# Halp! Art student wants to go back to the sciences. :(



## Dragonstar (Oct 14, 2012)

Getting to the point: I want peoples' thoughts/personal stories about making a career change. My financial situation is very poor and basically every advice I have gotten is to at least get my BFA so I can have this degree before doing anything else (and then getting to pay off a rather large student debt). 
Personality test info: Pretty much a huge jumble of things: INFJ, INTJ, INFP and INTP. I get a new one every day it seems! My dad is a big inspiration to me, I find I have a very similar thought-process as him, though not sure if this is because he is an ISTP or because we are both right brained.  And I can am very empathetic of people like my mom, who is INFJ.

Fun stuff:
This is the burning question for me now. I'm currently in my third year at art school, and I love it, but I am not feeling challenged. I have always enjoyed drawing my whole life (and recently painting) even though I never considered making it a career until about junior year in high school. It's something I simply enjoy doing. In fact, ever since the mature age of 5, I was dead-set on becoming a veterinarian because the thought of curing and helping injured and sick animals is a great passion of mine. Ironically, I ended up deciding to go to art school late in my junior year of high school since I had had enough of academic pressures and was feeling burned out, along with numerous other small factors.

I always excelled in my science classes, meaning biology and chemistry. I never took physics although it has this mysterious air about it and I am very curious about it... math is the issue. Trigonometry was the only section of geometry that I really understood, and I generally was better at algebra. 
I am crap at writing. Don't let this post fool you. When it comes to structured essays I end up slurring everything (make that structured everything, lol).


So yep. Basically, I love science and figuring out those little small detail about life. And theories.
And I am seriously questioning my sanity because of the lack of science-related courses that are being offered here. Urgh!! -headdesk- Even the liberal arts science classes are just surveys. -_-


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## fihe (Aug 30, 2012)

Would you consider finishing your art major and then getting a master's degree in some kind of science? If so, I'd still take at least one science class as an undergrad to make sure that you can handle college-level science. I quite enjoyed biology in high school so I wanted to take it at the AP level, and actually needed a waiver to take the course. I was accepted but then did very badly, and realized that science was not for me. fortunately, I didn't wait until college so I could fail a class :\

and I'm still not fully sure of my type either. I usually type as either INTJ or ISTJ, but my J and P are pretty close too.

May I ask what state you live in, just for reference?


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## Dragonstar (Oct 14, 2012)

Hm. Good point about AP biology. That was actually a class my teacher recommended me for but I never got to take it because I had to make up for other credits. My art school classes will not transfer over to other colleges unfortunately. We have a very odd curriculum here. Right now I am in Illinois. Though if I were to go back home after college, I would be in California.

edit: I am thinking about going to a junior college and then transferring to a state college. If I wanted to be a vet, I would need to then apply for vet school for another 4 years (which would be nice... but cost-wise, yikes).


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## fihe (Aug 30, 2012)

@Dragonstar, I think one important thing to keep into account is how your major in college will affect your job prospects upon graduation. to be honest, I feel like art majors aren't in all that much demand aside from graphic design. I was a history major and it will be difficult for me to find a job that uses that, but of course as an undergrad I thought it was nevertheless a good choice since it's "versatile"


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## NT the DC (May 31, 2012)

Dragonstar said:


> Getting to the point: I want peoples' thoughts/personal stories about making a career change. My financial situation is very poor and basically every advice I have gotten is to at least get my BFA so I can have this degree before doing anything else (and then getting to pay off a rather large student debt).
> Personality test info: Pretty much a huge jumble of things: INFJ, INTJ, INFP and INTP. I get a new one every day it seems! My dad is a big inspiration to me, I find I have a very similar thought-process as him, though not sure if this is because he is an ISTP or because we are both right brained.  And I can am very empathetic of people like my mom, who is INFJ.
> 
> Fun stuff:
> ...


Heh, you sound like me.
In high school I was well known for my artistic capabilities but unlike you I didn't succumb to pursuing it as a career because I didn't view it as something that I'd like to do as a career. I enjoy creating on my own not for commission.

Went biology major in college, it was a fun ride.
The ride ended in no jobs that I liked being available, went back to school and become a Chiropractor.

And that's where I'm at now.


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## Uralian Hamster (May 13, 2011)

Why is getting a degree so important to you? Finish your art degree then go to a vocational school then get some real life work experience under your belt. My mom did very well in bio and chem also, but she went the college route and took a 2 yr program in land reclamation. She basically takes samples of soil and water From there, the samples go to a lab to be tested for pollutants. Lab techs and field techs don't need degrees but still work in a science environment.
You do have options.


