I wonder what would my life be like if I had studied languages instead of advertising. i would probably be unemployed.
Either that, or a CIA agent.
You know, the kind that spends his time behind a desk translating reports, until one day you get sent out into the field with the best agent they've got to take down a serious threat, where you'd have to experience dramatic personal growth in the form of learning how to shoot someone- because as we know from movies, people that hesitate to shoot people are for some reason entirely unworthy of an audience's respect or sympathy.
Could my partner be a blocky german girl whos rough around the edges? Later, we fall for each other... Perhaps as we fall from a building.
I love languages, and I really enjoy learning bits and pieces of a bunch of different languages...I'm always amazed at people who are fluent in lots of languages, like 3+...I don't think my brain could do that.
I love languages, and I really enjoy learning bits and pieces of a bunch of different languages...I'm always amazed at people who are fluent in lots of languages, like 3+...I don't think my brain could do that.
You totally could! Its just a matter of persistance. What would you learn next?
I love languages, and I really enjoy learning bits and pieces of a bunch of different languages...I'm always amazed at people who are fluent in lots of languages, like 3+...I don't think my brain could do that.
You totally could! Its just a matter of persistance. What would you learn next?
Honestly, I'd probably try to "finish" learning Spanish first. It's the language I've spent the most time with, and seems like the most useful for me to become fluent in.
After I'd reached the point where I'm more or less fluent...I don't know what I'd move on to! maybe continue with French? Try something completely different like Japanese? I know like three sentences in Japanese. That's probably the amount I can remember from college French class too hahah
I've been doing Duolingo French lessons kinda casually (ie: this is what I do whilst on the can), and so far what I've learned is that I can understand and apply French, just as long as I am limited to doing so in a format of short quizzes that have infinite redos and no time limit.
That's how the French generally communicate, yes? Handing worksheets to each other and being very, very patient?
Because if they just talk normally I am totally screwed, malheureusement.
Man, your obsession with boxes and box-shaped things has made a turn for the disturbingly fetishistic.
On a serious note about this. I love my co-workers. Any time a new snack is brought in we break down the box it came in and wonder why they did it that way. Then we hold up the unfolded box to a paper size chart and try to figure out how much a print run would cost.
Man, your obsession with boxes and box-shaped things has made a turn for the disturbingly fetishistic.
On a serious note about this. I love my co-workers. Any time a new snack is brought in we break down the box it came in and wonder why they did it that way. Then we hold up the unfolded box to a paper size chart and try to figure out how much a print run would cost.
This sort of thing interests me given my desired profession. (I'd be the guy making the stuff that gets printed on the box)
Ha wow, I've never really thought of that. Ever find any totally stupid boxes that would have printed differently?
Not really, but I also never look at it to find mistakes. I'm more interested in how they approach structure issues. Any weird things I can't figure out are probably a work around to a production issue.
I am not. I've been attempting to go the self-taught route for graphic design. However I have had thoughts of still attending a school, as I'd be able to get some aid through FAFSA given my situation currently. My main issue? Transportation. Either I'll need to take the bus(our public transport has generally not been very good, take an hour to get somewhere that it'd take 10 minutes in a car. Not sure how it is now with these 'fancy' new electric buses) or actually manage to get myself a vehicle(oh and learn how to drive, can't forget that part).
The past several months I have been trying out different things, mainly focusing on logo design(and dabbling in branding ideas along with it) but I also seem to like illustration... Well it's kind of illustration. Using references to get a general shape down and getting the details finished on my own.
Compared to some of my previous aspirations, this is the only one I can say I legitimately enjoy doing. It's also the only one I've made a little bit of money from. If I were to go to college, I think I'd need to also use CLEP so I can do my best to avoid taking classes which have no bearing on my intended profession.
Man, your obsession with boxes and box-shaped things has made a turn for the disturbingly fetishistic.
