RE:Recording degree? Really?

I posted this here:

Recording degree? Really?

May be useful here also.
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I'm gonna chime in here...

Don't know if it will be useful...

Might get flamed all to he*ll !!!

I taught at one of these schools...

I was appalled at how many students couldn't read and write. How many who could not/would not show up. Didn't have the text books. High or drunk. Refused to listen, but could talk sh**it all day long, "My beats are gonna blow up!!!", "My bands gonna get signed!!!". "I'm an artist!!!", and on and on...

The school would not qualify these students first. If they could breathe and they had some kind of funding, that was all the school needed.

The school insisted that they be passed. You couldn't dock them for much of anything. We had to coddle them. Edutainment. Couldn't hurt their feelings, and on and on. And funniest of all, for all you Road Dogs, you couldn't swear in front of them. LOL. (WTF planet are these people on?).

I'm an old timer and a newb.

What you "make of" going to school is important. You're gonna need that drive as you're gonna be surrounded by *** (every and any derogatory character describing word you can think of) while you're in these schools.

It's really sad. You're in a battle to keep focused, to keep centered, to keep your sh**it straight enough so that you can make something of the experience and not be distracted by those mentioned above.

Unfortunately, unless you go to one of the schools with a hell of a reputation, which there are only a handful of, your instructors will not be what they were billed as. That sucks for you. A lot of the teachers I taught with would have been sent home on a real gig. They don't have that hang factor/drive/mojo/knowledge, etc... Anybody can doctor a "resume."

In this industry, a degree, as useful as it can be, can only go so far. Experience, attitude, and your work ethic, in the end, are paramount and above all.

As I've told many a student, 98% of the people in this industry are in the way. They shouldn't be here. Why? Cause' they don't have the drive you do. They don't listen. They don't watch. They don't develop skills. They aren't humble. They will weed themselves out eventually, but in the mean time you have to deal with them and move around them. It is what it is.

On a very brite side. If you have your sh**it together, if you can learn to listen, to show up, to fly straight, stay straight, and be humble, we'll find you. Why? Cause' if you can do these things, you have shown that you are a good, reliable, dependable, people. You are useful. We'll teach you the rest.

I liken those of us who do this for real, i.e. make a living, paying taxes, raising a family, etc. are like a bunch of "Navy Seal" types. Highly knowledgeable, reliable, tenacious, resourceful, extremely well trained (whether on the job, school, whatever), hard working, get'er down, etc. kinda people. We don't fail. It is not an option. We don't get "tired", complain, "I don't wanna do that", "I can't"...

Having said all this, this in no way means you're going to be "producer of the year", "rockstar", "famous", whatever. It means you're in the club. You're a "Made Man/Woman" (etc. LOL). It means you're in. No more, no less. You've circumvented the 98% who should go home.

At that point, Good Luck and Welcome !!!

As a side note, most everyone I know in this industry who is "making a living" at this, aren't the da*mn "producer of the years", "rockstars", etc. that all these sorry wannabe's are always aspiring to be.

They are Crafts People who work in their Trade. A completely different thing from what the wannabe 98% are always talking about. And yes some of these Crafts People are big name producers, techs, composers and rockstars.

Hope this makes sense, hope it's useful.

If you are interested, I wrote something similar to this topic, here:

ScrewMaker: Re:Best University to do audio engineering

PS Corrected to please the Spelling Police. LOL.
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It is what it is...

ScrewMakerMusic

Re:Best University to do audio engineering

I posted this on protoolsusers.org. I thought it maybe useful here also.

Thanks.

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Re:Best University to do audio engineering

I'd taught at a school, which will remain nameless... LOL.

All these schools mentioned so far have stellar reputations and that is important. Schools with less than stellar reputations have earned their less than stellar reputations, just as those with stellar reputations have earned their stellar reputations. Again, that is important.

I'd suggest a few criteria:

Placements. If their idea of placements is the local bar, music store, or "studios", run, don't walk in the other direction.

How much money. Talk with students and alumni and find out if the money was worth it. Your going to be paying a lot of money.

Everyone is a freakin' school now. Bullshit they are. They are just trying to get your money and prey on your dreams. Good schools have good reputations. See above.

Find out how often the gear is actually properly functioning, and by that I don't mean that some of the lights come on. The gear works or it doesn't. End of story. Accept no bullshit stories about, "Well, you know blah-blah-blah". The second you hear that, run, don't walk in the other direction.

How often can you actually get on the gear. Ask students and alumni. Your paying good money and if you only get to touch the gear, especially on your own on your own time, is in your last or next to last semester, after you signed out time, if there was time available, if the gear was working, if the school was open, etc. run, don't walk in the opposite direction.

I tell you this as I feel terrible for many of my former students who were burned by such stories as above. These stories were and are repeatedly and frighteningly true.

The education at a good school is worth it as you will be with like minded folks who you will be dealing with for the rest of your career. A good school will weed out those students that should not be there. Good schools will have experienced staff, not yo-yo's who have only worked the local bar, music store, or "studio". They will have done stuff where their asses were truly on the line.

Caveat. We have all worked the local bars, music stores and "studios". But don't stop there. You need the experience and the trials of the bigger leagues. I keep putting "studios" in quotes cause again, everybody and his brother, aunt, uncle and mother is or has a studio. Again, bullshit. Because I have a car doesn't make me an Indy 500 race car driver who has every chance to win it in May. Delusional. Again, just because their local doesn't mean they are full of shit, it just means chances are that they are full of shit and lack real world experience. You'll figure it out soon enough. Just keep your eyes and ears open.

Get on the local crew of the local venues so that you can meet and see the national touring acts. Those guys work and get payed. They do real work, with real deadlines and real expectations. It's a hell of an experience. It's something you will most likely not see anytime soon in a studio career until you've moved up the food chain awhile and that will most likely take years. Not one or two years, more like many years. They may even hire and steal you right there if you do a really good job, keep your nose clean and listen. LOL. I've seen it happen. And road dogs get payed. Very good money. Way more than a studio will pay you any time soon, if ever.

So do your homework and accept no bullshit. This is your future. Hope this helps !!!

ScrewMaker
Ex: Road Dog, Music Technology Instructor and Trainer, Studio Engineer, etc. blah-blah-blah. LOL.