I wouldn't recommend art school to anyone. I have a BFA in studio art and I wouldn't say I regret it but it's not something I'd advocate for anyone unless they're just fabulously talented and can get into a very traditional program like Ringling. I was in a similar position to you when I picked my major. Art was the only major at the time that I considered because it was the only thing I knew I liked but I was like 17 so I didn't know what else was available. Now I know I'm really interested in logistics but I didn't even know what that was at the time. And I'm not going back to school and getting further into debt so I have an art degree and work in a frame shop making $15/hr.

It doesn't sound like you're in a good position starting out. When I started school I had a portfolio from high school and I knew the basic programs like Photoshop and Illustrator and I had an internship behind me going in. Art school is really competitive and the job market for artists is even worse. And the pay isn't commensurate with the level of competition. We're talking like $20k for a graphic designer out of school in my area and they expect you to know the entire Adobe suite and be able to do various web things like Java and html, css. That's not to say that you can't go through a program and get a level where you're competitive in the job market but you're hobbled from the start and most public universities are willing to take your money and give you a degree the you can't do anything with. At least in the states. I went to school with a bunch of people who could accurately be described as having no talent and they got the same degree as me and I was headed to a good MFA program until I realized I couldn't afford six figure debt with the prospect of an adjunct instructor job as the likely outcome.

I don't mean to discourage you. Too much. Art school is a bad idea but if you really want to do I guess go for it. But I'd say you're better off finding something else and I think you can do that just fine if you take some classes that interest you and build some life experience.

Welcome, rainboweater.

Do you create art on your own regularly? IMO that's a very important thing. If you don't, ask yourself why.

There are few careers that are harder than art. Medical school is easier; there is a clear path, and their is a system designed to reward your efforts. If you choose to to art, know that you will have to work harder than a medical student. You will have to create your own opportunities, and that starts by creating art nonstop.

I planned to go to art. I ended up getting a degree in physics instead. I don't regret it. I still paint.

I'm nearly 50 and I still don't know what I want to be when I grow up. Follow your talents and use them to earn the money to fuel your passions and hobbies.

I dropped out of art school despite having a free ride and got a computer science degree after realizing art as a career was not for me. I don't regret that decision. Everyone I knew who got an art degree is either doing frontend web shitwork or working in coffee shops. There surely are people who can make a living doing art, but they are few in number and, generally, aren't making a good living doing art. Additionally, once the thing you love becomes work that can really suck the love out of it. Unless you're really dead set on doing it, so you can't see yourself being happy doing anything else, I'd say look around for other things that interest you and run with one of those. There are all sorts of wonderful things to know, I think you'll find the hard part is picking one rather than finding any.

tacocat went to art school and, I think, finished. insomniasexx studied film and does design now. One of them might have a sunnier view.

I have a M.Mus in classical music. I definitely take this perspective, and people may agree or disagree:

Can you think of anything else you want to do with your life? then do that. Art school, music school, and even jobs as professional artistic people are for the sort of people who literally cannot think of doing anything else. Nothing else drives them, nothing else works., They would be a bum on the street if it wasn't for their art form (some of them are anyways).

An obsessive personality is a plus.

With that said, I don't regret going through my degree one bit. It made me who I am and gave me the tools and drive to succeed.

The thing about art degrees that people forget is that nothing about them specifically gets you a job. Nothing gets you a job but work and time (if you're a musician, preferably in one place - two max) As the saying goes "Overnight successes take ten years to happen." Or something like that. You have to be present and working somewhere long enough that people know you, notice you, and think your stuff is good enough that they want to work with you.

The plus side to this is that it means that a degree is no strictly necessary - work and time, however, are mandatory.

You don't have to be the best artist, you just have to be the hungriest - the one to work the most hours, the one to practice their craft the most, the one willing to find personal growth in gigs that are not what you want to be doing. The one who says "yes".

That's the part I'm working on right now. I work a restaurant job to play the bills and am slowly filling my life up with gigs so that one day I don't have to work the resto job. That's life while I keep myself hungry.

Welcome to Hubski!

There's not enough information for me to give a good answer.

If you're just starting out in college, at least in the US, there are prerequisite courses to take that are just general courses. You could start out taking some of those with an art course along with the general courses to see how you fare in it.

I like the idea of following your heart, and hopefully you can do some of that, but there might be more things you love once you get to college. If you're just starting out, do you have to make a choice this soon?

I wouldn't worry too much about people being better than you at art in the beginning. You could get better over time, or you might find out that you want to keep it as a hobby later.

Good luck!

If you love art just do it. Explore different media, different expressions. Try painting, try design, try printing techniques, try drawing, try whatever comes to your mind. The more you do it, the more you develop your skills and learn about the process, and with that, more creative ideas will come.

When you have acquired some experience and knowledge about art you will know if a major is or is not for you.

I've been corresponding with a lot of good artists from around the world and most of them never studied art. I've done some exhibitions myself and never attended art classes. (except for certain printmaking workshops).

I'm in my 30s now and still don't know what to do with my life. I just know I can't stop creating art. It's a part of me. It heals my soul. No major required. :D

And like you, I love making DIY things. ^_^

If I was you I would drop out and get a job in a resort town in BC or Alberta. Not knowing what you want to do for a career is fine when you're young and even not knowing yourself very well. It sounds like you like the idea of being artistic more than you do actually creating art. I went to college for architectural technician because I'm good at that stuff and I figured it would give me the life I was told I should want. Thing is I had no idea what kind of life I actually wanted because I didn't know myself well enough to make such a huge desicion. I dropped out and moved to a tiny little resort town that I didn't even know existed before I got the job and it was the best choice I ever made. The job was terrible along with my living arrangements but I met a ton of new people. It also gave me the space I needed to breath and figure myself out. I ended up picking massage therapy after meeting the MT who worked at the same hotel and I never would have considered that had I not gone.

