05-04-2014, 10:47 PM
People not working in the major they graduated in has a lot to do with companies valueing degrees more than actual knowledge (depending on where you are in the world). Any degree, even unrelated to the jobs people apply to, makes it easier to actually get the job, and that might be what your parents have in mind too.
You would also be surprised how much you can use the knowledge you gain later on. It's not so much about what you are learning, but more about the insights you're getting and the connections you're making. That's at least how it was for me and a bunch of others I know.
About a year ago I was in the same situation. I actually quit university partly because of the reasons you mentioned. At first I took a part-time job, to support myself and still having enough time left. The working hours and amount of free time were great, but the job itself was soul-crunching and I didn't earn enough to keep it up over a longer period of time. In the end I didn't go to art school as I originally planned, but took a not art-related dayjob, and pursue art in the mornings/evenings. It may not be the ideal solution, but it's one everybody could live with and all things considered I'm actually pretty okay with how it turned out.
What I'm trying to say is, no matter which way it goes for you, you'll find a way to get in the hours of practice (I also totally agree on what Haze and meat said about the 10 hour practice each day thing!). Talk it over with your parents, try to get them to understand how important this is and see how it goes from there.
You would also be surprised how much you can use the knowledge you gain later on. It's not so much about what you are learning, but more about the insights you're getting and the connections you're making. That's at least how it was for me and a bunch of others I know.
About a year ago I was in the same situation. I actually quit university partly because of the reasons you mentioned. At first I took a part-time job, to support myself and still having enough time left. The working hours and amount of free time were great, but the job itself was soul-crunching and I didn't earn enough to keep it up over a longer period of time. In the end I didn't go to art school as I originally planned, but took a not art-related dayjob, and pursue art in the mornings/evenings. It may not be the ideal solution, but it's one everybody could live with and all things considered I'm actually pretty okay with how it turned out.
What I'm trying to say is, no matter which way it goes for you, you'll find a way to get in the hours of practice (I also totally agree on what Haze and meat said about the 10 hour practice each day thing!). Talk it over with your parents, try to get them to understand how important this is and see how it goes from there.