If you know what you want to do for work, then the path to succeeding at that kind of work is pretty easy to figure out.
A big problem with school of any kind is that people get an education first and then try to figure out what to do with their life. That's a path to failure a lot of the time. If people figure out what they want to do first then education may or may not be part of the plan depending.
Yeah all my HS friends who knew what they wanted to do and went to school for it are doing it and doing fairly well. Except my Catholic friend who wanted to be a Hollywood writer (but I think a devout Catholic can be excused for not wanting to surround himself with demons).
The ones who (eg.) studied English just kinda drifted until they landed somewhere.
There's also the aspect of realistic expectations. Wanting to be a Hollywood writer isn't a realistic expectation. Wanting to be a writer is a realistic expectation but you don't need a formal education to be a writer. You don't need one to be a Hollywood writer either.
Without going into too much detail, it wasn't an unrealistic expectation for him; and during school he was doing some work in Hollywood before he decided it "wasn't what he expected".
He never expanded on what he meant by that much, but all things considered it was probably for the best he didn't continue down that path.
I think there's a problem with a lot of people with unrealistic expectations that they want only that too and are disinterested in the journey to get there. Maybe you have to start by helping out at the local TV station with production work. Then someone leaves and you get the chance to write boring scripts for local TV commercials. Oh wait, there's a job as an assistant writer on a B-movie and your friend at the TV station knows the director and might can get you an interview. You're building credits and experience up now. Are you likely to make Hollywood, still no. But you have more of a chance and in theory you are actually employed the entire time.
I'm speculating because I know nothing about that industry and how it works, obviously. The point being a think a lot go spend a bunch of money on school and when they are done it's like, "hey I finished when do I get assigned my Marvel movie?" When there is an opportunity at a small studio in Georgia, it's "ew no, didn't you see I went to Fancy University of Arts I'm a Hollywood writer I could never work in Georgia."
Realistic expectations when you're paying for an education. If you're paying $50k-250k for an education and you expect to accomplish something unrealistic, you're going to get scammed. If you have unrealistic expectations, that's fine if you aren't paying people to try to meet them. Like if you want to be a Hollywood writer then write and try to be a Hollywood writer without paying money to anyone. If you're told you need to pay money first before you can be a Hollywood writer, you're being scammed.
If you know what you want to do for work, then the path to succeeding at that kind of work is pretty easy to figure out.
A big problem with school of any kind is that people get an education first and then try to figure out what to do with their life. That's a path to failure a lot of the time. If people figure out what they want to do first then education may or may not be part of the plan depending.
Education for the sake of education is a scam.
Yeah all my HS friends who knew what they wanted to do and went to school for it are doing it and doing fairly well. Except my Catholic friend who wanted to be a Hollywood writer (but I think a devout Catholic can be excused for not wanting to surround himself with demons).
The ones who (eg.) studied English just kinda drifted until they landed somewhere.
There's also the aspect of realistic expectations. Wanting to be a Hollywood writer isn't a realistic expectation. Wanting to be a writer is a realistic expectation but you don't need a formal education to be a writer. You don't need one to be a Hollywood writer either.
Without going into too much detail, it wasn't an unrealistic expectation for him; and during school he was doing some work in Hollywood before he decided it "wasn't what he expected".
He never expanded on what he meant by that much, but all things considered it was probably for the best he didn't continue down that path.
I think there's a problem with a lot of people with unrealistic expectations that they want only that too and are disinterested in the journey to get there. Maybe you have to start by helping out at the local TV station with production work. Then someone leaves and you get the chance to write boring scripts for local TV commercials. Oh wait, there's a job as an assistant writer on a B-movie and your friend at the TV station knows the director and might can get you an interview. You're building credits and experience up now. Are you likely to make Hollywood, still no. But you have more of a chance and in theory you are actually employed the entire time.
I'm speculating because I know nothing about that industry and how it works, obviously. The point being a think a lot go spend a bunch of money on school and when they are done it's like, "hey I finished when do I get assigned my Marvel movie?" When there is an opportunity at a small studio in Georgia, it's "ew no, didn't you see I went to Fancy University of Arts I'm a Hollywood writer I could never work in Georgia."
Yeah realistic expectations are incredibly important.
Realistic expectations when you're paying for an education. If you're paying $50k-250k for an education and you expect to accomplish something unrealistic, you're going to get scammed. If you have unrealistic expectations, that's fine if you aren't paying people to try to meet them. Like if you want to be a Hollywood writer then write and try to be a Hollywood writer without paying money to anyone. If you're told you need to pay money first before you can be a Hollywood writer, you're being scammed.