do what you love, or push it to the side as a hobby?????

[rex-craft7]

im in a very confusing and frustrating situation right now, and was hoping if anyone could relate - i love art. ive loved art since i could walk - i had my first "for sale" drawing in a downtown art store in elementary school, entered contests, drew a 300 page graphic novel for fun in 5th grade, and since then i have always made it a tradition to start drawing a new comic book every summer break for fun. i draw to relieve stress, for fun, and well... basically i draw a lot. just recently, ive been accepted into the best design school i could ever hope to get into, and i have a couple weeks to reply whether ill be attending or not.

lately though, ive been feeling a little hesitant. the more i learn about the art WORK world (i.e. after graduation), the more "disillusioned" i feel. i believe im a pretty realistic person, and because of this, i feel like theres a limit to the saying "follow your passion and you'll be happy". well, im following it so far, but the end result doesnt look too "happy" to me. in fact, ive lately been thinking if i would be happier to just leave art to be a side passion without twisting and forcing it to be a career.

lately ive been wondering if i should start studying my second interest - science. luckily im in a science/research oriented uni at the moment (i entered because i thought i would be studying science, not art), so getting into this shouldnt be a problem. im starting to look into the marine bio program at the moment.

so my options are to stay at my current uni and study BOTH science/art (im likely never going to let go of art), OR, go to the design school and study solely art.

the problem is, i believe im a fairly average science person... my worst subject is math, and after taking all the AP/honors science courses my highschool offered, i ended up with a 3.5 GPA - so im also wondering if an "average" student in science can succeed in it (i.e. can i get a job...? and im mostly interested in field work, which im guessing is the most competitive to get?). is there a place in the field for people who arent med school material (i dont know how else to put it) - sorry for the wall of text, but i feel like i have to explain this fully to get good input - any advice? opinions? has anyone ever been in a similar situation? anything would be greatly appreciated -

 

[eviloreo]

Ive always had a love for history. The first History thing i learned about was the American Civil War back in 4th grade (played some game, loved it, learned about it) and im a Chinese American living in Washington State.

My father noticed this and set up a father-son visit to the civil war sites on the east coast (plus New York and up towards Niargra falls because he wanted to go, i had not interested in those places) and you bet you ass i was geeking out.

I still remembered visiting arlington national cementary, went to both manassas sites, going down to fredricksburg/chancelorsville, swinging to appomattox courthouse then to harpers ferry (and yes i didnt go to the tourist john brown site, we hiked to the real location which most people didnt know about ), went to antietam and gettysburg on july 2-3.

After that trip during 5th grade i decided to become a teacher, a history teacher but like you thought about it and changed it. Not much money, long hours, and i have to deal with kids? i cant even handle babysitting a neighbor's child : / So i aimed high and wanted to be a commercial or cargo pilot. Got into CWU's and its flight school but midway figured it wasnt the job for me : / The schooling wasnt hard but flying was not my calling thats for sure. I dont like dealing with strict procedures and pretending to be a cowboy when the mentality of the job is be as computerized as humanly possible.

Now im back in school going into law enforcement (a loner type of work if you want it to be) and hoping to use my abilty to speak Chinese to do custom/border patrol work for my state. I dont know if law enforcement is for me, but its the direction im going atm.

Point being, yea i can understand what you love doing might not be a good career and "we" dont buy into that honeysuckle of "do what you love doing for a career even if it pays honeysuckle" but ill warn you and say dont aim for a prestigious job only because it will pay well because you might end up disliking it. I guess what im saying is aim for a career which you have a great strength in compared to other people around you. And everyone has a strength in something, everyone, your never the best at it but its still a strength thats above average.

