<p>I’m a big believer in supporting a kid’s dreams and choices for a college major. We’ve done it with all five of our Ds. There’s a difference, though, between a so-called useless degree and the likelihood of getting work in that field. The profile details in that link don’t provide enough information to really get a good picture. The unemployment numbers likely mean unemployment in ANY job, not unemployment in a theatre-related job. These numbers are misleading, and are similar to the employment stats that many lower tier law schools publish about their grads.</p>
<p>Prospective theatre majors need to go into this path with eyes wide open about their prospects of earning a sustained living solely through theatre-related jobs. Most are not able to do this, and even those fortunate few who are, often find it a challenging balance longterm. Booking work, getting a tour, finding a subletter, doing a short-term regional show, may sound like fun (and for many it is fun!) when you’re in your twenties. When you get to your mid-thirties, are married, want to have a family, maybe even buy a home, things look a little different. All this is a different issue than what skills theatre majors learn while in college, and which may be applicable to other fields. I agree that the skills that many learn in a theatre major are valuable and will help them in many other fields. I think the larger issue is that most kids are not necessarily thinking that that may be a distinct reality in their futures. :)</p>