I briefly (3 semester) went to an art school where the president’s motto is, “there’s no such thing as a starving artist.” I learned my major has a rate of <10% of being hired after graduation. I saw a several graduates working minimum wage in the area. Friends who stayed to graduate are struggling with minimum loan payments even after finding professional work. I’m now in tech and am still paying debts off after more than 10 years.
Artists don’t need college. They need shared workspaces to learn from and inspire each other. They need apprenticeships.
I honestly think this extends beyond "art" and into humanities and even some sciences.
1) If you need to go to grad school for your profession, don't do an undergrad that's 60k a year.
2) If your undergrad tuition per year is roughly greater than or equal to your likely salary, do not do that undergrad program.
I went to one of those 60k a year schools to get a 100k salary out of college and even now I'm still technically in debt (interest free loan to my parents is all I have left).
I'm more and more of the belief that high sticker prices at schools should be punished by not attending.
A. Skip college entirely and focus on getting credentials in a trade or vocational program -- you will earn a lot more money as an electrician or plumber than with a humanities degree or even most engineering degrees.
B. Attend university in a foreign nation -- much, much cheaper and you'll get a far better education, but those universities are much faster paced than U.S. universities -- e.g. expect to graduate with the U.S. equivalent of a masters after 3 years of focused work, and don't expect to take any classes outside your major, or even to be able to change majors. You normally have to apply to a specific program and then graduate in that program. They will not have a big sports program, either.
C. Attend community college for 2 years and then transfer to your local state school on scholarship for 2 years. If you cannot get a scholarship at your local state school after attending community college, choose option A
The above wont work for everyone, but can work for a lot of people.
Artists don’t need college. They need shared workspaces to learn from and inspire each other. They need apprenticeships.