So ya, my advice is accept that you don't know yourself well enough to pick a career and go figure yourself out. There's a ton of different ways you could be creative in a job.

Edit- I'll add some advice I was given by a customer one day about picking a career that was probably the best advice I was ever given. He started off telling me about how he jumped between jobs a lot and couldn't really settle on one. At one point he was working on tour buses and he loved it. He loved driving around and telling the people on his bus all about the area. Naturally he thought he loved being a tour bus driver, but when the company decided to hire somebody to do the talking so he could just drive he realized that he actually loved teaching. That caused me to look back and realize that I love working with people and helping people. That is what I needed in a career to make it rewarding.

I have a degree in Fashion Design from a fine couture art school.

I make my living as a writer, and have not designed a single piece of clothing in years.

Art School is for those people who are utterly driven to be artists. Every day. Every hour of every day, they create, create, create, hone their skills, learn new skills, and just churn out art because they can't stop doing it.

That is clearly not you.

Honestly, I think you are the perfect model of a Liberal Arts Major. Go for a Bachelor of Arts degree, which will give you a range of different learning experiences. About two years into your 4-year degree, you will probably have found that you really like certain classes, and you really hate other classes.

Maybe, like mike you will surprise yourself and find yourself good at Math! Who knows?

The point of a BA degree is that it allows you to sample many different things, and figure out if any of them speak to you.

But art school? Nah. I don't think it is for you.

First off, your English is phenomenal.

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Second, you've got some good shards of wisdom here, I'll do what I can take another perspective. While not knowing too much about the job market in Canada, as I can see with the education system: go to college, major in anything that you find interesting (or easy), get the piece of paper telling the world you have a bachelor's, and you're golden. Now,

major in anything that you find interesting (or easy)

I'm a Digital Media major which, in reality, is just a graphic arts major with a fancy title. I have a similar experience at the moment. Hell, the class I'm sitting in right now typing this in (it's OK, we're reviewing on material I know), I'm sitting next to 2 amazing artists and coders that draw daily awesome doodles. Yet, through this track, I've learned Photoshop from nothing, parts of Premeire, Dreamweaver, and learning a new code language.

In essence, if you have a good track, you'll learn to be as great as your peers in time. The point that'll differentiate you from the rest (like your friends) in the work force is the your 'Passion Quotient,' per se, as mk and coffeesp00ns put it in so many words. On a highly relevant subject by johnnyFive:

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Now, back on track to my main point, in the big picture, your college degree itself doesn't necessarily correlate with what you will do post-college. Just ask around, I'm sure you'll find loads of evidence. That said, go to college, get the paper, get going.

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But, finally, the biggest take-away I wish to give you from this comment is something that you can do right now to figure out more of your dilemma. Join a club. Or two! Or three! This is where

My point being, finding what you to do life will come to you based on how much and/or what you put into your college experience.

i just love arts, i love animation, i love how arts encourage me to even study more and i love making DIY things, and designing.

The networks and friends you'll make from clubs, societies and classes have the potential to shape the beginning of your professional career. Finding any of those three that you're interested in will help shape your perception of "Hm, what do I like?" Additionally, going to a club and saying "Hm. I really don't like this." will be just as valuable in narrowing your search for what to do with your life.

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I really hope any of this makes sense to you. I feel as though I'm going out the other side of this phase myself; I'm starting to realize just how big a deal an offer to volunteer for a Mental Health Association event is. And, remember back up in paragraph 3 what my current situation is: not anywhere related to Mental Health, but it's been an interest of mine for quite a few years. Thus, I did club shopping and came across a mental health club I enjoyed. The volunteer opportunity came from a friend in the club who was looking for people to help out at their workplace.

I forgot the rest of what I was going to type, so I'll sum it up there. I wish you the best in finding out what drives you to soar. I'd be very interested to see what comes of this all in the time to come. :)

Ah. I almost forgot. Welcome to Hubski. :D

It seems pretty common to have this crisis about career aspirations/ future in general. As someone said earlier, maybe you could look into some of the foundation courses?

I initially wanted to be a Teacher. My mother was one, her sisters are both teachers and principals now, their parents were teachers and principals. It seemed like the way for me to go! Then I got to the crunch time of picking my course, and I went with Psychology instead. I also did this under a Bachelor of Arts - so yeah it seemed like the coffee making life was to be my destiny. But I thought long and hard about why I wanted to be a teacher, and I realized it was just the expectation I had placed on myself over the years. It always seemed natural to follow the same path as my family - yet I was drawn to Psychology, the study of behaviour, analyzing people - weird experiments and all.

So I studied what I was drawn too, rather than what I had expected to study. Sure enough, graduated and moved on with life. But thankfully I work for the NZ Government, and I'm very thankful to be where I am - though I wouldn't put it down to the degree itself getting me the job. BAs are extremely common in my generation where tertiary education is the expected route.

In saying that, are you wanting to study animation/graphic and turn it into a career? Do you think you can? What other hobbies or interests do you have?

It's definitely not unheard of to change your major. And it's still early days in your student career!

Seconding jadedog in saying that there isn't really enough to go off here. What year of college are you in right now? Why are you struggling with the courses that you're taking? When it comes to college, talent helps, but perseverance and hard work tend to be much more important, which is why it's worthwhile to pick something that you're interested in (IMO).