I've got my degree what do I do now? Help!

I've got my degree what do I do now? Help!

Rhiannon clarke, 16 September 2012

I'm a year out of university and have felt completely dropped in it.
I felt my course was lacking and was looking for some help and guidance.

The challenges
. Degree's are disconnected from the industry, should there be a mentor system? A way to connect graduates with practitioners?
. Do the tutors really want to teach or is it a financial necessity? Even though they worked in the industry they were unwilling to share contacts or pass on work they couldn't do themselves to students. Tutor - student rivalry? This is an experience echoed by others in the discussion.
. How can you grade and mark creativity? In another part of the industry there is a body of people who are independent to the universities who visit final exhibitions and then post an outstanding student to look out for in a public domain. Is this something that should be implamented more widely? Practitioners themselves highlighting up and coming students? Surely this is a better way of ‘marking’ creativity?

The bottom line is that the education industry has got to reconnect and overlap more with the theatre industry to produce fully functional confident practitioners ready work.

Some great advice
. identify 3/4 people in the industry you aspire to work with and contact them. Let them know your looking for a bit of guidance and assistance. Start a conversation a build a

relationship with them.
. Keep up with digital media, people are so much easier to contact now and it's easy to strike up a conversation with others in the industry.
. Always be a easy and friendly person to work with and make sure you get the job done, maybe even beyond thier expectations.
. Keep in touch with people, keep networking, but don't pester.
.See lots of theatre, to see what you like and whos working on it.
. Play and be experiemental with your creativity, these are your golden years your still discovering who you are as a creative.
. Most importantly DON'T PANIC, your not alone.

A degree and being academic isn't enough in this industry, you need drive, perseverence and passion. Keep nuturing your creativity and your contacts and you'll get there.

Tags:

Theatre, degree, education, Education, student, theatre