Second Bachelor
polycounter lvl 11
I'm seriously considering going back to school and getting a second bachelor. I was wondering what everyone's thought's were. Would it be a waste of time? I have a degree in Game Art but can't see using it professionally, only as a hobby. Would it make more sense to get a masters instead? Any opinions or advice would be very helpful. Thanks. 
Replies
2. It's odd that you don't mention what degree you would want to get. Or are you cool with just 'any' bachelors degree.
3. What do you want a masters in?
4. What job are you seeking.
It wont make you any more hireable, but it will open up academic teaching.
The biggest downfall though, is your adding bills unto bills.
Yeah, agreed if you wanted to get a bachelors in something like IT management or the like as a fall back career then I could see but if you are doing art, art is art. A masters would open up teaching but as said previously wouldn't make you any more marketable. It's all about portfolio, portfolio, portfolio on the art side of the careers.
I have an interest in Marine Biology and the Japanese language.
I'm not rich or anything so it would be more debt, but it could be worth it if I could get a good job.
I think you'd be better off going to a tech school if you're looking to acquire skills in a different field if you just want a job doing something and making decent money. It's cheaper and you'll land something faster. I think people are hiring in today's market looking for people with skills, not a pretty piece of paper that says "degree".
Then while working at whatever it is you choose to do you can continue your hobby in the meantime doing game stuff if you wish.
Here is an interesting video that is related...
[ame]
Yeah I can't speak for the masters or its value. I just went into the thread here thinking you still wanted to do game art and if you didn't have a lot of money, a tech school might land you something IT related since comp science is your thing (or something else)...then you can work on the portfolio for games in your spare time.
Programmers make more dough too...
It's not programming, it's Game Art and Design. I don't know why it's called Computer Science. lol
I'm going to take that as don't get a second bachelor.
Anyway, it's never a bad thing to have more degrees, but I think only you can really decide what the right choice is. I do think you need to really stop and think about your interests/goals. If it's marine biology, then do that and stop pursuing something you don't want to do as a career. Just make sure there is a market for it where you are, or be ready to move.
In terms of getting jobs and the like, the masters degree isn't particularly helpful - as with most creative fields, your portfolio is more important than your resume. If my company had to choose between an applicant with a bachelors and a knockout portfolio and one with a masters and average work, we'd hire the first guy 100% of the time.
A masters degree can open up other opportunities, however. If you get a masters degree in your initial field (art, design, whatever), that will usually qualify you to teach at a university. Some schools are okay with talented instructors who just have bachelors degrees, but post-graduates are much more common. You can also consider a masters degree in a branching field that might help you grow your career in your initial industry. I'm actually thinking of going back for an MBA in marketing, to make transitioning into a director role a little easier (that and I loves me some college learnin')
If you want to do something completely different from game art, then a second bachelors degree seems like the way to go, but only if the other field requires skills or certifications that you can't get otherwise. You mentioned studying Japanese - that's the kind of field I'd consider getting formal education in, as it's very hard to learn that kind of skill on your own, and having a related diploma can help you with related careers, since you wouldn't necessarily be able to provide a portfolio of your ability to speak or read a foreign language
What you mentioned about the instability in the game industry is exactly what happened to me about ten years ago. I was in school doing art when the only game shop in town got closed down in Sierra's Black Monday layoffs - they published a solid game, got axed to save money for corporate, and had to move hundreds of miles away to remain in the game industry. I know that's what most Polycounters here are faced with at some point in their career, but I just wasn't cut out for that kind of thing after seeing it happen to someone I knew.
And although it hasn't been very practical, it did give me the ability to work in countries that require a degree to support obtaining a VISA (quite notably, it opened the opportunity for me to work in the USA, or overseas).
You may not want to ever relocate for work, which is totally fine, but it's also a bit of leverage and security in a very unstable profession.
x2
I have some of big decisions to make so I'm glad I have a lot of professional opinions to help me!
I am liking the idea of learning a new language. It seems like it will give me more opportunity for work what with being able to work in a another country, all though I'm not sure if there is work knowing another language! haha.
Like whats been said already, I just need to go with what feels right.
when learning a language.
Other sources say that Japanese are a racist bunch, ready to burn any gaijin in sight before they get a chance to corrupt their race. ...and they eat strawberry sandwiches. Barbarians.
But, after hearing so many contradicting things, I'm pretty sure that going there just to confirm if they have any dragons must be worth it.
No, scrap that. Japanese girls alone are enough to put this country on my "top 10 places I have to see before I rot"
I completely agree with you. I'm going the night class route until I can get my butt over there. I do like the idea of teaching English in Japan too. I'm sure the pay sucks, but who cares. I will learn the language much much faster than being here.
Then when I'm fluent with it, I can look for a better job, heck maybe one in the game industry! I'm sure the government or bigger business need someone who can speak both too.
*shakes fist*
I'm not saying I don't want to make games, I would absolutely love to make games. I'm worried about the unstable environment that is the games industry. It's hard for me to think that I could be let go with very little notice one day or have to take a huge salary cut just to keep my job.
