Thank you for your kind comments MomCares.
What a wonderful story @MichaelNKat!
@MichaelNKat, great story! As parents, we only want our kids to be happy and healthy. So no matter what path they take, so long as they have those two things, life is good. Congrats to your D for finding her niche. And to @MomCares’ D, who is also finding her niche and success in traditional performing. I guess it just goes to show you that the BFA is valuable for so much more than just performing. 
@MichaelNKat Your daughter’s story is terrific! It is so easy for people to think that what they prepare to do in college (for any career specific major) is what they have to do when they leave. It is obvious that your daughter’s preparation helped her to be more successful in her chosen path and that her skills were highly transferable. The best part of the story to me is how she controlled her path and made her own choices. No matter what profession you go into, when you steer the boat, you are more likely to find success!
@monkey13 - Completely agee, though in D’s case it will be (fingers crossed) a BS from Northwestern with an MT Certificate versus a BFA. 
This is part of why I particularly love following the careers of folks like @soozievt’s D, the PigPen Theatre guys and @MichaelNKat’s D!
Congrats @MichaelNKat! Love hearing about your D’s journey. It’s so important for us to realize our kids are getting valuable training that can translate to many different fields upon graduation. Your D’s story makes me especially mindful that ultimately what we really want is for our kids to happy, self-supporting, productive members of society no matter what they ultimately decide to do with their lives. Thanks so much for sharing!
@MichaelNKat So great to hear an update from you! What an incredible journey and building of a career your D has had in recent years. She is surely a big success! So many adults are not working at a career that is the same as their college major. I never quite get when people wonder if this degree is worth it if the graduate doesn’t work in the field. Your D’s degree most definitely led to her career. In fact, your D made choices along the way. Further, her skills as a performer very much relate to why she is so successful leading fitness classes. She is on stage when she does that. She seems to have pieced together quite a career for herself and I love hearing about all of her very cool achievements! She has steered her own course and is doing so so so well. Isn’t that what it is about?
Good to hear from you soozie and thanks for the kind thoughts. Your comments about the value of the degree resonate strongly. My daughter has often stated that her training as a performer, particularly her experiences in acting studio, were pivotal transformational experiences and learning moments in her life. She grew and developed on so many levels as the result of the demands and content of her BFA studies. Not just in technical performing skills but also in the ability to connect with herself and others. Throw in the “obvious” of learning to work collaboratively, manage time and understanding what’s required to make a real commitment to achieve goals; these are all critical aspects of the educational process that cross over to any chosen field of endeavor. Her spinning classes really are productions, from the choice of music and the tempo to defining the journey she wants to take participants on and effectively drawing her clients into it.
@MichaelNKat Thank you for sharing. I love the story. Really how many of us end up doing exactly what we studied in college. I have a degree in Finance that I did not use once! But it helped me in so many other ways. The same with your daughter, with the difference that she probably enjoyed every minute of her performance degree and then used the entertaining skills in a different job, while I hated every class I ever took in finance. So I, too, fully support my daughter in pursuing her passion in MT and hopefully she will use the degree in some capacity in her future, successful life. Your daughter got the best of both worlds. She studied what she loved and have a job that she loves. That truly is how I spell success! Congrats again.
Well said @Patrice13 !!!
I am a 2014 graduate of a school I couldn’t speak more highly of, but isn’t necessarily a “NAME BRAND” degree. Now that I’ve been out for a year, I’ve done a lot of reflecting and comparing and worrying and rejoicing and everything in between. It’s hard to remember everyone has a different path, as many a times as I’ve said that to friends and other students, especially when I worked for the recruitment program. I know people who graduated the same year as me and went directly to Broadway or National Tours. I know people who went to the top 3 schools and haven’t booked anything 2-3 years since graduating, primarily because they are still too young for their type.
To me, and I’m still working hard to believe this, but success is happiness. Success is surviving, at this point. Success is the fact that we have moved to NYC (or LA, or DC, or Philly, or wherever) and are trying to do something that we are passionate about. We are working hard. Sometimes that’s in the audition room and sometimes that’s only at our day jobs, because we have to make a living. Most people aren’t lucky enough to pursue the career of their dreams, and we as actors get to do that. Even if half the time I’m whining or complaining, or thinking that I’ll never make it.
My success story so far (so I’ll stop complaining): Moved to NYC and signed a lease, got 2 day jobs (one working as FOH at a theatre experience, one working as an assistant to a producer), became almost completely financial self sufficient because of those two jobs, adopted a cat, barely got a single callback for 6 months and then: booked my first role in a play Off-Off Broadway (making my “NYC debut”) and I’m now on a spring tour with TheatreWorks.
This post has been slightly rambling, and for that I apologize. But to end it I’m gonna go ahead and just stick with that theme and share this recent interview with Kelli O’Hara, in case people haven’t read it. She speaks to how difficult this career is, especially now, and how she thinks she might not have made it in today’s “audition scene”. I don’t believe her, as she’s a literal goddess, but it’s nice when someone that well regarded and prominent in the industry speaks up for us: http://www.broadwayworld.com/article/KING-Is-Kelli-OHara-Talks-Broadway-Success-Im-Not-an-American-Idol-Type-Singer-20150424
Alexa…you go girl! You are doin’ it! (I saw a video of you in your current show…so wonderful) Enjoy it all!
@AlexaMT - so glad you still post on here. You were so kind to my D when she did an in-person prescreen and when she toured CCU a few years ago. We have followed you on CC while you were in college and love hearing what the next steps in your journey are. Congrats on the play and the tour. I’m sure it is just the start of many great opportunities for you. So glad you are getting to do what you love. And thanks for all your wisdom and inspiration to those who are following a few years behind!
I read that article! So important…I hope someday we can move away from the American Idol thing. And great to hear that you are assisting a producer as that is something I’m interested in!
@soozievt and @vvnstar - Thank you both so much for your kind words! You’ve both been wonderful and part of my journeys here on CC. And best of luck to both of your D’s, who I know are rocking it.
@MTVT2015 - It was an amazing opportunity I received through a connection I made at CCU, and I couldn’t recommend it enough. I’m not working for her as much now since the tour started, but she was incredibly understanding about auditions and taught me so much about the behind-the-scenes in the NYC theatre scene. If personal assistanting is something your interested in, I totally recommend a producer. To me it was better than being at a casting office or agency, as much as those things interest me, because it felt less awkward as an actor first.
@AlexaMT that makes a lot of sense! I’d be super happy to assist in any of those areas and will definitely look into it!
Heading out to graduation this morning! Class of 2019: you really have no idea how fast the next four years will go; seems like I was just dropping him off! Hope to have some successes to post!!
Congratulations @lojosmo!! Graduating is a BIG success!
Congratulations to @lojosmo and all of this years’ grads! And @lojosmo, your S has already enjoyed many terrific successes (summer and otherwise) you can share!! 
Can’t wait to hear more stories, including tales of boldly relocating to new living situations and finding creative survival jobs!
Have a great time @lojosmo and Congrats!! I am sure you will have many successes to share!!