Majoring in the Performing Arts? Of course! Here's why - part 1

The US is currently in an economic crisis.
Jobs are down. Unemployment is up.
There are lots of reasons to attend a post-secondary institution, whether that be college or another form of advanced training.

What do you want to do when you grow up? The truth is, you're going to figure that out as you go. Do you think that your 40-year-old self is going to be making the same decisions that your 20-year-old self is/did/might make? (Did your 20-year-old self make the same decisions that your 13-year old self did?) Things change, and we change, and that's okay.

My suggestion: Study what you love. Invest in something that's going to propel you into a future where you understand yourself and all of the changes that occur during your lifetime. In understanding yourself, you'll be prepared to face the challenges that are yet unknown. To that, I share with you this article from Backstage:

3 Reasons a Theater Degree is Important by Harvey Young

"2. The business of theater is good preparation for other careers. Rahm Emanuel, the current mayor of Chicago and formerly Chief of Staff to President Obama as well as a Congress man, majored in the Humanities in college with a specialization in dance. "Value" studies would look at Emanuel and identify him as not being successful because he neither works as a professional dancer nor earns income in the field of dance. Instead of adopting this flawed logic, it is important for us to acknowledge that the skills gained through theater apply to other jobs and careers outside of the performing arts. Theater majors frequently become makers and producers of theater but the also (and probably in equal or greater numbers) become lawyers, politicians, management consultants, marketing executives, and community educators to name just a few of the many career paths open to them."