For young people, in regards to college degrees, here’s what I can
recommend based on my own experience.
Get a college degree in business administration and a minor in what
you think you may want to do after you graduate. I have a B.A. in
Business Admin and a minor in Graphic Arts (which included
traditional art classes, but not jewelry). You can never go wrong
with this. With a business degree you can get any number of jobs not
requiring specific scientific training. You can open your own small
business doing just about anything you want. Of course the other
classes they make you take to become a well rounded individual will
help you at cocktail parties should you choose to go that route!
(Don’t forget artist receptions!) And also to make intelligent
decisions about other things, such as to who to vote for President
of the United States (not just blindly taking the advice of others -
but I digress.)
My own circuitous route over the last 25 years led me through retail
management, a Masters Degree in Natural Resources, naturalist jobs,
running my own landscape design business (it’s still a design
field), and back to school yet AGAIN for a one year technical degree
in jewelry design and fabrication. And yes, I did learn to solder,
and graduates of our program do go on to become bench jewelers or
entrepreneurs like myself. Looking back, I don’t think there was any
job I’ve ever had that didn’t require some artistic talent or an
artist’s eye.
At any time in my life I can switch to another type of business
depending on where the winds take me. I love this freedom. Of course,
given the $ investment that I just made for tools and materials for
jewelry making, I plan on sticking with this for a while.
Lynn White
Lynn White Jewelry