The degree

I just read (or for today's world) mostly scanned the better part of an article whether having a photography degree is worth it or not.

As a photographer with a degree, and having done a lot of soul searching over the last few months, I'm sad to say, "no" it's not worth it.

Would I change the fact I have it?  Absolutely not!

Would I change the fact I drove my husband nuts for 48 hours 20 years later over my Certification exam.  OMG, NO!

I have a degree in portrait photography from the Ohio Institute of Photography and Technology, now Kaplan college.  My framed diploma says December 20th, 1996.  It was an awesome 2 years that a tragedy in my life helped pay for.  I do not regret it.  I do regret the commercials asking if you would like a career in the exciting world of photography.  Exciting world = work for someone else, willing to travel, work hard and learn how to do it the right way in the real world.  I have some regrets...

I have a diploma that says  I graduated from Edison State Community College with a degree in Business Management May 1994.  That one took 7 years and was my answer to my parent's not supporting a degree in photography....maybe our parents know something we don't.

No, I do not regret the photography degree.

What I regret is that I burned out those 2 years at school and let my camera sit for almost 3 years as a professional.  When my daughter was born in 1997, I took lots and lots and lots of mommy pics of her...THEY DID NOT INSPIRE ME TO BE A PROFESSIONAL PHOTOGRAPHER!  THAT WAS ALREDY THERE!  It did not make me want to pursue a business in photography, yet.  It was almost 3 years later before I would decided it was time  By then I had a 10 year old, 3 year old, 2 year old and 1 year old.  I didn't have time...I didnt' have time! 12 years later, I have time along with every other mom and dad who think it's a fast buck to offer a cd full of photos or charge a dollar more than what they paid for the print. Twelve years later, it's about sitting on your butt in front of the computer only meeting the client to take the pictures in their backyard or local park in full sunlight.   I can't do that.  I'm about creating a portrait, not 500 in a 3 hour session AND having my grocery bill paid for the week.

I've been watching Revolution on Monday nights.  The second episode really struck me (the whole show strikes me as not quite right) but the second episode especially.  One of the characters carries a cell phone around that has not worked for 10 years?  The day the power went away.  She said she had the only photos of her children' she hadn't see in all that time on that phone.  My first thought was "wow"  it's real, we really are a digital world.  We put the images on our phone, our ipad, ipod, tablet, laptop assume that's where they will stay for eternity....

This is where photography is...a cluster of pixels safe by faith in technology.

Is a degree important?

Ironically my graduating class was taught how to interview for a JOB working FOR someone else.
We were told you take whatever work comes along to survive, then when you can pay the bills, you do the work you want.

Hello out there.....do you feel the least bit guilty?

That's what I thought.