Author Topic: should I switch majors? (now with possible health issues) (Read 4223 times)

Tactical Nuke · October 14, 2017, 07:33:02 PM

So I've been asking around about some future jobs I had in mind. I need a little clarification on acoustical engineering's ties to mechanical engineering, but asking a veteran guitar designer and manufacturer about making musical instruments, he told me that there was a school in I believe Michigan specifically for building guitars and that big manufacturers will usually pull from those areas. I've looked online about sound engineering (mixing music, stuff like that), and they usually go for apprenticeships. I also have other interests, such as character design and storyboarding that I'd like to explore.

In general, it looks more and more like making things is just a hobby. I still need to be sure though. I'm going to email the engineering office and the physics department about this to see if I can meet with them.

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Kumquat · October 14, 2017, 07:49:03 PM

Quote from: Tactical Nuke on October 14, 2017, 07:33:02 PM

I also have other interests, such as character design and storyboarding that I'd like to explore.

Art NEEDS to be your fully dedicated passion for years if you want to do this. If not you'll be stuck with art school debt, which is a step below Harvard tier debt and no job. There are few schools that are credible and theyre all expensive.

I would recommend checking out a handful of cgma classes while taking regular before dropping into anything related to art in the entertainment industry.

SeventhSandwich · October 14, 2017, 08:08:26 PM

Quote from: Kumquat on October 14, 2017, 07:49:03 PM

Harvard tier debt

Don't mean to be a stickler, but Harvard actually isn't a great example of a school that overburdens students with debt. Their endowment is massive and many of their students (barring the excessively rich ones) attend for free because of federal and institutional scholarships. 24% of their students pay nothing, and the average debt among students who take loans is $16k, which is actually very reasonable for college.

http://time.com/money/4534408/colleges-where-most-students-graduate-debt-free/

Kumquat · October 14, 2017, 09:24:17 PM

Yeah Im sure scholarships are generous, it was just a quick example based on the base tuition.

Tactical Nuke · October 14, 2017, 10:29:38 PM

Quote from: Kumquat on October 14, 2017, 07:49:03 PM

Art NEEDS to be your fully dedicated passion for years if you want to do this. If not you'll be stuck with art school debt, which is a step below Harvard tier debt and no job. There are few schools that are credible and theyre all expensive.

elaborate on this

right now I'm learning to draw but I'm not willing to drop everything and go to an art school to do that before finishing learning about sound and noise stuff

if I can get the credentials to do this kinda stuff just by doing courses like the ones you provided me then that'd be cool but idk

if I could get a job at say cartoon network and just work my way into different positions then I'd rather do that

EDIT: I just looked at the pricing. $700 per class?

Kumquat · October 14, 2017, 11:47:32 PM

Quote from: Tactical Nuke on October 14, 2017, 10:29:38 PM

elaborate on this

right now I'm learning to draw but I'm not willing to drop everything and go to an art school to do that before finishing learning about sound and noise stuff

What I meant was when youre in art school, you are in school for art only. No parties, no booling with your boys, no video games, and hobbies only on the weekends. (You still need to network, but I dont count that towards screwing off) Full dedication otherwise you'll end up like most art grads, under a bridge or in a call center.

You can have a degree from the best art school and still be stuff. In my whole hearted opinion, if youre not grinding are for ~2 - 3 years straight while in school for art, youre burning your money.

You can take some classes at community college and cgma while doing sound stuff if you want, but not in full time art school.

Quote from: Tactical Nuke on October 14, 2017, 10:29:38 PM

EDIT: I just looked at the pricing. $700 per class?

Yeah, CGMA can help you get a real feel about what goes on behind the scenes. Its about the same as community college classes (which i would recommend before taking cgma).
Before you choose to go to a full time reputable art school, definitely take some community college classes in painting, figure drawing, technical drawing, and so on. What you learn there could save you upwards of 20 thousand a semester through scholarships.

Another thing to keep in mind is that some art schools dont even accept you unless youre already outstanding. (And when they do the scholarship is almost nothing) This is slightly above the average skill level of a student entering a private art school.

Also the average age of people entering the higher brow art schools is around their early to mid 20s depending on the focus. No need to feel too rushed / left behind

And if you believe you are fully capable of handling yourself, check out this article. You dont need a degree to get a job with art. You can do it all on your own or get a job before you even graduate if you do what I said to do in the first part.

Personally, I am pursuing transportation design, which can pay upward of 80k a year so I dont mind paying off loans with that salary. Im not very informed on animation so definitely do research on salaries and which schools usually get the best internships.

Tactical Nuke · October 15, 2017, 12:06:20 AM

I mean I was thinking about going to CalArts because that's where pretty much every single amazing cartoon creator over the past couple of years has come from (McCracken, Tartakovsky, P. Ward, Sugar, etc.), but if I can do the same without that education then why spend the money?

I actually already have an art thread on this forum where I'm asking for criticism and guidance, as a precursor to these classes you're suggesting. Hopefully, I can learn enough for free so that I can skip ahead of some classes. Or I might just take them for review. I don't know. This is all a maybe.

The Titanium · October 15, 2017, 01:40:49 AM

im on academic probation lol

Juncoph · October 15, 2017, 08:45:33 AM

Quote from: The Titanium on October 15, 2017, 01:40:49 AM

im on academic probation lol

sorry man but you were getting too smart. we had to restrict your power

bejacks · October 15, 2017, 12:29:18 PM

Quote from: Juncoph on October 15, 2017, 08:45:33 AM

sorry man but you were getting too smart. we had to restrict your power

He knew too much.

Tactical Nuke · October 15, 2017, 01:59:45 PM

I just talked to another mech-e, he said if I want to go into acoustic engineering it'd be better if I stayed in ME than if I went to physics. Someone want to corroborate this? I still haven't read anything on the schedule that talks about sound and audio except for one elective during senior year.

The Titanium · October 16, 2017, 12:11:09 AM

Quote from: Juncoph on October 15, 2017, 08:45:33 AM

sorry man but you were getting too smart. we had to restrict your power

lmao. i needed that, thank you

Tactical Nuke · October 26, 2017, 03:13:06 PM

A week or so later, I'm considering switching into electrical engineering. My college has different "concentrations" of EE and one of them specifically concerns sound and audio. I'm going to talk with some professors in the major about it.

The problem NOW is that I can't drop out of any of the classes that I'm failing and not interested in. Thermodynamics is a loving nightmare and I'm about to just straight up get an F in the course, along with my chemistry course, which is important to the EE major. The only way I can drop courses in order to focus more on the places that matter is if I have a health issue, which I don't have.

RedGajin · October 26, 2017, 03:19:24 PM

your school doesn�t allow you to withdraw from classes? withdrawing let�s you drop the course with no impact to your gpa, but you still have to pay for it

Tactical Nuke · October 26, 2017, 03:49:22 PM

Quote from: RedGajin on October 26, 2017, 03:19:24 PM

your school doesn�t allow you to withdraw from classes? withdrawing let�s you drop the course with no impact to your gpa, but you still have to pay for it

They allow you to drop two, and last year was also stuff so I was forced to use both of them up.

I believe the two-class limit is only for engineers, though they don't allow you to exceed it even if you're switching majors, which is bullstuff. I'm taking classes in the mech-E major that count towards EE and now I can't focus on them because I gotta deal with the loving thermo course where the teacher offers a tutor after class that is impossible to loving find, either because he screws up the room number or because the tutor quits. There's also a lab course where the teacher thinks he's talking to people twice our age and we have to write a full-length lab report every week. There isn't any time to focus on the things that matter.