This month, Claire Gillo discusses studying photography in higher education and the benefits it brings to your practice
Degree or not degree?
I’m in my final year at college and am considering studying photography at university. What are the benefits of a degree? Should I look for a photography job and go straight into the industry? Carla Hunter
It depends on what type of photographer you want to be. If you’re interested in the technical side of photography and have a clear idea about what you want to shoot then a degree could be an expensive side step without much benefit to your career. However, as someone who has a degree in photography, I loved my course and got so much out of it over the three-year period. Thanks to my degree, I have a more creative outlook and a better understanding of the subject.
Other benefits include having three years to be self-indulgent about what you want to photograph and the projects you want to undertake. Plus, you have the support of like-minded students and tutors to bounce your ideas off. While some commercial photography can be pretty mundane and most photographers are self-employed, meaning you need lots of self-motivation to get anywhere, a degree can open up doors that you might have never even considered.
However, a degree isn’t cheap, of course. Having to pay £9,000 a year would make many people think twice about applying for a university course. But, if you feel inspired and you can get the grants and funding then you should consider it.