Some guidance needed..

I've been in photography for a little over a year now..and I'm loving it, and getting 'slightly' addicted to it. Since I'm raised in an Asian-family, I'm raised to have like good grades and the idea of getting into university and making lots of money...etc. I'm a high school student, and this is my last year of high school, and I'm starting to consider some career options. I've thought about some options like, getting in to university, or college, and perhaps some apprenticeship program that our school provides..and here's the kick- photography.

I feel that I should pursue something that I love, and be good at it. I've gone from knowing nothing about cameras to now knowing more than a little something about photography. Photography has changed my life too, I used to just be a typical kid, staying at home...watching TV, playing video games..but now I've used those time, to spend time going out to take pictures, reading some photography books, processing my photos, publishing them on my blog, and most importantly, asking for advises in this forum.

So that was kinda a little background about myself..and now here's the question, should I take photography extremely seriously, like really focus on it, and pursue on this career, and perhaps become a photographer in the future? OR just leave it as a hobby? Hopefully someone can perhaps give me some advises, and opinions.

thanks a lot,
Franco

Go to college

If you want to go for an arts degree in photography or photojournalism that might be good career path.

But another piece of advice...

Go to college...

and one last word of advice...

Go to college

It is very hard to have photography pay the bills, and make the house payment and the car payment and the insurance payment and the kids clothes and ...
so have a good career and fit photography into it.....
it can be your passion...
but in reality most of us have day jobs..

Quote:

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Originally Posted by HDNitehawk

Go to college

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Indeed. Go to college. You have time to decide if photography is really your career aspiration or a hobby. In the meantime, get yourself prepared for other potential careers that interest you.

Agreed. Go to college. Avoid debt. Follow a pro for a few days, do the internship/apprenticeship, try to work for a pro over summers. But go to college, and seriously avoid debt.

Yup, go to college or university. Like HD says, maybe pursue a degree in journalism. Formal education is never a waste. And, yes, stay out of debt - the north american economy is not something to be taunted....:( Photography will always be there.

Damian

Oh, and... GO TO COLLEGE!

From everything I hear and read these days, photography is getting harder to make as a career.

OTOH, it can be a great and rewarding hobby, or even supplemental income. Stick with it through college, perhaps as a minor, and if you do decide to try it as a career, you will also have other options.

I'm fortunate enough to have lots of nice gear to take pictures - I really doubt I could afford what I've got if photography was my day job.

Hell, you could get a business degree of some sort. Or marketing. Both would be helpful if you decided to be a pro photographer.

Yeah. I guess..I will just go to college..it's kinda sad to see that photographers can barely support themselves..like..hell, almost everyone has a pro-sumer DSLR..and you know what makes me mad? it's the fact that people think it's all about the camera, and that they know how to take a picture when they know how to press the shutter release! I really hope I can change their minds one day..and I will stick with photography as my hobby..and hopefully I will be good at it, and perhaps make a buck or two out of it and get some nice gears! Thanks a lot guys. Reality really bursts my bubbles but owell, it's life.

Its absolutely possible to make a living doing it. The advise you got on here is solid, real world advise. It's about having a backup plan. Opening your mind to other career paths. Get yourself an education, career, then start edging your way into it. If you eventually dive into photography head first, you'll still have the degree to fall back on.

You're 18? Create a ten year plan for yourself. That's probably the best guidance I can offer.

(Oh, all of that and open a Roth IRA. There is no force as powerful as compounding interest. :p. )

Yeah I'm eighteen, and here in Canada, we are forced to do a graduation plan in order to graduate..so I pretty much have my life planned out for the next couple years..but I'm just not sure, you know..things can change quickly. But for sure, I value my education probably more than anything else..because education is everything in the society. However, I have one question, how can I possibly ask a pro-photographer to let me shoot with him like say during the summer? It's kinda..awkward, isn't it?

Here's a secret.. Pro photographers are always open to having an assistant. Or as they call them "Voice Activated Light Stands". It's a mutually beneficial thing.

LOL. Dang. I should really start finding some opportunities in my area..and hopefully I will learn lots..

