<p>It’s great to have faith in yourself, to be optimistic about where life is going to take you and certainly these qualities are necessary for anyone seeking a career in performing. And certainly if you don’t take risks in life you often will miss important opportunities to achieve the successes you want. But there is a difference between taking prudent, calculated risks and taking irrational ones that will waylay the pursuit of your dreams rather than enhance your opportunities for success.</p>
<p>Run the numbers on what it takes to pay back $200,000 in student loans. Even on an extended 30 year payout you have to pay about $1300/month. Add the cost of such necessities as health insurance, housing, utilities, food, transportation and clothing and even low balling it, you are up to about $4000 - $5000/month net after taxes depending on what city you are living in. That’s about $55,000 - $72,000 a year gross earnings. Now I think even you would admit that Lady Gaga or any other "superstar didn’t make it “right out of the gate” and spent years waiting for their “big break”. So, the question you need to ask is what kind of job are you going to get that gives you that kind of income while still enabling you to have the flexibility to actually go to auditions, get additional training (which doesn’t end upon graduation) and take time off for the performing opportunities you will need to build your path to stardom.</p>
<p>Real life is a whole different kind of reality show than American Idol - which is why a whole load of prudence and practical thinking needs to be brought to bear when deciding between 2 different schools, one of which will saddle you with tremendous debt and one of which will not. This may sound harsh but it is important to keep a balanced view and understanding that there are many good paths to success in performing and getting fixated on “one school” that will put you in tremendous debt will very likely cripple you in your efforts - particularly when there are other viable options available.</p>