Why a Theatre Degree is Not Useless

Conventional wisdom says to go to school, major in something reliable that will make you lots of money, find a boy, settle down and stay there forever. Recently a commenter of my blog left the following note for me:

I never understand why parents always seem willing to let kids invest in all these exotic majors – like French Literature, or Theater, or whatever. There is such a small job market for jobs related to these fields… For my youngest, I have made it abundantly clear that he can have all the hobbies and sidelines he wants, but as far as an official major, it must be something that is going to have a well-paying job at the end of it. I don’t think an 18 year old kid has a very realistic view of what the job market is like out there, so they are just going to have to listen to Mom until they can pay their own tuition.

It actually made my heart clench up a little inside and die. And then it made me thank God that he had the foresight to put the right kids with the right parents, because maybe this lady’s kid is a hot mess who shouldn’t be allowed to follow his dreams, but I can’t even imagine the kind of life I would’ve had with this (clearly well-meaning) lady as my mother. The thing that surprised me most about this comment is that she left it on a post where I did write one paragraph about my struggles finding a job right after college, where I double majored in Literature and Theater and then went on to get a graduate degree in Theology. Within the same blog post, I pointed out that my super rough job search lasted exactly 3 weeks. 90% of my friends who majored in business, law, education or any other number of majors that “have a well-paying job at the end of it” could not claim nearly the same success rate. And don’t get me wrong, I was definitely more than a little lucky, but it was absolutely a case of “luck is what happens when preparation meets opportunity.” I got my foot in the door somewhere and turned it into a five year job that was

. I spent five years getting paid to see the world and stage manage. It was incredible. Don’t get me wrong. I like money. I write a personal finance blog. When I had student debt, I was going a little crazy to make sure it got paid off. Signing a lease freaked me out a little because it was a commitment to having to give away a hefty sum each month. I am financially aware. I am also drawn to frugality – in part because I believe every single person who has an interest in following a different sort of life path away from those “well-paying jobs” should be and in part because frugality often (though not always) promotes decisions that are also best for the environment. If I honestly thought I was going to starve to death, I never would’ve majored in a single one of those things, but those degrees can be used in a wider variety of ways than you’d imagine. First off, when people hear theater degree, they assume you want to be an actor. Someone with an especially broad understanding of theater might think you might also want to be a director. If you are actually studying for a theater degree, here are the positions you might be considering: actor, director, lighting designer, sound designer, costume designer, set designer, stage manager, technical director, technician, rigger, projections designer, stitcher, draper, milliner, production manager, box office manager, house manager, dramaturge, professor, high school teacher, producer, arts administrator, playwright, choreographer, dancer, fight coordinator, stunt coordinator, pyrotechnician, properties designer, puppeteer… I’m sure I’m missing several. So those are the dreams that you hold in your heart as you proceed in getting this “useless” degree. Then you graduate. With said “useless” degree. And no one will hire you in your dream position, or as an assistant or understudy to the dream position. Or as the assistant to the assistant (commonly known as P.A.s – their life is rough). Oh my gosh! Have you ruined your life? No. Because your coursework was insane and varied and if you took most of the classes I did, you can explain how your coursework and theater experiences make you a great choice to be a: media specialist, public relations coordinator, graphic designer, salesperson, HR specialist (because if you can deal with leading ladies,

), community affairs officer, recruiter, tour guide, talent manager, writer, interior designer, event planner, conflict mediator, radio/TV announcer, talent scout and more. When people hear you want to do something “fun” as your major, most seem to automatically assume you have crazy, star struck notions that you will be the next big thing (which is hilarious to me because no stage manager anywhere is the next big thing). Do you know how many people started asking me about Broadway when I changed my major to theater? Do you know how many people still ask me when I’m going to get a real job (you mean like the one I have?!?!)? I pay all my bills. I have medical benefits. I have a 401(k) and an IRA. I even get dental and vision coverage. And I fill in stage manager on the occupation line to re-enter America when I fly internationally. If I listened to all those people who doubted me, I wouldn’t be here. Honestly, I’d probably trapped teaching high school English, because until college I thought it was the only thing I’d be capable of doing. And I’d probably be miserable. Teachers bore the heck out of me when they won’t stop talking about all their teacher stories (sorry, teacher friends, I love you anyway, but I don’t really care about the kids in your classes at all). Don’t get me wrong, I’d love to work on Broadway. I’ve even written that on my blog. But will I? Who knows? Do you ask all college professors if they want to work at Princeton? Is a software engineer unsuccessful if he's not working at Microsoft or Apple? In the meantime, as far as I’m concerned, I’m as successful as any other employed, tax-paying American and I’m following my own path and working solidly toward my dream job. Are you? The lesson in this is to pick your major carefully. Pick it wisely. Properly research all the challenges it will present. But don’t just pick it only for money and don’t let other people tell you what you can and can’t do. If Mom and Dad threaten to cut you off (which is exactly what happened to me and why I double majored), point out to them that there’s more to life than being a teacher, a carpenter, a lawyer or whatever their dream for you is – because you’re the one who has to live that dream for the next 40 years, so it might as well be your own.   Enter to win a copy of Debt-Free U and just pay for college yourself, anyway. Contest ends January 31st.

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