 

[muhahahahaha]

im in a very confusing and frustrating situation right now, and was hoping if anyone could relate - i love art. ive loved art since i could walk - i had my first "for sale" drawing in a downtown art store in elementary school, entered contests, drew a 300 page graphic novel for fun in 5th grade, and since then i have always made it a tradition to start drawing a new comic book every summer break for fun. i draw to relieve stress, for fun, and well... basically i draw a lot. just recently, ive been accepted into the best design school i could ever hope to get into, and i have a couple weeks to reply whether ill be attending or not.

lately though, ive been feeling a little hesitant. the more i learn about the art WORK world (i.e. after graduation), the more "disillusioned" i feel. i believe im a pretty realistic person, and because of this, i feel like theres a limit to the saying "follow your passion and you'll be happy". well, im following it so far, but the end result doesnt look too "happy" to me. in fact, ive lately been thinking if i would be happier to just leave art to be a side passion without twisting and forcing it to be a career.

lately ive been wondering if i should start studying my second interest - science. luckily im in a science/research oriented uni at the moment (i entered because i thought i would be studying science, not art), so getting into this shouldnt be a problem. im starting to look into the marine bio program at the moment.

so my options are to stay at my current uni and study BOTH science/art (im likely never going to let go of art), OR, go to the design school and study solely art.

the problem is, i believe im a fairly average science person... my worst subject is math, and after taking all the AP/honors science courses my highschool offered, i ended up with a 3.5 GPA - so im also wondering if an "average" student in science can succeed in it (i.e. can i get a job...? and im mostly interested in field work, which im guessing is the most competitive to get?). is there a place in the field for people who arent med school material (i dont know how else to put it) - sorry for the wall of text, but i feel like i have to explain this fully to get good input - any advice? opinions? has anyone ever been in a similar situation? anything would be greatly appreciated -

as a science student , 3rd year genetic engineering , I gatta tell you that science wont get you anywhere unless you pursue carrier in medicine or dentistry which is pretty competitive and close to impossible , the mean average of applicants in Canada is 3.8 out of 4.
But you can make pretty good money if you are talented in art and working would be like a hobby for you

 

[ringwood]

im in a very confusing and frustrating situation right now, and was hoping if anyone could relate - i love art. ive loved art since i could walk - i had my first "for sale" drawing in a downtown art store in elementary school, entered contests, drew a 300 page graphic novel for fun in 5th grade, and since then i have always made it a tradition to start drawing a new comic book every summer break for fun. i draw to relieve stress, for fun, and well... basically i draw a lot. just recently, ive been accepted into the best design school i could ever hope to get into, and i have a couple weeks to reply whether ill be attending or not.

lately though, ive been feeling a little hesitant. the more i learn about the art WORK world (i.e. after graduation), the more "disillusioned" i feel. i believe im a pretty realistic person, and because of this, i feel like theres a limit to the saying "follow your passion and you'll be happy". well, im following it so far, but the end result doesnt look too "happy" to me. in fact, ive lately been thinking if i would be happier to just leave art to be a side passion without twisting and forcing it to be a career.

lately ive been wondering if i should start studying my second interest - science. luckily im in a science/research oriented uni at the moment (i entered because i thought i would be studying science, not art), so getting into this shouldnt be a problem. im starting to look into the marine bio program at the moment.

so my options are to stay at my current uni and study BOTH science/art (im likely never going to let go of art), OR, go to the design school and study solely art.

the problem is, i believe im a fairly average science person... my worst subject is math, and after taking all the AP/honors science courses my highschool offered, i ended up with a 3.5 GPA - so im also wondering if an "average" student in science can succeed in it (i.e. can i get a job...? and im mostly interested in field work, which im guessing is the most competitive to get?). is there a place in the field for people who arent med school material (i dont know how else to put it) - sorry for the wall of text, but i feel like i have to explain this fully to get good input - any advice? opinions? has anyone ever been in a similar situation? anything would be greatly appreciated -

Greetings...OK...In your own words: "I've just been accepted into the best design school I could ever hope to get into."

