Getting a degree after working in the industry?

[Trev.Fairclough]

I've been concidering getting a BA hons degree in Technical theatre..

 

Im 22, almost 23 but I qualified with a level 3 BTEC from newcastle college in 2007 and started full time work straight away, since then I have worked with loads of international artists and became rather fluent in lighting, sound and stage management. Ive just come off a 7 month contract with royal caribbean and now applying for other full time jobs or free-lance work.

 

 

Do you think its work the effort for a peice of paper? Or just keep building the CV with jobs? :huh:

[Simon Lewis]

You will get two polarised views... One states that most FE/HE courses are a waste of time and you'd be better off working and getting experience, and the other that FE/HE is worthwhile, and gives you something more than just the knowledge contained in the course.

 

On top of that, you have the issue that there's a wide range of courses and content - some are truly technical, some less so, some are less than useful...

 

As you have plenty of experience, it's not so likely that a degree is going to extend your practical skills too much. If you want to commit to further study, then I would suggest a course that covers areas you have not studied before and which gives you a broader range of knowledge and skills would be sensible.

 

I have a number of students who come "off the road" to study. Their main comment is that they have gone as far as they can with the knowledge they left school with, and feel that they need to study at HE level to advance their career.

Obviously, there are many who have made an excellent career for themselves without further study, which is why you need to explore the courses available and determine whether it will give you what you want.

 

Sorry for the slightly "woolly" answer, but it's not a clear cut issue.

 

Simon

[Jivemaster]

It's got to be part of a career plan, and only you can decide! However my take is;

 

If you are where you want then earn the money, if you want to make strides in progressing in any direction then the right course will have benefits. If you want to move into desk based admin or management the the degree will open doors for you. Select your course very carefully you may know more than the teaching staff. Your uni will want to use your experience so make sure that you get a payment for that. Will you be able to earn during vacation times or will the uni want you to do free jobs for them?

 

Three years at uni is also three years without earning!

[mostlyharmless]

You want to study a career related course rather than going to do Engineering/ Physics?

 

 

I managed to survive 3 years of an Engineering type course (with a break in the middle), I went straight from A levels and although it was interesting, its VERY hard to keep up the motivation for 3 years while seeing what else you could be doing. That said, I'm lining up a quite exciting job in the industry which I would never have had the chance to do without the degree path I chose.

[w/robe]

Trev.

 

If you let us know what you hope to gain from the degree we may be able to help more.

What do you think you will be able to do with a degree that you cannot do now? If it is to get more work or move in to other areas (rigging etc.) then there may be short courses which could be more beneficial.

[kerry davies]

All of the responses are hopefully of use and there can never be right or wrong about any personal choices such as this one. Speaking for myself, I am biased toward vocational training and practical experience as against academic study, but as Jive & Simon state, desk flying in the arts business almost demands a degree. To earn above a set level in most Local Authorities, for instance, a degree is virtually mandatory.

 

I think that, as a group of professionals, we should start to define short courses and qualifications such as NRC, IPAF, etc as Continuous Professional Development, CPD, which is what it is. Anyone who ever stops learning in this game is not going to survive as the industry itself is learning, growing and changing almost daily. I can't think of many senior guys who could have predicted their current role when hacking up and down the M1 in Transits all those years ago. Video? Not yet invented! Stereo? New fangled rubbish!

 

It is heart-warming to hear of younger people wishing to further their knowledge and would strongly advise against a single approach. Be open to all forms of learning, take any opportunity to widen or deepen your expertise which includes practical hands-on learning. Go where the best practitioners are, learn from them, see where you can improve on their ideas and try, fail then try again and fail better. If you do decide to take up academic study be very sure that it is the best available, there are too many average courses and too many average degrees out there as Abby is finding out. (next topic)

 

Even though I sometimes teach I actually believe that no-one can really teach another, they can merely allow/facilitate others to learn, so it's up to you.......... Simon, can one get a Tech MA through work and P/T study?

[Simon Lewis]

...Even though I sometimes teach I actually believe that no-one can really teach another, they can merely allow/facilitate others to learn, so it's up to you..........

 

From a pedagogic viewpoint, this is pretty spot on. My first year introductory lecture states, "We as ‘learning facilitators’ cannot make you learn - there has to be a willingness on your part. Learning doesn’t take place when you sit passively and expect the “Teacher” to do the work.

We learn through: Being mentally active, Actual experience, Reflection, Relating, Assimilating.

For most of us - if not all - learning is an active process requiring active practice informed by constructive input and feedback, and reinforced by positive feelings of success."

 

Simon, can one get a Tech MA through work and P/T study?

 

I'm not aware of a specific course offering this, but the place to look is here. Some institutions will run flexible, online or work based learning schemes, but at masters level it will concentrate on higher level academic work, rather than practical skills based work.

 

Simon

[Simon Brockwell]

I am in a similar position and have now got my place confirmed on a lighting degree starting this September. I have 7 years experience in lighting, worked in 5 different countries, toured the UK with major shows and also been chief lx for a major venue. But I think I have got as far as I can go in terms of balancing what I want to be doing with the ###### you have to do to make it the business. A degree gives you the time to experiment and develop, not just absorb knowledge. Normally when you are on a job learning new skills is fine but ultimately you are there to get a job done, whereas at college you are there solely to learn and develop. The major plus if you are not sure where your career is going is that a decent performing arts technical college will open doors by introducing you to companies who you can establish good relationships throughout the course, and if you are any good they will take you on. My college has 90% success rates of graduate employment. Pretty impressive. The degree has so little to do with getting the bit of paper, it's about the experience. Also being an industry vet. my course has been reduced from 3 years to do (presumably because the first year will be too easy for me) which saves some big bucks and gets me back out on the road quicker. Also I would say if an employer is looking at two CVs with two guys with 10 years experience but one has a degree, who do you think they will pick?

[w/robe]

Also I would say if an employer is looking at two CVs with two guys with 10 years experience but one has a degree, who do you think they will pick?

I'm not sure this is as clear cut as you may think. 2 years in to work then a degree may make a lot of difference but after 10 years it would be more about experience, where you had worked and who you had worked with.

 

Try this scenario

An employer is looking at 2 CVs 1 guy with 8 years experience in LX and whose ambition is to be the best chief LX there is. The other guy has 8 years experience in LX and then went of to do a degree in lighting design (I don't know what specific degree amberdrift is doing) and so clearly really wants to be a lighting designer. Who gets the Senior Technician job?

[Simon Brockwell]

that was just an example to say if you and another candidate have the same experience but you have a degree it may put you in a better light. For me it makes it clear that you are dead serious about your profession, degrees are not cheap and take a good deal of commitment. You wouldn't do one if you were planning to skip out on your job and do something else. I am doing my degree in Lighting Control and when I graduate there will be no one more qualified to program a show. (not literally obviously) Experience might get you to this level but it's more than likely you will have missed out some stuff on the way.

[Jivemaster]

If you intend that your career should go into management then a degree will help.

 

To keep up with the idustry you need to do a course every year -some kind of continuing professional development, keeping up to date. To make forward progress you need to do significant training each year.