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I want to study the performing arts in college, but I can't decide what to major in.

I love all aspects of the entertainment industry. Whether that be theatre, film or even singing. But I can't decide what major would be the most beneficial. #advice #major #college

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Simeon’s Answer

You might find some success in getting a degree in editing or marketing, so you can overlap your professional network for the above technical skill and for your artistic pursuits. Diversifying your skill sets is the safest way to prepare for the future. Most people switch jobs multiple times over the course of their careers.
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Ken’s Answer

Congratulations on being interested in the performing arts. It takes a special person to enter this field and meet the demands which this career area presents. The first step is to get to know yourself to see if you share the personality traits which make performing artists successful. The next step is doing networking to meet and talk to and possibly shadow performing artists to see if this is something that you really want to do, as a career area could look much different on the inside than it looks from the outside.  

Ken recommends the following next steps:

The first step is to take an interest and aptitude test and have it interpreted by your school counselor to see if you share the personality traits necessary to enter the field. You might want to do this again upon entry into college, as the interpretation might differ slightly due to the course offering of the school. However, do not wait until entering college, as the information from the test will help to determine the courses that you take in high school. Too many students, due to poor planning, end up paying for courses in college which they could have taken for free in high school.
Next, when you have the results of the testing, talk to the person at your high school and college who tracks and works with graduates to arrange to talk to, visit, and possibly shadow people doing what you think that you might want to do, so that you can get know what they are doing and how they got there. Here are some tips: ## http://www.wikihow.com/Network ## ## https://www.themuse.com/advice/nonawkward-ways-to-start-and-end-networking-conversations ## ## https://www.themuse.com/advice/4-questions-to-ask-your-network-besides-can-you-get-me-a-job?ref=carousel-slide-1 ##
Locate and attend meetings of professional associations to which people who are doing what you think that you want to do belong, so that you can get their advice. These associations may offer or know of intern, coop, shadowing, and scholarship opportunities. These associations are the means whereby the professionals keep abreast of their career area following college and advance in their career. You can locate them by asking your school academic advisor, favorite teachers, and the reference librarian at your local library. Here are some tips: ## https://www.careeronestop.org/BusinessCenter/Toolkit/find-professional-associations.aspx?&frd=true ## ## https://www.themuse.com/advice/9-tips-for-navigating-your-first-networking-event ##
• It is very important to express your appreciation to those who help you along the way to be able to continue to receive helpful information and to create important networking contacts along the way. Here are some good tips: ## https://www.themuse.com/advice/the-informational-interview-thank-you-note-smart-people-know-to-send?ref=recently-published-2 ## ## https://www.themuse.com/advice/3-tips-for-writing-a-thank-you-note-thatll-make-you-look-like-the-best-candidate-alive?bsft_eid=7e230cba-a92f-4ec7-8ca3-2f50c8fc9c3c&bsft_pid=d08b95c2-bc8f-4eae-8618-d0826841a284&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=daily_20171020&utm_source=blueshift&utm_content=daily_20171020&bsft_clkid=edfe52ae-9e40-4d90-8e6a-e0bb76116570&bsft_uid=54658fa1-0090-41fd-b88c-20a86c513a6c&bsft_mid=214115cb-cca2-4aec-aa86-92a31d371185&bsft_pp=2 ##
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Michelle’s Answer

Hello, Caden T. You have asked a very important question. I can speak from direct experience on this topic.

To begin with, actors do not need college degrees. The marketable elements for actors are your personal look, your experience and development of acting technique which comes from individual acting classes, preferably in an academic, college level setting. Getting a degree in performing arts can limit your future commercial marketability but you can always get work as an actor without a degree. Despite what many people may think, most college degree programs for theatre are extremely time consuming and rigorous.


The first step in putting this together is to explore your second interest. Consider majoring in it. My two niches were theatre and social science. I spent 12 years as a theatre professional and 27 years in the social service field. That reflects what happened . Many times I had wished I had my degree in social science but my two careers went quite smoothly . Also consider that to work professionally and consistently in the entertainment industry, one must live in either Los Angeles or New York. Actor friends of mine had business and medical field degrees and were always able to support themselves while auditioning or doing per diem acting jobs.


The education part of an actor's resume carries the least weight unless it is one of the major schools. Also, it is desirable for actors to have many skills, be able to have diverse knowledge, so what ever you major in can always be useful to you as an actor in portraying various characters. What matters most in getting work as an actor is who you know (networking), experience (a hefty resume of performances you've done) your personal look and sound, and the ability to believably perform many, many types of characters (range). Actor training is not for a set period of time, it is continual.


If you decide to major in theatre, communications, Film and Television you can always go further and get a credential to teach. My best advice is to major in something that you love which is also marketable (i.e. health fields, business, computer technology, etc. ).


Best wishes to you !

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