With my situation right now, I could spend the next year working on my portfolio and then start applying for jobs in 2010. But, who's to say once I land a job, I won't lose it within six months or a year? That uncertainty is hard for me to deal with. Maybe if I was single it would easier for me.
Maybe being a game artist isn't my calling in life. There are still a lot of other things that make me happy and give me worth. And besides, I can always help fund a start up game company or learn Japanese and help translate games. There are lots of ways of working in the game industry.
I wouldn't say that I don't want to work in games though.
This could happen in any number of job fields. Pursue a career doing what you love and what you're good at.
I would recommend the Master's over a Bachelor's in some unrelated field, unless your intent is to totally switch job markets (i.e. from forensic scientist to chef). Getting a second bachelor's in a supportive or parrallel field can be a good thing (having a bachelor's in construction and getting a second in architecture), but I would still recommend the Masters.
It's different from undergraduate, so be prepared, but if you're worried about job security, teaching would be opened up to you, and that's a fairly stable market (it would be even better if our economy wasn't in the tank and states were having to tighten their belts).
Best of luck.
I am 9 credits away from my masters in Architecure and Construction Visualization (I have a bachelor's in Architectural Engineering Technology). I went for it because I want to teach, and figured I might could even get some work teaching nightclasses while I have my current job.
Many people have told me that it's not unusual for someone to switch careers two or three times in their life, but who knows if they were still happy in their new careers.
So I guess I feel kind of guilty or I feel like I have failed if I don't finish off what I started to do. A lot of personal issues really. It does feel good type them out here and read everyone's response's.
If I win I'm splitting it with you.
I have a friend who went to school for photography (and was always good at it); she works in a barbeque restaurant....and she's a vegetarian. She says she makes better money at the restaurant.
You are not your job.
Actually I was was not directly questioning anyone, I was questioning a hypothetical. I wanted to know if anybody knows of or recommends qualifications that would bolster your chances if you were going for design or something less directly connected to art or programming.
You know, not just the stock standard "experience" that we all need to get we're not being hired to get it in the first place.
Job on a whaling boat. Problem sorted. Plus you get to harpoon greenpeace hippies all day.
check out japanesepod101.com , the free language mp3's helped me a bunch.
Oh, and go with a Masters. I agree with you on the industry being too unstable to offer a viable career option.
@ Blenderhead - You make some strong points, thanks!
@ toren3d - great lyrics lol
I need to get over that for sure.
I must be a completely broken man since I seem to have such trouble doing this. People working hard on making games while the have an unrelated 9-5? In my country I am considered unemployed even though a work some casual time every week. I need to be full time to get out of the benefits system. Yet that combined with my hackneyed 'attempts' to do folio work every day makes me feel beaten. I must seem incredibly lazy to you guys, but man I feel tired. I wonder if any of the hippys back in the day felt like that and weren't just lazy...
Marine Biology is a fucking great job if you do it like in the movies, you know on some sunny beach and saving sick dolphins and whales and shit... But I'm guessing it's gotta be a lot of grind much like everything else, in real life.
I wouldn't feel comfortable advising anyone what to do with their lives though, I guess this is something you need to sort out for yourself.
I'm beginning to think it's more about being happy with where you are. If you're happy right now and don't want to change then what's wrong with that. Just because other people are doing things differently, doesn't make it better. If you want more out of life but are just sitting around twiddling your thumbs, then there's something wrong.
well... right now I'm not making games, so I'm not happy. But then I start up max and photoshop... after a few hours, still not happy.
only thing that seems to make me happy is playing games, mmmmmm that's good happy. But it don't pay the bills.
Amen to that. I used to work in advertising sales, and you'll never see a more insecure bunch of people than sales guys. Miss a target? You're gone. Didn't beat last month's numbers? Better beat it this month, or you're gone. The new (younger) guy beat your last two months' targets combined in his first two weeks? Better straighten up and fly right, or guess what? You're gone.
Job security is a myth, in any field.
I guess there is a happy medium then. haha
After that, I was beginning to lose hope on my dreams of being a professional artist. However, something inside of me just couldn't let go of that dream, and hopefully never will. I worked on my artwork periodically, and yes, there were countless times where I simply didn't feel motivated to do so. It happens all the time, so don't feel like you're failing or being lazy, because it is natural to feel that way, especially under this relatively harsh industry/economical climate.
The simple truth is that I knew I wasn't going to be completely happy doing anything else as a career. I sucked it up and got a crappy job (QA) and worked to pay the bills, and at the same time worked on my portfolio in my spare time. I sacrificed a lot, but eventually, I achieved my goal to become a 3D Artist at this point in my career.
But that's not it. Realistically, I good portfolio may not be enough today. Combined with your attitude, personality, portfolio and shear luck, you should always be making friends and contacts in the industry. Keep in contact with your current connections and don't just contact them about job searching. Actually keep in touch and make friends. That's what it's all about.