I would change the "go to college/university" thing to "look for a career that isn't photography". A lot of jobs (at least here in the UK) are putting people with experience above those with a relevant degree, so I wouldn't tell you to get a degree if it's not what you'll need for your career choice.

But that's semantics, I think the point is, you can make money out of photography, and it's possible to make a career from it, but it's not a sure fire thing. Get yourself some qualifications which give you lots of options if you don't know what you want to do. I got a specialised degree and then regretted it when I realised there were no jobs in my area. Keep up photography as an outlet. What you learn with your camera in your hands is something additional to what you're learning at uni. You'll have more free time at uni to pursue it, probably less free money for gear, but master what you've got and kill two birds with one stone (degree, and 3 more years of shooting experience).

That's kinda what I'm doing. But I first picked up a camera in anger after uni, so I'm doing it whilst working. Working is paying the bills and saving for a house (like your degree, preparing me for the future), taking photographs is keeping me sane and seeing me improve.

If you go to college I'd highly recommend going into engineering, a medical field, or something else that puts you in a great position to get a job. It's sad to see too many people go to college and major in things that don't necessarily make themselves more employable (no offense intended to anyone, but a BA in philosophy is not likely to help you find a job in the rust belt).

There are certainly a lot of options. It sounds like you enjoy academics so college should be a good fit, but there's nothing wrong with skilled trades like electricians, plumbers, etc...

Keep in mind that if you go to college, there is never a shortage of young, attractive women to take pictures of. It's a wonderful way to sharpen your [photographic] skills.

Just sayin'.

Another thought, but in terms of selecting what you want to do, I wouldn't focus on "doing something that you love." I know people like to say that, but I've seen several people pursue a career is what they "love" and end up not liking the day in day out reality of the position. Ultimately, they end up somewhat disenchanted and, sometimes, having lost their "love." Instead, I would focus on picking a career that you are good at, find interesting, challenging, has room for you to grow and can support your lifestyle/family. I would focus on the day in day out of the career. For example, I am an environmental engineer and still really enjoy figuring out how to clean up contaminated soil and groundwater. I find that very interesting and challenging. However, most of my day is spent in meetings, managing budgets, coordinating people, writing proposals/reports, etc. There is nothing wrong with that and, in fact, I enjoy a lot of it. But the "love" part is the dessert at the end and the rest of it is the main course.

And I second what was said above, pick a career that has a market. I hear reports that trades are coming back. And I agree, there is nothing wrong with that (actually, some of my favorite people have chosen to emphasize their home life and family and have more of what I would call a "job" and less of a "career.") But a college degree in engineering or sciences tend to do well no matter the market, for instance track their unemployement stats against the national average...

Good luck....

Edit...yep, in case I didn't re-emphasize it, still feel the same way, go to college and avoid debt as much as possible.

I still stick by the first advice I gave you. Go to College.
It is easy to say pick a carrier that makes money first, but if work is a grind it is harder to succeed. Over the years I have enjoyed my carrier path, it is what I choose to do 32 years ago. It is not as fun as it once was, but it still has its moments.
Pick a carrier that you can be passionate about and in the end you will be a success. You only have one life to live; to some life is about money but looking back now some of the best times in my life were those when I had nothing.

If you really want to go in to photography there are other options other than opening a shop and doing portraits. Contact a university and see what opportunities there would be. Obviously since you can get a degree in photography, teaching could be one. I am sure there are many more.

Here is a local school that is highly respected:

http://www.okcu.edu/petree/visualarts/#

Thanks for the suggestions, everyone. My plan now is to get in a university and study economics/criminology. If that doesnt work out, then I guess I will have to enter some trades apprenticeship like electrician, etc. But yup, I've decided that education should be put on top of everything at the moment. And you're right, kayaker72, we don't always have to luck to do something that we are passionate about, but I really hope in sometime, I can find a career that I will love, so I will have to motivation to work for probably the next 4 or 5 decades. But anyways, thanks for all the comments, it really helped me to clear my mind. and ONE last thing, hopefully I can avoid debt..studying economics already taught me that it's a BAD thing, well at least for individual, and hopefully I can support myself in the next few years. (Luckily, my parents still support my living costs).