Alright, I just wanted to hear what current actors think about this...
I am a sophomore Finance major at a very expensive college (the University of Notre Dame). My parents have spent around $100,000 on my education so far. The thing is I know I won't do much with it after college (it isn't on my acting resume). So the question is this, would it be better to start my career in LA this fall or wait two years and let my parents pay for the rest of my degree.

My parents know I want to work in Hollywood, they just think it will be in corporate finance for a movie studio. But since I really want to be an actor I just wanted some opinions before I talk to them. So, should I finish school for them? Thanks.

you should finish school for you. There are 100,000 union (and who knows how many non-union) actors in Hollywood. Their average wage is $7000. Think you could live on that?

Wow, Lets see here, do you know how lucky you are to have such wonderful parents? So many children do not have that option and then some just want to throw it away. Please talk with them and tell them how you feel, not us. I mean they are the ones you should be having this conversation with. The best of luck to you.

Dear BWhitend10,

It sounds as though you're just "going through the motions" by attending college in an attempt to satisfy your parent's needs at the expense of your own. While that's a worthy goal, it certainly won't or put you any closer to your personal goals or make you any happier in the long run. If you want to finish school for YOU, that's a different story, but you simply cannot live your parent's lives for THEM. It's simply not wise to pursue an occupation that you have no aptitude for or interest in. Although I can't dismiss the value of an MBA from a major university, if this is not your career path, to my way of thinking this is simply money ill-spent, money that would be far better applied to your acting education. I would definitely agree with "Danggina"-- you need to have a serious sit-down with your folks, and soon.

Acting is probably the most difficult and competitive profession in the world, and I'm sure you've heard the term "starving actor" more than once. The inner rewards of a life in the performing arts are great, but the reality can be equally harsh. That being said, I have always believed in following your heart and making your own path in the world. Who really cares how much money you're making or how many degrees you have after your name if you're unhappy and unfulfilled in life?

On this journey we must always come to a crossroads, and you'll come to several. Whichever path you take, you must be willing and open to living with the decision you make today. But once you make that final determination, make it fearlessly and with your full heart and mind, and then damn the torpedoes -- full speed ahead.

www.robertkim.com

Thanks for the advice. You worded it perfectly. I will be having this conversation with my parents, but I was just curious as to what other actors thought.

I guess part of me is only doing it for my parents, but another part is fear of the unknown.

I do realize how blessed I am and my parents are great people. DANGGINA I did not mean to imply I want to throw away the blessing of a college education. I just do not see it as useful to my career and I do not want my parents to think they "wasted" money sending me to college in two years when I move to CA. Thanks for the advice.

quote:

Originally posted by Robert Kim Photography:
Dear BWhitend10,

It sounds as though you're just "going through the motions" by attending college in an attempt to satisfy your parent's needs at the expense of your own. While that's a worthy goal, it certainly won't or put you any closer to your personal goals or make you any happier in the long run. If you want to finish school for YOU, that's a different story, but you simply cannot live your parent's lives for THEM. It's simply not wise to pursue an occupation that you have no aptitude for or interest in. Although I can't dismiss the value of an MBA from a major university, if this is not your career path, to my way of thinking this is simply money ill-spent, money that would be far better applied to your acting education. I would definitely agree with "Danggina"-- you need to have a serious sit-down with your folks, and soon.

Acting is probably the most difficult and competitive profession in the world, and I'm sure you've heard the term "starving actor" more than once. The inner rewards of a life in the performing arts are great, but the reality can be equally harsh. That being said, I have always believed in following your heart and making your own path in the world. Who really cares how much money you're making or how many degrees you have after your name if you're unhappy and unfulfilled in life?

On this journey we must always come to a crossroads, and you'll come to several. Whichever path you take, you must be willing and open to living with the decision you make today. But once you make that final determination, make it fearlessly and with your full heart and mind, and then damn the torpedoes -- full speed ahead.

www.robertkim.com

Whatever you do, do it when you're ready to, and not a moment before.


