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DJP Veteran user London 391 Posts |
2 words GAP YEAR!!
Take a year out as mentioned and see how the magic scene goes for you. You'll earn some cash (hopefully)which will either spur you on to continue the magician career, or if it doesn't work out too well, put the money towards the college years and you wont have such a large debt! Plus where do you see yourself in 30 years time, still working round tables doing magic or lecturing, realising your own video, or getting a so called "proper job"? Just some ideas. Good luck Dave
David
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grant_gilson New user Orange, Texas 64 Posts |
My $.02 worth:
I have two degrees and worked my way through college. I was there 7 years. I saw people come... go... come... go and I was still there. Its tough to see your friends graduate, start families, cars, houses, etc. and you're still in school making $150/month. I also met my wife and could not get married until I graduated. My father-in-law said it like this, you are going to be married the rest of your life. If you can't wait to get married then you really are not ready to get married. So I waited. I don't mind saying it was hard. But when I got married I knew we would make it (that was 17 years ago). Your problem is similar. If you are good - really good - you will be successful after you graduate. Magic is not like tennis or football and only the young can do it. Magic can be performed just as well by a twenty five year old as an eighteen year old. You have experience of 800 shows - how much money do you make? If you cannot make at least $60,000/yr AFTER expenses (some threads here estimate you need about $150,000/year to come out to the above) you are going to be making less money than a degree will make you as an engineer (with some experience). The point here is that year after year, 2 years, 5 years, 10 years, etc. you need to make that kind of money to make magic a real profession. Are you good? Really good? You had better be because there are many people out there competing for those 'gigs'. At one point in time I thought of going pro in tennis. I was good. Really good. I could (and did) beat everybody. I was really into it. Many people said - you should go pro! So I entered the USTA junior national championship. Although I was good - they were better! I found out tennis was much more competitive than I thought. You don't get much prize money for forth place (usually zero). You think you're good - go for it! There are magic competitions (see threads). If you win - go to the Magic Castle. Talk to the pros. Meet with some of the big names. Get their advice. You want to get gigs but can't arrange meetings with pros? Look at some of the bios of the big names in magic - they just didn't show up and start making millions. Look at their resumes - then you write your resume (how does it stack up?). Some of them will talk to you. Quitting school is a big decision. It is very difficult to go back - but nothing is impossible. In the end its like I tell my kids - I have my life. I have made my decisions. You will make your decisions and you will live with the outcomes - not me. You maybe happier making $10,000/year doing magic than $70,000 year as an engineer. You also need to consider not only yourself but your future family. Will you be happy on $10,000 year if your wife makes more than you, you're gone at night, you can't afford nice things for yourself and your children? (If your girlfriend answers yes to this one -then marry her!) Good luck and God bless. |
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Garrett Nelson Special user 644 Posts |
The education you will get is more than book smarts. There are thing like learning how to deal with people, how things work, history, dealing with PR (and micro-politics), influence, legitimacy, etc.
These are things that help you in ANY profession. And just with life in general. When I started college I knew all I was really after was the degree. I was wrong. Degree or not, I am much more capable to do a variety of things because of the college experiences and education I have. So It isn’t all about the degree. In magic I use many of the skills (and mindset) I acquired in college. I don’t use the degree; just the education. There is also a lot to be said for being educated when it comes to dealing with other educated people. It gives you a leg up from the word go. All this without mentioning the “fallback” aspect of having a degree…or the extra 3 years to be darn sure that is really what you want, and will always want. |
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7th_Son Elite user Australia 437 Posts |
Another great reason to go to college is:
College Girls!
"Here's to our wives and girlfriends...may they never meet!" - Groucho Marx
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Alikzam Elite user 434 Posts |
Amen 7th_Son!
