Hey Secret Agent man,

I've had this ongoing battle and recently received a letter that i am being denied financial aid for my college. I am working a day job and night job to save money for college but for obvious reasons need some assistance. To keep this brief, my question to you is should I take my money and take several various workshops around my town or just toughen it out and find a way to keep going on my program. Generally I am a very driven person and can keep motivated by going to auditions, networking and self educating but If i came to you and had a resume that carried a bachelors degree, experience etc would you be more inclined to hire me over experience, self education, resume? what doors close to me if i drop out?

First of all, I'm not your financial advisor. This is a personal situation that you need to figure out on your own. You need to sit down with people who are close to you and figure out what you need to do. On a personal level, I'm a big believer in getting an education first and focusing on your career second. But again, I don't know your personal situation so that's just my random opinion based on my life experience.

If it helps, unless you're attending one of the league schools, your college education will make absolutely no difference in your acting career. A lot of actors get upset when I say this but they tend to be clueless about what really goes on in this industry.

But here's the big question. What are you studying? What kind of bachelor's degree are you talking about?

I wasn't asking you for financial advice. I'm studying theatre for a Bachelor of Fine arts degree. I'm asking that if i cannot finish in a college program will taking various workshops be sufficient and how limited would my options be in this field w/o a degree?

In that case, question answered. If you're not going to one of the big acting schools like Yale or Julliard, a theater degree will not help you in any way whatsoever. No one will ever care. So do it for yourself, not because it's a good career move.

And for the record, you went into great detail about your financial problems in your post. That's why I responded that I'm not your financial advisor. Your wording led me to believe that money was a big part of the equation.

it does involve financial problems but the main worry was if you would throw my resume away quicker because of lack of education was my real worry. It's definitely not a career move. There is nothing else that makes life worth living than acting. I appreciate your help. Thanks for answering.

Matthew - Ask 20 professionals in this industry (agents, managers, casting directors, etc) and you will receive a different response from each. There is no right or wrong answer to your question; it is, as SAM states, a personal decision.

We are busy researching a similar question as my daughter has just completed her junior year in hs. First, a correction, Yale, while an exceptional Liberal Arts school, does not have an exceptional undergraduate theatre program; it is their graduate school (Yale School of Drama) that is world reknown. Julliard is a conservatory and offers both a degree and non-degree program.

There are other colleges that are very highly respected and will make a difference to some agents or casting directors. Included in this list but are Carnegie Melon, Northwestern, Univ. of Southern Calif., UCLA, U. of Michigan, but this is not an inclusive list. There are those who think a BFA is the only way to go and those that prefer a more well-rounded approach with a BA and then some outside training.

Again, there is no correct answer to your situation and is one only you can answer.

quote:

A lot of actors get upset when I say this but they tend to be clueless about what really goes on in this industry.

SO...what really goes on in this industry?

When a new headshot/resume crosses your desk - what are YOU looking at/for first?

Let's eliminate the 'beautiful' people, and talk about the 'normal' looking guy/gal.