Some Big Descisions.

[SDMorris]

Hey everyone. Let me start off by thanking all of you for the wealth of knowledge supplied on this website that everyone has contributed to. I have learned a lot here in a short amount of time.

For those of you who don't know me, my name is Sean, and I live in Reno Nevada.

I just graduated high school yesterday. No big deal, but a good accomplishment for only being 16 years old. I have really been thinking over the last few weeks what I want to do with my career, because I don't want to throw away the gift of possibly having a decent head start on life. Mostly my concerns are what I want to go to college for, but I don't really know of a wide variety of jobs or possible degrees in the fields I am interested in.

Obviously, being a part of this website, music and sound is a large part of my life. I think sometimes without music, I would possibly go insane, but im sure a few of us know that feeling, haha. Last week, I took a trip to Hollywood to visit M.I. (Musicians Institute) To take a closer look at their nine month Audio Engineering program. The schools atmosphere, learning environment, and teaching characteristics really sold me on the fact that if I AM going to school for Audio Engineering, it will be at no other school than that one. But, im beginning to have some second thoughts, and am trying to do whats best for myself in the long haul.

To go to M.I., It would cost about $48,000 for one year of schooling, housing and living expenses included. This is a LOT of money for someone my age to come up with. Financial aid will pay for almost half of my tuition, and everything else is basically on me. Tuition is $8,400 a quarter, and a quarter is three months. I'll be there for nine. My eventual desire after attaining my Audio Engineering degree is to one day become a producer.

I guess what I am trying to ask is since there have to be a few of you educated in this field, do you think it is worth it for me to go to school for this? Or will I most likely struggle to build a career? Are there any other things in this field you would suggest looking into which may be more sucessful?

I'm also VERY good with computers and electronics, (Haha, I actually have one of Rusty's computers right here to fix) and until recently I have been planning on a degree in Computer Science. Making a decent amount of money is important to me, so later on I can support a family and myself with great stability. And I know computers are a great field to get into, but there are SO many different divisions of Computer Science, I don't know where to start.

Sorry for the massive blab, I've got a lot of thinking to share. lol.

Edited July 26, 2010 by SDMorris

[LT.Smoke]

Well i certainly dont have an audio engineering degree but i did go back to school about a year after i graduated and i now have my Master's Degree in Criminal Justice and I am so glad that i went back because it opened a ton of doors and oppurtunities for me. In my honest opinion going back to school is never a bad idea bro. Oh and By the way Congrats on graduating at 16 man thats quite an achievement

Edited July 26, 2010 by SmokedOut08Impala

[n8ball2013]

Im going to tell you first off. Once you start doing somethign you love as a job its no longer a hobby and becomes work. its part of the reason I have so much trouble getting motivated to work on my truck. But big congrats on graduating early. one thing you need to look into is job placement. Is the school going to help you get a job in the industry? What are you going to be making when you come out? Whats the turnover in the industry? Etc etc good luck though!

[n8ball2013]

oh I work in IT. Right now network and data security is huge as is the push to virtual. VMWare is crucial big right now. If I could go to a certification training I would be at a VMware course or the ethical hacking course. CISSP is another. IT is all about the hands on experience and the certifications. The degree can open a window the certs push the door open.

[melonhead]

Don't worry about how much it costs to go to school. Get as much as you can in grants and scholarships. Whatever is leftover you'll have to get a loan for. You don't have to start paying the loan back until after 6 months from when you graduate. Standard school loan payback is 10 years. If the payment is too much for you at that time, then you can stretch it out over 20 years.

[SDMorris]

Im going to tell you first off. Once you start doing somethign you love as a job its no longer a hobby and becomes work. its part of the reason I have so much trouble getting motivated to work on my truck. But big congrats on graduating early. one thing you need to look into is job placement. Is the school going to help you get a job in the industry? What are you going to be making when you come out? Whats the turnover in the industry? Etc etc good luck though! oh I work in IT. Right now network and data security is huge as is the push to virtual. VMWare is crucial big right now. If I could go to a certification training I would be at a VMware course or the ethical hacking course. CISSP is another. IT is all about the hands on experience and the certifications. The degree can open a window the certs push the door open.

Thanks for the reply. The school has a whole career center, at the three month mark they bring you in, sit you down, and go over your whole plans for what you want to do with your life. They make sure you stay on track the whole time, and after you finish they do help you get jobs in many ways, they call you, email you, set up appointments, post job applications, tons of things to make sure you have the best start you can. With this school I get pretty much all of my Audio certifications, including every Protools certification there is, which from what they tell us is the best program you can be certified in for the Audio Engineering world.

Do you like working in IT? Im really interested in those things you've mentioned (VMWare, Ethical hacking, CISSP) I need to do some research on those. I can actually start on a degree at my local community college (TMCC) August 28th of this year. Or even better yet, I can sign up right now for just some basic core classes, and while im in school feel around for the degree I want. And also if I start in August, then I will be in college at 16 years old. I've learned that in both Audio and Computers, like you said, its all about certifications. If you can give me any more information i'd GREATLY appreciate it.

Don't worry about how much it costs to go to school. Get as much as you can in grants and scholarships. Whatever is leftover you'll have to get a loan for. You don't have to start paying the loan back until after 6 months from when you graduate. Standard school loan payback is 10 years. If the payment is too much for you at that time, then you can stretch it out over 20 years.

Very true, but in my case im going to need a lot of money in loans. And, also consider the fact that if I do go to Hollywood I will probably be staying there for a decent amount of time after graduating, and I don't know if an extra monthly payment will be a choice for me.