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Bill Palmer Eternal Order Only Jonathan Townsend has more than 24312 Posts |
Alikazam:
I'm one of those old geezers who went to college and lived his dream. My father wanted me to get a degree from Rice University, because it is a prestigious school. I wanted to drop out several times, but, because he urged me to stay, I finished school, and graduated with a degree in German. GERMAN!!! What on Earth can you do with a degree in German, for Pete's sakes. I wanted to be a folksinger! So I went to University of Houston and studied music for three years -- got plenty of extra training in music and a couple of other languages. And I was a folksinger. After college, I spent some time in the Army, and then went back to my dream. I played music. It was tough. I had to carry three jobs -- I played, I recorded and I taught music. Somewhere along the line, I wrote a book. But I followed my dream. Then, the magic bug that I had been bitten by reared its ugly head again when I saw Kreskin. I knew I could do that stuff. I started working on mentalism. Finally, in 1974, I decided that I was going to start doing magic for a living, even though I was making decent money as a musician. I didn't want to wake up one day when I was 80 and realize that I had never done what I really wanted to do. And then one day, at a magic convention, a fellow named Joe Stevens asked me if I could read some German instructions. I told him I could, and I eventually translated them, and several more sets into English for him. That led to translating the Punx books. That led to translating Paramiracles and my friendship with Ted Lesley. That, in turn let to my translation of Sheherazade, my founding of my own publishing company, and another complete career. I worked for 26 years as a Renaissance festival performer, I have travelled to Europe several times. And I probably would have done neither without my college education. During the time I performed, I had the opportunity to hire many people as assistants. I always had better luck with people who finished college than I did with those who dropped out. Other employers have had the same experience. I wondered why this was true. I think it has to do with the ability to finish a long-term job. So, stick with it. You will be far better equipped to handle your dreams when they appear to you if you finish college than you will if you don't.
"The Swatter"
Founder of CODBAMMC My Chickasaw name is "Throws Money at Cups." www.cupsandballsmuseum.com |
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landmark Inner circle within a triangle 5194 Posts |
Alikazam,
The first time I ever heard that word was on television. "The Magic Land of Allakazam" was the most popular national television series ever which presented magic every week. The creator and starring magician of that show was the legendary Mark Wilson. If you've read about Mark's struggles to realize his dream to bring magic to national TV, you'll know that he didn't succeed just because he was a brilliant magician and showman, which he was. He was also a business genius. In the last few issues of Genii you can read his magical autobiography. He was an Advertising and Marketing major at Southern Methodist University. During that time, in one year, as a full time student, at age 20, he performed over 650 magic shows! Later on, when he had to write his thesis, he wrote about the psychological aspects of performing Magic. There is no question that without the knowledge he gained from college, he would not have been as successful as he has been. <<Do I stay in school and get a job that I don't want to do. Or should I do magic, (but be smart and plan it all) and get myself doing the local school district, restaurants full time, or do a touring show.. >> Stay in school and get a job you do want to do. Use your schooling so that it will enhance what you want to do. If the performing arts are what you want to make a living at, then learn everything you can about them, along with the business side of things. The hard part for many young people is to convince their parents that they are making the right decision about what they want to study. You need to show your parents that you are serious about educating yourself in all phases of the magic business. This is what they are most worried about--they want to know that you will be able to support yourself in the future. A career in the performing arts means you EDUCATE yourself in all aspects of that career. You should be learning about acting, stage technique, directing, improvisation, marketing, performance theory and history, teaching, and communication among many other subjects which you can learn at a good school with the right teachers. Staying in school in order to end up doing something that you don't want to do is a big mistake in my opinion. Staying in school so that you'll be more prepared to do what you want to do makes your future much easier. So, in summary: do your homework and research so that you can present to your parents why you want to change your major. Jack Shalom
Click here to get Gerald Deutsch's Perverse Magic: The First Sixteen Years
All proceeds to Open Heart Magic charity. |
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Texas Worker New user Kerrville Texas 55 Posts |
Staying in school is always a wise decision. I believe Mark Wilson was also a Yell Leader at SMU, thus having a very busy campus life, too. I followed my dreams and went on the road before getting my degree. Would I do different if I had the chance? No, but finding a well paying job to support the family now that I have slowed down is tough. Good luck either way, just remember it is tough to go back to school after you leave.
