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?

@Aaahfuck you’ve been very fortunate. I’d like to know how many of your contemporaries from your art degree have jobs like yours and how many are on the tills in Aldi.

Also I'm a bit offended by the implications that art in particular is not academic. It has much more in common with traditional academic degree compared to more modern degrees such as buisness subject eyc

I've worked my arse off there's nothing fortunate about it thanks!

@mathanxiety that's a sweeping generalisation which isn't necessarily true despite what MN university snobs would have you believe.

I think LewisMum is bored and goady (twice now the Aldi reference / has been on the sauce (or is spectacularly dim)

I've worked my arse off there's nothing fortunate about it thanks!
You’ve been lucky to get the job in the first place, to even have the opportunity to work hard. People who aren’t lucky enough to get jobs can’t work hard because they don’t have a job to work hard at. Which probably applies to rather a lot of art graduates.

@Amlen -a good proportion of your post does not make grammatical sense. Let’s hope you don’t tutor English.

I know people with bachelor of art degrees working in their fields as photographers, designers, artists etc. Others with BA’s in art who did nothing. Likewise I know those with degrees in science, engineering and maths who did nothing with them, hated the degrees and only did so because of parental pressure.

It’s all down to the person. You can ‘coast’ easier on an art degree, in some respects, than a degree where you have set information to learn or not. Hence the bad rep. However you get out what you put in with art. Like everything else talent will only get you so far.

@lewismam actually unemployment figures for arts/creative graduates are no worse than for other subjects. Actually, unemployment for this group of students fell by 1.3% in 2017.

I know 2 people who have an art degree. They have done nothing with it and said it was a waste of a degree choice

But getting the job isn't lucky. You work hard in previous roles. Ultimately you start by working hard in a voluntary role like loads of people. I know lots of art graduates I don't know any who work in Aldi. However some people value having a satisfying job and being able to me art above being wealthy so I don't think you can assume everyone's really unhappy in a minimum wage job. Anyway as pp's have said you're being goady.

Over a hundred responses, yet the OP is only replying to posts asking about the A levels.

Art is as valid as any other degree.

More to the point, it’s none of your business what degree, if any, your child chooses to study.

Just support her, and stop judging her creativity.

You don't need to do an art degree to be an artist. All you need to do is just make some art and stick it on Etsy. If you are really good you might make a living out of it. An art degree can be a bit a pointless.

NameChanger22 When you do a degree in the creative arts, you don't just 'make some art' all the time, there's rather more to it than that.

Otherwise you might as well say the same about an English degree. Why bother, when all you need to do is read a load of books, write a few stories and get them self-published?

Is she is considering fine art , then make sure she researches the course’s proffessional practise syllabus ( I.e. make sure it has one)

YABVU. Studying science tells us about the universe; studying art tells us about ourselves. They're equally valuable, and no-one can predict where they'll lead.

Not sure if it's been mentioned but Martin Lewis did a great TV show a couple of weeks ago

Basically if you have £50K loans, you only pay back 9% of anything you earn over £25K

So earning £30K a year would mean a £450.00 a year payback

Nothing is paid back until you earn £25K

So effectively they rarely payback the full amount they owe anyway -

Look it up

Art is one of the things that can't be taken over by computers and programming. I think artists using computers is on the rise, but you still need to understand how things look and how light works etc. Game companies, advertising, anything really, will still need artists.

How many jobs have people taken degrees and qualifications that now computers can cover? A lot of bookkeeping can be done by anyone with the right program. A friend who is an accountant has lost a lot of paid hours.

DH thinks the only degrees worth having are career-based. He has a BEng. I think all study is worthwhile and have a BA (literature), I think he's a soulless idiot (not really). I'm taking a truly 'hobby' MA more so than art at the moment, and am looking at a new career and opportunities because of it.

Are you serious OP, or is this a wind up? I didn't know people like you still existed! I'm guessing maths and physics were to please you, art is the passion.

Your poor DD! Please embrace her talent and encourage her to do what she wants to do.

I cannot even draw a stick man! I'd do anything for artistic talent. You should feel proud of your DD.

I actually feel sorry for young people who have to go to uni and get into debt to work in the design industry, my DH was a graphic designer before he retired (from the industry he still actually works at 69) he worked for some of the largest agencies in London, we found a book about iconic designs in the 80s and some of his work was in there yet all he had to do was go to art college and get a City and Guilds full tech no student loans and got a job as soon as he left college he still free lances occasionally but as he now works for a charity and gets a pension he ends up paying most of it back in income tax so only works for one particular client who he has designed for for over 25 years. My DS always wanted to be like his dad but when it came down to it he was realistic enough to realise that he would spend years at uni and leave with debts and that he probably wouldn't have the same career opportunities as his dad , so he became a plumber, now at age 31 he owns two businesses and employs 25 people, is he resentful - no not a bit, and both his dad and I are really proud of him following dreams is ok, but when you do and it doesn't work out you need a plan b, sadly most youngsters don't have one and end up in low paid jobs which have nothing to do with their degrees

@BlahBlahBlah, if memory serves me right, you were one of the posters on a previous thread who refused to believe despite charts, graphs and multiple other forms of documentation that what you termed 'university snobbery' was in fact smart discrimination among a very mixed offering in terms of third level education.

And yet, there are rankings of art and design schools, with 'graduate prospects' included among the criteria contributing to the ranking.

If your DD is in year 13 and wants to apply for a Foundation Diploma in Art and Design she needs to apply by January.
A Foundation Diploma can introduce her to the various choices she could make if she goes to Art School. She'll need an impressive portfolio and a good personal statement. She seems to be talented so that should be do-able. Let her art teachers know now if she's going to apply for Foundation.

It's a bit bizarre to think that art=hobby so YABU about that. That may be true for some people but as so many PPS have said many people make a very good living in different fields in art related fields..

Teaching is an exhausting profession which people are leaving in droves.

more info
This is one of the highly regarded courses. Her art teachers will know more.
No worries about fees for Foundation - if she's under 19 it's free.

if memory serves me right, you were one of the posters on a previous thread who refused to believe despite charts, graphs and multiple other forms of documentation that what you termed 'university snobbery' was in fact smart discrimination among a very mixed offering in terms of third level education.

I dont think that was me

she chose to do maths and physics, becausethey were the things she was best at gcse, I dont know where people are gettin the idea i pushed her!

www.weforum.org/agenda/2018/06/the-3-skill-sets-workers-need-to-develop-between-now-and-2030/

The need for creative skills is rising.