Designing a Back-up Plan
If you choose to major in the arts, or really any major, it’s always best to have a back-up plan. That back-up plan protects you in case your dream job does not immediately materialize after graduation, or worse, if you change your mind about your desired occupation (e.g., if you find yourself saying, “What in the world was I thinking when I thought I wanted to do lighting design 24/7?!” Such a back-up plan is best created as soon as you start college, if not before. Even if you are absolutely convinced that music performance (as one example) is what you want to do for the rest of your life, or even if there are currently thousands of unfilled jobs in graphic design, four years is plenty long enough for you to change your mind and or the economy to shift.
There are several things a student wanting to major in the arts should consider as part of their back-up planning:
First, students who major in the arts should strongly consider attending a liberal arts college or, at minimum, a college with strong and broad general studies curriculum. While this can be a turn-off to some, these institutions are purposed with graduating students who have excellent critical thinking and communication skills (among other goals) who are prepared to tackle the trials and diversity experienced in living life. Clearly, these are skills that are beneficial, no matter what you do, but in more practical terms, at these types of school, helping students to acquire and refine “transferable skills” is often emphasized as well. Transferable skills are not industry-specific or even work-based. Rather, they benefit us throughout all situations in life. From creativity to research, to speaking and writing, to task-coordination and decision-making, these are skills that are going to make you a valuable employee in any field. If you have developed them and can demonstrate experience on your resume and in an interview, you increase your chances for being hired for a position, even if it is not in your major area. Keep in mind that demonstrating experience in these areas can include in-class work, like research papers and class projects (you just need to know how to appropriately include it on your resume and talk about it in an interview).
As a second component of back-up planning, students majoring in the arts should not pigeon-hole themselves into one narrow area. While focusing on your craft may be important, and perhaps even required, seize all opportunities to diversify your artistic experiences. This doesn’t mean you need to major in multiple art fields, but gain exposure to as much as you can while you have the opportunity. Also, try to be creative with applied experiences within your coursework or on your own time. For example, perhaps you are required to do an internship or two before graduation. If you are a photography major, don’t just assume working alongside a professional photographer or at a gallery are the only options–maybe you could intern at an advertising agency, where you would undoubtedly learn a lot and gain some skills beyond strict photography. Or, if you are a technical theater major, don’t just look for internships focusing only on technical theater; maybe there is an opportunity to work in set design as well as in the box office at a community theater. Having related knowledge and skills can help increase your attractiveness as a job candidate, because you never know what type of job openings will pop up when it is your time to be searching.
Finally, considering double-majoring or at least minoring in one or more other areas. The answer to “Why?” is, simply, “Because you make yourself more marketable.” If you have knowledge and skill in multiple areas, that just means there are more jobs are you are potentially qualified for and can apply to with a relative degree of confidence. The answer to “In what?” (meaning, “What other field of study should I pursue?”) is, “It depends.” It depends, most importantly, on your interests. Never major (even second-major or minor) in something that makes you absolutely miserable. There’s no point, unless you enjoy inflicting pain on yourself. Pick something that does–at least in a tiny little way–spark some excitement in your soul. That said, also pick something that is practical in terms of career paths. Ask faculty what their recent graduates are doing. If they can list off a number of different types of positions or can say that many of their graduates have jobs, that is a good sign. Double-majoring or minoring in education (elementary, secondary, or just educational studies), business (whether management, marketing, etc.), communication (organizational, public relations, etc.), or even psychology (ever hear of drama- or art-therapists?) can set the stage for some unique career opportunities, or, perhaps, serve as a fall-back area for a completely different, non-arts career or graduate school placement.