On a serious note about this. I love my co-workers. Any time a new snack is brought in we break down the box it came in and wonder why they did it that way. Then we hold up the unfolded box to a paper size chart and try to figure out how much a print run would cost.
MT, I am just going to assume that your box obsession is the result of a heartbreaking childhood where for Christmas your family couldn't afford presents- but they wanted to give you the experience of having a real Christmas where you got to unwrap boxes, even if all they could fill them with...is love. Thus, you formed a life-long psychological attachment to those precious boxes.
Also even that's not true, I am still going to make a fortune on the children's book I'm writing about it now.
In other news, I'm glad I'm in enough of a social media bubble that all I've seen is universal support for the gay marriage announcement.
But living in a bubble also means that the headlines about the Confederate flag being removed from state buildings/major retailers have been hitting me like a headline that just announced a ban on DDT: "I'm glad that's happening, but I assumed that would have already happened like what, 40 years ago? How is this breaking news now, in the year 2015?"
Truth be told, the whole thing with going to school does make my head spin just a little. Can only assume the first step is getting things settled with FAFSA, although people have told me the school you intend to go to will help with these things. There's the transport issue, and backpedaling a bit there is also just choosing what school to attend. There are a few options though none are exactly in my backyard(unless a 15 minute drive on a good day and a gods-forsaken hour long bus ride counts as your backyard). On top of that and especially when you're intending to go for some sort of arts degree I've read that people say to ask who the teachers are so you can take a look at their own work and whether they've actually been doing anything other than teaching.
I'd say a 15-60 minute commute is fairly reasonable (but also broad--60 may be a bit much). It takes 15 minutes to get to anything not-residential from my house, and there's no option at all of public transit.
That's given my more local options obviously. If I find that a school further away best suits my needs... Well I'll cross that road when I get to it. In general my options seem good according to http://www.american-school-search.com/colleges/graphic-design-animation/kentucky although it oddly doesn't list the university for the actual city itself.
That's given my more local options obviously. If I find that a school further away best suits my needs... Well I'll cross that road when I get to it. In general my options seem good according to http://www.american-school-search.com/colleges/graphic-design-animation/kentucky although it oddly doesn't list the university for the actual city itself.
Ahah, heh. Hard to tell over the net, as I can see someone taking a look at the schools and possibly cringing. Though I'd be rather shocked if there weren't decent schools for art in my area, Louisville actually has quite the large art scene.
Given I like keeping my sanity, I'll probably focus on getting my license and just get a cheap vehicle. Easier on me than dealing with the bus.
I mean, I guess I'll express my skepticism then. Lots of technical/community schools on this list, some general universities- no schools that are specifically art schools.
Now, I'm not up on the landscape of graphic design programs out there as much as I am about entertainment arts (animation, illustration, concept design, etc.), but my experience that I've had and the experiences that I've heard about is that many universities and colleges are perfectly happy to take your money in exchange for a not-very useful education, and even more worthless degree. That a college offers a degree in graphic design tells me absolutely nothing about whether said college is actually qualified to teach the subject- all it tells me is that they are willing to take your money to print off a piece of paper that says, "Art" on it- nothing more.
The fact that much of art is so subjective (particularly in the last century or so of art), means that art programs can easily get away with being lax with providing useful, fundamental training, along with not hiring people that are qualified to teach at a high level in those disciplines. The advent of computer software also gives these programs something to distract you with long enough to make you feel like you're learning something- "Hey, I'm learning Illustrator! Hey, I'm taking a class on InDesign!"- but familiarity with a software package does not mean you can actually use it well- it's no replacement for fundamentals.
If the goal is to be employable at the end of your time there, many programs are little more than a con job. That a school offers a degree in something, doesn't mean that degree is worth anything.
The question to ask is less "what's close that offers this degree?" as, "the people that actually have the jobs that I want- where did they go? What programs did they take? Who did they learn from?"
It means something that if you look at the animators at Pixar, Disney, Cartoon Network, you're looking at numbers of 75% or more all coming from CalArts or RISD.
