>>3026472***READ THIS***
OP don't listen to the haters on this board, and don't trust what they have to say. The amount of people on this board who actually make money from photography is extremely low. The amount of people on this board who can even take a creative, original photo is extremely low.
I graduated with a bachelor of photography in December and I just received my first job offer as a photo retoucher/compositer at a large architectural rendering firm in a major city. It is a full time job with benefits, a gym membership and a salary of $50,000. I have friends who work in the trades who don't make this much immediately out of school.
Like everything in life, a photography degree will give as much as you put into it, and although I am enjoying some success right out of school, many graduates from earlier years and even from my year are either doing nothing or working on switching careers. A career in photography is not as unattainable as it may seem, but it will only come from hard work and dedication. (Also a friendly, likeable attitude and good networking skills are essential.)
I would be delusional to think that my photographic and post production skills would be in nearly the shape they are if I didn't complete university. Having access to professors, art history courses, the best photography equipment available, and other students drastically accelerated my learning. If you take your education seriously, and put in effort to learn as much as you can, YOU WILL make profound improvements in your ability to take photos. Improvements that I don't see myself having made out of that environment.
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