That's a huge accomplishment right there! I'm assuming that you had to submit a portfolio of your past work to the school, so obviously the administrators can see that you have considerable talent when it comes to art - otherwise they wouldn't have accepted you. And considering that art has been your passion since you were a young kid, I would go with the art/design school. Don't be afraid to follow your passions and dreams in life - being realistic is great (and necessary, sometimes!), but don't let your fear of the lack of future opportunities scare you off. Nothing...And I repeat, NOTHING, is a sure thing in this world - especially when it comes to job security. And hell! You're still very, very young - sounds like you just graduated high school....People change their career goals all the time - some people end up having 4 or 5 different careers over the course of their working life. So I say, follow your heart for now and see where it leads you. It would be a real shame to throw away such an amazing opportunity to go to a top art school.

Anyway, congratulations on your success so far, and I hope there's many, many more successes in your future!! And hey - If you care to share, I'm sure we'd all love to see some of your work...Cheers!

 

[Nic]

While I was deciding a major, I was always told to do what you love.
I absolutely am fascinated by the inter-workings of computer hardware.

So here I am as a sophomore computer engineer.
I most likely will work for the rest of my natural known existence on embedded systems and writing component drivers. This has a lot to do with what you said about making your passion into a career; being forced to produce, and keep producing.

But ya know, I'm not worried.

The world is a huge place and I am always being introduced into something new because of my education into my hobby. I'm always being put in front of new things and its taken my hobby to a completely different level in understanding and appreciation.

You would not believe how much work goes into developing a driver for something as simple as those ancient serial connections.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Serial_port

Now I'm not saying that your work has to be the only source that influences your passion. You can still have time to exercise it in private. I for example build desktop computers on a regular basis, its a lot of fun for me making my very own creation. Its somewhat spiritual for me, watching my masterpiece boot for the first time. (Yea, I'm a geek.)

You don't have to only draw at work; there will be time to yourself that you can doodle all you like.

You as an artist have the freedom of exercising as a freelancer, or choosing to work at a studio or company. If art is what you live and breathe, then your workplace should never stifle it. It may take some time job hunting, but I'm sure you can find a employer or lifestyle that won't stifle your creativity. Companies are more receptive in the modern era; they've finally figured out that happy workers are productive workers. I would imagine this holds true even more so regarding art.

People often misconstrue that the company picks the employee. However, its you that really make the final decision, if you don't like the way your employer requires the use of your talents, then by all means, find a new job.

In my opinion, if art is what you love, then pursue it 100%.

I've just passed the point of expelling any doubt I had about my choice in a career. I got it right on the very first try. I'm lucky. However, if your choice in education seems to be "off" in the slightest bit when you get to school, do not wait to talk to an adviser to explore other opportunities. And most of all, remember that it doesn't matter if you choose wrong the first time around; every journey starts somewhere.

 

[Unacceptance]

Go for the art, apply it to other things.

 

[Lawrens]

I personally don't know where you're at interms of talent, I think only you know, and I don't know very well of the art and science work world, so I really can't give advice for that.

I'd go with the one that can put a smile on your face. If I had the passion and talent in art, I'd go into it without second thought. Don't let other people choose for you, it's your life really, I don't think both sides would be very bad as long as you work very hard, it is just the matter which one will make you happier at the end after a day's work.

 

[Satyr]

I went to school for commercial art. I tried to work freelance for awhile but put it aside when I decided I wasn't making enough money at it. As much as I hate to admit it, sometimes you have to put the things you enjoy doing on the back burner just so you can eat and pay bills. Freelance is hard work, as you pretty much have to learn to sell "yourself" as well as your art. I'm far too lazy for that. It might have been better if I'd simply found an advertising agency or other art related business that had a set schedule and pay rate.

Now I build computers. Don't know how that happened, but at least it's steady work and I know exactly what my paycheck is going to be.

The point of this post? Just killing time until lunch.

 

[SighX99]

i agree with Sanal there. but dont end up hating your job.