Is a Photography Degree Really Worth It?

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We are at a point in time where college degrees are becoming a norm. In the past, getting a college degree meant you were a step ahead. Now getting a degree puts you on an even playing field. But it is debatable whether some professions warrant a degree, and photography is one of them. I've browsed through many photography forums, and every once in a while I'll see the question: Is it worth getting a degree in photography? As with any debate there are polar opinions. Several have gotten jobs with their degrees, and many have not.

Sure, going to college to learn photography will help boost your knowledge of the practice, but there are other things that you won't learn in school that you'll need to know, and a lot of that comes with experience in the field. This is when the classic catch 22 arises. You can't get a job without experience, and you can't get experience without a job. Thus many seek a degree which they hope will compensate for experience, however, it doesn't always work that way.

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The kind of experience you need will vary according to the job you want to pursue. If you're looking to get into a studio type position like a fashion or commercial photographer, the best thing you can do is be an assistant for someone who has an established career in that field. Being an assistant will teach you many more practical things than you will learn in school, and the best part is that you don't even need to know how to work a camera. Many photographer assistants aren't even allowed to touch a camera. But working in such close proximity to someone in the field you are pursuing will teach you a lot.

If you're looking to get into something like nature or fine art photography, then it may be very difficult to find someone to work beside. These fields of photography are hard to break into regardless of education and experience, and most of the time it's about who you know rather than what you know, which makes networking one of your top priories.

Networking and self-promotion are two very important aspects when it comes to having a career in photography. Whether you're looking to start your own business or to be hired by a photography company, you'll need a network of professional contacts and the ability to promote your own work. It doesn't matter if you have the best photos in the world if no one knows who you are. You have to get your name and your photography out there where people can see them.

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Another route you could take, instead of hunting for a photographer position, is to build your own business. However, in this scenario it's just as important to have a sense of business as it is photography. I've heard several photographers say that it's a better idea to major in business than in photography because many of them want to start their own company, but have very little knowledge of how to do so. Running a business is complicated, and unlike photography, you can't just practice it whenever you want. Having business skills to start with puts you ahead of the pack.

In short, a photography degree can really help you develop your skills, and can be valuable for meeting other photographers and building your network early. But a degree alone is not going to get you anywhere. To be successful in photography, you have to know the business and the people, and you need to be able to promote yourself.

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Image credit: goodluz / 123RF Stock Photo

Written by Spencer Seastrom