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Thinking of deferring/dropping out of college
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Now that my father is refusing to help support my living (no way to convince him anymore), I am wondering if college and the loans are really worth it. I've been looking for a job, even applied to fast food chains, but no luck. I did the resume/emergency contact/interviews... everything.
I am at Otis College in Los Angeles, and I am going into Digital Media/Animation after foundation year (which was helpful to my artistic improvement).
Otis is known to have a good foundation year for freshmans, and there are mixed reviews about our digital media department.
I went to the financial aids advisor to ask whether I can defer, and she said that I should just take the loans and keep going to school, because
1. the digital media/animation graduates make money after graduating.
2. There's a $250 fee to defer, and then another fee to reapply
3. The cost of school is going up every year so I might as well take the loans while the fees are still low (bad argument in my opinion)
Of course, she is probably biased. My gut feeling is not to trust her. But I want to know what others have to say about this.
I asked some of the older Digital Media students (not necessarily Animation), and a lot of them say that Otis wasn't worth it and that they were stupid and naive enough to come here and spend money, while others say it was worth it. I asked them why they're still coming to Otis then, and a lot of them said they are there for networking and just in case they want to work outside the country. Others say that they already invested 3 years out of four, so might as well get the degree. Others say that a degree is important, because it becomes a factor when the potential employees have similar skillset.
I really prefer not to live in a different country, so the visa argument is null. For networking... a lot of students and working professionals told me that if my work is good, whether from school or not, the networking with come to me anyway. When it comes to competing with others, a degree might be important... but I can always go back to school when I am more financially stable, can't I?
It may be fantasy-like, or stupid, but I can try these even if I stop being a student:
1. Just walk into school even though I am not a student, and then ask the professors during class if I can watch. I always do this anyway. I look like a student and people already recognize me, no one's going to question, "are you still a student here?"
2. Walk into the free life drawing workshops. I see alumnis and former students come into the workshops, and again... people recognize me.
3. Get lessons somewhere else. Red Engine is great for conceptart, but I am not sure where I can find one for storyboarding/animation.
All in all, I am lost. -
If you really like otis, I would suggest a couple of options:
1. Go to a community college and transfer your credits to Otis or a similar school.
2. Cut your costs by getting an RA position and try to get a scholarship by filing the FASFA form.
3. Consider work study Whatever you do: DON'T JUST TAKE LOANS WITHOUT TRYING TO CUT YOUR COSTS TOO! Did I emphasize that enough.