And by the way, I've seen plenty of castings for people with real life experiences, particularly for hosting (not necessarily acting, but certainly still in the business). It may be worth your while to stay in school. My friend in my acting class has an effing master's in toxicology, and what do you know, I've seen a casting need for someone with a toxicology background.

I'm sorry for coming off a lil rough. It seems that you know what needs to be done and I wish you all the luck and happiness. Mom and Dad must be very proud.

Hi BWhitend10,
If I were you I would stay in school and get a degree-that is whats so important. You have your whole life to be an actor, spend the next 2 yrs finishing school. I opted for a certificate acting program instead of college(I would love to still go to college and get a degree in something if the oppertunity arises). I live in NYC and am in an acting school and working whenever I get the chance. But as far as interships and stuff like that goes, so many companys don't want to hear from me or turn me down right away because I don't have a BA/BFA--or any true degree for that matter other then my G.E.D. So thats one view point on all this acting business. If you really want it and work hard you can have it,nothing is standing in your way other then yourself. But, finish school and then think that. Best of luck and working in Finance for a Hollywood movie studio wouldn't be the worst thing in the world, if you do it for a year or so. I'm sure it pays well and you will be meeting tons of great people. Best of luck to you!
~Grace

I want this email to come off as respectful to you, but you are about 20, correct? You don't mention in your email that you have significant credits on your resume to predict your enormouse success in Hollywood. I am much older with more experience in life to say you want to make the CORRECT decision here. I truely believe finishing school is the BEST decision you can make right now. If you fall on your face n Hollywood, not finishing college will haunt you the rest of your life. Be in the habit of analyzing your situation and apply SMART decisions. If you are a person who makes bad decisions throughout your life you will no doubt put your marriage, finances and health in great jeapordy. The smart decision to make is to graduate from college.

quote:

Originally posted by BWhitend10:
I am a sophomore Finance major at a very expensive college (the University of Notre Dame). My parents have spent around $100,000 on my education so far. The thing is I know I won't do much with it after college (it isn't on my acting resume).

The two key phrases I concentrated on were, "parents have spent around $100,000." and "I won't do much with it after college."
Two important points.

Here's my story.

My father graduated from the University of Southern California, magna cum laude. He was the first Korean American to graduate from their prestigious dental school. He wanted me to follow in his footsteps, but I couldn't imagine myself staring into someone's mouth eight hours-a-day for the rest of my working life -- in spite of the money and recognition. Your parents have already spent a ton on you education. However if you have absolutely no plans to pursue finance after school, the rest of your tuition could be even more money wasted. But I also mentioned the value of a business degree. Like a law degree, it's something that you can apply to virtually any business you may pursue in the future, making you a more valuable asset as well. Something to think about.

I also warned how difficult the acting profession can be to eke out a living. It's a long and difficult path with extremely low odds of success. You may never even make a dime. That statistic alone keeps most aspiring actors from making the final plunge. I suffered greatly from my choice to drop out of school -- the anger and disapproval of my parents, the laughter from my friends for the audacity to even THINK about a life in music and the arts. The dues were tough, the life on the road was even tougher. But I never regretted leaving school for a moment and I wouldn't have traded my life experiences for all the tacos in Mexico. You will discover that in reality, life will ultimately choose your occupation for you.

I've always believed that only by doing the things that bring us joy in life can we be truly happy and fulfilled, whether it's digging a ditch or presiding over a corporate board meeting. But think hard on your choices in life, you have to live with them.

"Whatever works."

www.robertkim.com

quote:

Originally posted by BWhitend10:
Alright, I just wanted to hear what current actors think about this...
I am a sophomore Finance major at a very expensive college (the University of Notre Dame). My parents have spent around $100,000 on my education so far. The thing is I know I won't do much with it after college (it isn't on my acting resume). So the question is this, would it be better to start my career in LA this fall or wait two years and let my parents pay for the rest of my degree.