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## Dragonstar (Oct 14, 2012)

What I am most interested in working in are the ones where I would need a degree... like becoming a veterinarian. Not because I want the degree, but because the types of stuff I am interested are so complex/involved, that one would need a degree to do it. Getting a degree in artwork is OK, but it is also something you don't _need_ a degree for to be successful since there are many self-schooled artists out there doing just fine. I am getting a degree in art because getting a degree in _something_ is pretty important these days, and artwork has always been something I'm good at (so why not go farther with it?).

The awesome thing about becoming vets is that there are a lot of different ways I can do things and a lot of room for constant improvement. Also, I can work in a stable environment like an animal hospital or clinic, but still have variety of being able to treat unexpected issues. It's very complex and detailed, and unless I am working on something that requires a lot of brain-power/innovative skills (such as how to deal with certain illnesses or emergencies), I think I'd get bored... and I'm afraid that's where art is taking me now. Sure, it's relaxing and fun, but I -need- something for my brain to work on, lol. I need that balance.


Aaaaand then there's the thing about another 8 years of school to be a vet. -dies-


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## BradyNotTachy (Oct 24, 2012)

Have you job shadowed at all? If not I'd recommend it, even if your sure you want to go into a certain job it'll help keep you motivated while earning the degree knowing the fun that waits afterwards. I agree with the general advise you've already been given on finishing your Arts degree first. One year isn't that long and then you'll have completed a degree. This could help you find part time or free lance work while you study for your other degree. I would also begin searching schools and doing research for your next degree and how best to go about financing and getting it. I don't know your exact transcript nor what degree requirements you'll need but community colleges can be a great place to get a lot of general courses and some entry science and math classes out of the way for a fraction of university costs. It sounds like you already have a sizable student loan debt so you might want to look into this because your next degree is going to be expensive just from the amount of schooling needed to obtain the degree. I'd also begin trying to find ways to help finance your next degree besides loans, it'll do you no financial good to get out with your Vet degree and be saddled with 100K+ student loan debt. There are also loan caps to worry about when you get high into the loans too. But you have a goal, and if your sure of it, then you need to start finding a way to achieve it. You might have to get a little creative, perhaps taking a year or two off between your current degree before going to the next one and saving up some, community college options, work-study programs, definitely look into scholarships, possible family financial support... There are ways, you'll just need to do your home work on it and figure out the best way. Look forward to sending my pet to your office one day!


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## All in Twilight (Oct 12, 2012)

Maybe you should go to a better school instead where you will find a challenge. (scholarship perhaps of whatever, I am European, what do I know?) 
I studied classical guitar at a top 5 school in the world and going back to a mediocre conservatory would just kill me. Mostly because the other classmates wouldn't be very inspirational to me and I would probably be a better teacher than the one I would be having at that mediocre conservatory. And I think you miss inspiration a lot right now next to the lack of challenge. Art is all about being inspired/inspiration. I hope this will set things in a new perspective for you.

All the best and good luck!


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## Stelmaria (Sep 30, 2011)

BradyNotTachy said:


> Have you job shadowed at all? If not I'd recommend it, even if your sure you want to go into a certain job it'll help keep you motivated while earning the degree knowing the fun that waits afterwards.


This is excellent advice. Go out there and see what it is like. If you love it, it will provide enough motivation for you to make it through Vet school. :kitteh:


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## Dragonstar (Oct 14, 2012)

In case anyone is curious for follow-ups, I managed to get myself an active position in a vet clinic and have been working there for the past couple of weeks. I think it will be a great opportunity during the next two years of art school to figure out if this is truly a direction I want to advance in.

If anyone wants to share any career-change stories/advice/opinions, I'm still ears. 
Special thanks to the comments so far. They've been helpful.


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## Stelmaria (Sep 30, 2011)

Great news and good luck!


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## BradyNotTachy (Oct 24, 2012)

Dragonstar said:


> In case anyone is curious for follow-ups, I managed to get myself an active position in a vet clinic and have been working there for the past couple of weeks. I think it will be a great opportunity during the next two years of art school to figure out if this is truly a direction I want to advance in.
> 
> If anyone wants to share any career-change stories/advice/opinions, I'm still ears.
> Special thanks to the comments so far. They've been helpful.


Excellent, hope you fall in love with it!


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