<p>You know, rather than drop 100k for any of these schools, you could get 10x the actual “hands on” experience by working as a PA (production assistant). That’s for directing and production. For writing, you could snag a job as a script consultant, writers assistant for a television show, or a no-pay intern</p>
<p>Many of the jobs I just listed are in high demand, so grabbing one will be competitive (but hey, it’s certainly not as competitive as USC or UCLA). They don’t pay very well, or don’t pay at all. But here’s the difference </p>
<p>1 - the hands on experience will be 10x better, you’ll be forced to work your ass off outside the comfort of a classroom (learning to function in the real world is priceless), AND you’ll get the chance to network with real professionals (not a bunch of kids in a film program with nothing to offer you)</p>
<p>2 - you’ll be free of debt. Debt is a dream killer. If you’re going to crush yourself with it right out of the floodgates, you may as well kiss your filmmaking career goodbye. When the creditor rings you up everyday asking you to pay off your student loan bills, and you can’t find a way to make enough money to keep the checks rolling, you’ll eventually find yourself getting a “real job”, a day job, which eventually becomes your only job. Say goodbye to flexibility. Say goodbye to freedom. The temporary backup plan just became the only plan </p>
<p>You don’t want that, do you? I’m not trying to scare you. I DO think people should go to college (for something employable and in demand) within five years of graduating high school. But for a risky, creative career like writing and directing, you owe yourself a good year or two to get your feet wet without acquiring massive debt, and THEN deciding if this is something you really want </p>