My parents know I want to work in Hollywood, they just think it will be in corporate finance for a movie studio. But since I really want to be an actor I just wanted some opinions before I talk to them. So, should I finish school for them? Thanks.

Nothing says that you cant do theater while working on your degree. Im not at all familiar with Notre Dames' theater, but if youre willing to work very hard there is no reason why you cant do both!

Thanks for all the responses. I guess if I could write my future I would want to be a working actor with a college degree. I am involved both in front of and behind the camera at ND with student productions.

I also applied to transfer to USC and find out if I get in by June. I do not know where I am going to go but it gives me another option. Stay in college and get my business degree, while being able to take classes in LA and work on student films. One way or another, I'll be in LA soon. Thanks again.

As a parent of an actor, my advice goes along the same lines as what you have already been given. Get the degree. A college degree is what a high school degree was 20 years ago. You simply can go nowhere without it. You must have a backup plan. Having said that, it doesn't mean you have to go to a $50,000 a year school. Change schools if you are concerned about wasting your parents money. If you have no interest in finance, change majors. You don't need to major in theatre but find something that you enjoy and that you are pretty good at. That way, once you graduate college, and move to LA to try and cut into the business, if it doesn't work out, you have a backup plan and a college degree behind you. I tell my kids, getting a degree is not an option, it's a must. You can still act in school, work in acting during the summers and continue to build a resume that way. You have 2 years away. It would be a waste to throw it away when you only have 2 years left.

quote:

Originally posted by bcoleman:
As a parent of an actor, my advice goes along the same lines as what you have already been given. Get the degree. A college degree is what a high school degree was 20 years ago. You simply can go nowhere without it. You must have a backup plan. Having said that, it doesn't mean you have to go to a $50,000 a year school. Change schools if you are concerned about wasting your parents money. If you have no interest in finance, change majors. You don't need to major in theatre but find something that you enjoy and that you are pretty good at. That way, once you graduate college, and move to LA to try and cut into the business, if it doesn't work out, you have a backup plan and a college degree behind you. I tell my kids, getting a degree is not an option, it's a must. You can still act in school, work in acting during the summers and continue to build a resume that way. You have 2 years away. It would be a waste to throw it away when you only have 2 years left.

I could not disagree more that you cannot go anywhere without a degree. It simply is NOT TRUE. Of the people I know (most of whom are in one artistic field or the other) who do not have degrees, some of them are very successful in their careers. Of the people I know that have DO have degrees, some of THEM are very succesful, but they have HUGE debt. YOU DO NOT NEED A DEGREE TO BE AN ACTOR!!!!! PERIOD!! Does it make it easier MAYBE. Does it make it easier to fall back on "plan B" the moment things get rough (ad they will) YES! It has to do with drive. How bad do you want it. How hard are you willing to work to get it. Mind you I am not talking about training. I am talking about College. Training is a lot like college but if you choose the wrong class it didn't cost you 10,000 or more to find out. And you didn't lose X amount of years of your life figuring out of you want to make a go of it. MY advice, if you really want to act for a living and your mom says you HAVE to go get a degree. Work towards a degree in business that will help you WAY more than a theater degree in becoming a working actor. Of course my friend HAS a business degree and I get advice for free.

"You wasted $150,000 on an education you coulda got for $1.50 in late fees at the public library." - Will Hunting

Thanks Zenial. I was going through a rough week when I started this post. Of course I am going to stay in college. I am blessed to have parents that can support me and in two years I will graduate with no debt. If I was paying for my own school, it probably would be much harder to justify staying in school. In the long run, however, I know I want a degree and I do not think two years will make too much of a difference.

That being said, I am still considering transferring to colleges in the LA area. That way, I can get a business degree and train more than I am here. Thanks everyone. Getting advice from strangers/people removed from the situation is very valuable.

Zenial, I agree that you do not need a degree to have a career in the entertainment industry. I do not expect it to help at all, I just feel that not many people can go to an expensive private college and not need any financial aid. It would be completely idiotic of me to throw that away.