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ralphdean Loyal user Northern Ca 300 Posts |
Bill, I am so happy you majored in German at Rice U. If not, I would never have been able to read the Punx trilogy with out you.
Sorry for bringing this thread back but I could not resist. |
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Phil C Special user Ontario, Canada 903 Posts |
Hi Alikzam,
These are my sincere suggestions.. 1. Without any hesitation, I suggest you get a degree. A college degree is a very valuable experience. The major is not the main point. The fact that you devote several years of your life to complete something, should be respected by others. You will meet people, observe people, communicate with people and just experience a lot. This is the whole essence of college. The personal experience and the learning process, not the course or program you take. 2. I suggest you get a minor or switch your major. You are only in the first year. You can always switch majors. I am sure the courses you have taken can be treated as electives in other majors. There are many programs that can be very useful to your magic career. Performing Arts, Speach & Communication, Drama, Business, Marketing, Psychology. All of these are very useful to magic and to you as a person. I would strongly suggest you go with Business and Marketing. This will always be useful in your future life. Being a full time magician is running your own business. A business degree will be very valuable. And it also gives you other options in your career. I am not saying that you will stop being a magician. But things happen, things change, and decisions have to be made. Be prepared and always have a Plan B. 3. Finally, if possible, you can do a part time degree. So you can spend more time performing. 4. Although I believe there are a lot of good suggestions here, the final decision is ultimately yours. Different Café members have different life experiences, family, bring up, friends, values, culture, etc. So these suggestions might not necesarrily apply to you. You should really sit down, think clearly, talk to your family and people that mean a lot to you. You know most about your life and you are the best person to make a decision. Lastly, I hope you think thoroughly, make a good decision, do not look back and do not regret. I wish you the very best, from the bottom of my heart Regards, Phil |
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Alikzam Elite user 434 Posts |
Oh sweet! A thread from 2 years ago about me. Well, To catch everybody up to date, its two years later now. I finished up my Diploma program at college and I'm trying to persue a job in that feild for the next 2 years. After that I plan on performing on a cruise line if I can manage to find some contacts of those who do the hiring for entertainment on cruise lines.
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Bill Palmer Eternal Order Only Jonathan Townsend has more than 24312 Posts |
Hey! Sometimes a good thread just won't die.
After reading my words of wisdom, let me offer you a couple more. When I was working the Renaissance Festival circuit, I hired a lot of different people to be assistants. The ones that worked out the best were college graduates. It wasn't that they were smarter or that they were more honest. It was that they knew how to see a project through. I could count on them. A person who has three years of college and then drops out is less likely to finish a season of a show. A person who drops out of college and then comes back to finish his or her degree is more likely than someone who drops out and never comes back. Employers know this, and they use it as a way of predicting the behavior of a potential employee.
"The Swatter"
Founder of CODBAMMC My Chickasaw name is "Throws Money at Cups." www.cupsandballsmuseum.com |
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Alikzam Elite user 434 Posts |
Now that I've gone through school I've learnt so much about work ethic and as you said, seeing a project through. Now that I've seen what a DRASTIC difference its made in myself, if I were ever an employer I'd definatly chooose somebody with post-secondary education. Even if it was completly unrealted. (depending on job of course, etc)
I just hope I can find those contacts to get on the cruise lines. I also need and develop my show into a single person act (assistant has other plans) and crank up the entertaninment value Looking back on this thread made me smile. Thanks to ralphdean for brining it back up |
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Phil C Special user Ontario, Canada 903 Posts |
Wow, didn't even see that you started this thread 2 years ago!
But anyways, as I've said, college is all about the experience and the people you meet |
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