of art would have been an obvious one to do with art, and then she would also have the option of art history degree.

Very few schools offer History of Art A-level - those that do are nearly all private schools.

Architecture is very arty. A portfolio is needed to present at uni interviews. Having built two houses; our architect had / had an amazing knowledge of classical art and the history of art too, as well as having an actual creative hand.
I did an arts degree in modern languages....it's not been a huge employment magnet in my life. In fact I had to retrain to get work. My brother in law did an MA in Shakespeare .....that was utterly useless too. He retrained and now works in IT. If you are funding her maintenance for the duration of the course, yes, I would try and steer towards something with a vocational angle to it that also plays to her arty strengths.

Slightly odd A level choices given that she clearly finds maths and physics hard.

Hmm I dont think she is bad at maths and physics her classwork and homework are good and the teachers say she understands well.But she panics in exams and can't think.

She did maths and physics I think because she saw her siblins 'hands being snatched off ' once they had finished their STEM degrees .

My dd is yr 11, predicted 8-9 in everything ( old A*) including art. So basically the world’s her oyster as far as next steps. I’m strongly encouraging her to think about careeers that involve art in some way as she loves it and it helps her destress, so if she has the chance to do something she loves for her whole working life she’d be mad not to.

Thank you Trampire

Why is she doing maths & physics?

As the child of someone who wanted me to do 'better ' a levels (chemistry, French & English) I wish I'd been able to choose what I wanted to do rather than what my dad wanted me to do. I flunked every thing and became a chef in London instead. I earned pretty good money doing that.

Speaking as someone who did a primary education degree, I think she should do the art course and then she can do a PGCE later if she still wants to teach.

One of my colleagues had two art degrees and he’s a great teacher. I only had the primary education one so once I left teaching, there wasn’t much else I could do with it. I ended up doing a masters in something completely unrelated.

Please let her explore studies that interest her OP. I know it feels like throwing money away and job prospects feel less guaranteed but my DPs would only let me study academic subjects and I had a fight to do an A-level in a creative subject I longed to take further. I have a good job vaguely relevant to my degree now, yes but jeezus my degree was dull. And all the creativity I had as a child has been sucked out of me! I have moments where I can put it to use at work but they're few and far between in a bank 😄

YABU IMO - there's more to life than what you can earn. Besides which I work with a number of people from art degree backgrounds who are doing quite well thank you

People are still confusing arts and art.

Shocked at OP's views. Hobby? No. Not necessarily.

she chose to do maths and physics!

The fact that her siblings found jobs quickly in a subject is not a very good reason to pick a subject!

You haven't actually said what subject she enjoys doing! I think whatever you are passionate about leads to enthusiasm, finding work experience and opportunities and eventually to success due to being good at what you do and throwing yourself into it. If your're doing something just to pay the bills, you'll cut corners, do the bare minimum in effort and hours and be unfulfilled and not get promoted / be successful.

I know Game design studios who are desperate for good Art graduates - they pay well and have great conditions (including life drawing lessons in work time). There are all kinds of great opportunities out there.

You normally do a foundation year first - which is a great general education and helps you know if Art is really what you want to do and what kind of art.

she chose to do maths and physics!

What advice was she given by the school? B and C are ok are ok at A level but they're not ideal for trying to get into a good uni.

Trying to do a subject for a degree that makes you panic in exams is not going to make for an enjoyable uni experience.

And it then limits her choice to art because that's the one thing she shines at.

So your DD is particularly good at something and wants to do it to degree level but you think she ought to do something she's less good at and presumably doesn't like as much? She's sounding a lot more sensible than you are.

My DD2 will do something art related because it is one of her natural skills. I support that. She’s also good at English language and I would support that too!
Art is bloody hard even at GCSE I don’t think it’s always a hobby whatsoever. And it’s even harder at A Level and degree!

She could go on to do an MA in collections management. There are some well paid jobs in that field.

She did maths and physics I think because she saw her siblins 'hands being snatched off ' once they had finished their STEM degrees

and this is why parents/family members are not best placed to give careers advice and guidance.

Well, both DH and I have done a Fine Arts Degree and then went on to do a more specific MA in an art/design related course each. We run a successful business as a result of that and are doing well after some initial lean years. However, I reckon a lot of people who start their own companies tend to pay themselves a very low wage until their business takes off. There is a massive choice of art related courses and a lot of very varied job opportunities. There are always naysayers who urge you to study a proper subject and quite a few are stuck in jobs they hate. I believe if you are going to invest in further education you should do something you feel passionate about. A few of our friends are slightly older and have hit their midlife crisis, really regretting playing it safe. Fact is that the notion of studying and following a set career path, possibly working in a specific job long-term probably isn’t going to work in the future and people have to become more and more adaptable with especially new technology driving a change in the job market. I have noticed that with all of our fellow Fine Art students, we all learned a number of skills to work in very varied jobs while studying and after graduating, while pursuing creative projects. As a result, we all are very flexible and can work in a variety of jobs, which I reckon is a positive in the job market.

She should study what she enjoys at university. So many people here have posted stories about themselves or people they know who have arts degrees and good jobs. A member of my family did a music based degree, and now may still earn a bit less than me, but has far more job satisfaction and a much more exciting job.

It’s worth mentioning though that she isn’t failing maths and physics at all. C and B are good grades. I got into a science degree with Ds. Granted, there was some luck involved (course not popular that year, and I’d impressed at uni interview) but I still got there and work in an NHS job. If she wants to study STEM subjects, there will be options with Bs and Cs.