Another what would you do if?

[R1chy11]

I'm 22 just, and have been at uni for the last two years, unfortunately i decided it wasnt where i wanted to go with my life. I left and thought about working full time but with the current economic downturn and also my interest in the media i've decided to go back to uni to get a degree. I enjoy all types of media related areas and often write, photograph and also do image editing.

I would like a comfortable life, nothing extravagant so with the option of different areas to go into on my degree what would people say I should aim at to live comfortably as I dont like the idea of freelancing.

Thanks for any help you can give

[Justin-W]

My brother went to University to study music in the business sence, got a degree to which he passed with honours but struggled to get a job. This was I guess 4>5 years ago, even moved upto London for 6months but couldnt get anywhere.

He's tried journalism but if im honest that hasnt paid off and in the end he now works for the local council. With that he writes for a relatively unknown music magazine, unpaid but gets free passes and cds.
To my knowledge he's not the only one doing this, theres tonnes of others around the country writing and taking photographs for free. So while its the economic downturn and all, are the magazines going to pay someone or get it for free?

You'll also find that a majority of people who went on his course and courses like these hardly get anywhere and in the end settle for a 9-5 job be it admin or checkout person at your local supermarket.

My friends brother on the other hand has now gone to Bournemouth University to study television/films and how there made/reworked cut, spliced, effects and that so we'll see how that pays off.

Ideally I guess what I'm saying is don't expect to go to University and be guaranteed a job, note what/where you want to take your skills and try and get a head in the doorway. Maybe work full/part time and try and get some expirence even if its free as I think it doesnt matter on what you've got to your name its whether they like your writing, photography or editing.

Edited by Justin-W on Saturday 18th April 11:34

[shirt]

can i ask why you didn't bother finishing your first degree? seems pointless to me why people do that when you can hang on for another year and get a qualification that is 2/3 paid for already.

[Brown and Boris]

shirt said:

can i ask why you didn't bother finishing your first degree? seems pointless to me why people do that when you can hang on for another year and get a qualification that is 2/3 paid for already.

Yes, as a pros[pective employer I would ask this question. 2 years to find out it wasn't for you and then go back again?

[Ungarsee]

If you like photography then what about wedding photography? I know little to nothing about it but what I do know is that every one we visited in the run up to our wedding seemed to have a very good lifestyle and plenty of work. The guys with the good reputations were booked up literally 2 years in advance. Like any small business I would imagine that they live and die by their reputation and rely on word of mouth but a few years hard graft building this reputation doing freebies for friends and family etc whilst you're at Uni could develop into a very successful business I'd imagine.

[R1chy11]

I didnt finish the second year, only did about half of it. It was just that what I was learning I knew I would never use and also be happy in the job doing so. So it was stop there or carry on and get a bigger debt and do the same thing anyway.

I am looking at freelance photography at the moment and have offered my services on various sites covering weddings for people who werent going to have a photographer and then allowing them to buy the pictures after at a low rate as long as I can use them for a portfolio.

[marsred]

Whilst i'm sure lots of professional photographers will disagree with me, i was hugely frustrated with the whole situation regarding wedding photographs when i got married.

We paid a not too insignificant sum of money for two photographers just to be there, then had to pay extra for any photos we wanted above those included in the package.

Now I don't mind paying for extra prints becuase they cost money to produce but if I want the jpegs I have to pay as well (copywrite etc etc) and its a lot of money.

Perhaps it wouldn't be sustainable as a business but if you could offer photography where you take the photos, clean them up and hand them over for a fixed fee I suspect you'd get some good business volumes. No harm in offering prints to people as well as they'll probably want them anyway.

Of course, i know very little about the whole thing, only my experience so i may be talking rubbish but no one else is going to want photos of our wedding so they have no market value other than to extract cash from me, unlike photos of Paris Hilton waving her beef kebab about which are valuable to lots of people for lots of reasons.