It means something that a lot of the big names in concept art have come out of Art Center College of Design.
It means something that a lot of great illustrators are coming out of Ringling, SDSU, AAU, and ateliers.
The same names keep popping up in these circles because good art schools are a genuine rarity, and not the rule.
Now, it wouldn't surprise me that graphic design would have more decent school options than these fields, since there are more jobs to be done, the field is a lot less specialized. But the point remains that you should look at the people that currently are where you want to be, and find out where they went. And when they were there, what did they learn? Even if you may not be able to go to a particular school for this or that reason, you should still make a point of being informed enough to know when a school that you go to is trying to bamboozle you for their own benefit (or simply not having the expertise to know that they are providing an inadequate education).
A lot of students waste a lot of time and money because they're used to taking what they are given from authority figures- of which the administration and faculty of a college appear to be, since that was their experience in grade school, in middle school, in high school. They are geared to expect what they say goes, that they have your best interests in mind.
What they're not used to, is approaching the experience as a customer. As a customer, if you're not getting what you want, you take your money elsewhere. If a college thinks it can tell you you're getting a filet minion when in reality they're giving you a patty from a Big Mac, they will- and a lot of people do just that, because they aren't willing to approach their relationship with this giant institution with the correct amount of skepticism. Be informed, be well-read, be educated outside of your schooling so you know what you are and aren't getting from your school.
Now, is this to say that these schools you've listed are worthless? Frankly, I don't know, because I haven't done the research to tell. I'd need to look at the alumni lists of each particular program, look at the work that those alumni have done, look at how many people in said programs have gotten jobs in their field. You may luck out and some of these schools may turn out to have great programs- but I would guess that being limited to schools within a 15 minute car ride severely limits your options, and in general is not a great criteria for choosing a school in what is a relatively specialized field. Not all programs are created equal, and art programs in particular are less equal than most.
tl;dr: Do your homework before you take on $15000-$120000 worth of debt, and 2-4+ years of your life- it's a lot for you to give, so you need to make sure what you get out of it is actually worth it.
I suppose taking all of this into consideration, perhaps I should keep to my current path of self-teaching? From what I've come to understand, being a graphic designer is as much about being able to communicate well with a client and understand what they want out of a project as it is being technically skilled. Maybe even more important. Someone can be a fantastic artist, know the Adobe Suite like the back of their hand and have a good eye for design. But they might still fail if they are incapable of understanding what it is their client wants.
The programs are the most simple part of the whole thing, understanding how to use Illustrator is something which has come rather naturally to me. Yes there are more than likely quite a few things I do not know how to do, but that is what tutorials are for. I've been told by a handful of people I've spoken with who are in the design field that I apparently have some talent with it, now their opinion could possibly hold little weight but that was still encouraging.
Learning to be able to draw at a basic level(I'm still working on this, though am fully capable of sketching out simple ideas). Understanding design theory including typography, working with grids, and of course color theory are all important as well.
Now I certainly understand that taking this particular path will take some time as well. Months of reading, months of practice and seeking out opportunities to test myself with small-time clients and donating my skills to local charities and other such organizations. I'm a very stubborn person, so I think that I can actually manage all of this.
Besides at the end of the day when you're sitting across from the hiring manager for a company, it isn't the shiny diploma that you spent four years and thousands upon thousands of dollars to attain that will get you the job. It's the work in your portfolio.
Edit: I still need a license and a car, to hell with relying on unreliable people.
Over the last month or two I've been working towards getting into a new, better paying job. It's full time, good benefits, stable schedule and all that good stuff. The problem is, in order to apply I've had to go through two different external agencies which took some time. I guess I got assigned to, we'll call her Queen Butt. Queen Butt calls me about two weeks ago to set up an actual interview with the company but I hadn't yet taken my work aptitude/is you a dumb test so she said "no problem we'll see about doing it next Thursday" but I was never actually given any solid info like a time or place. So I take the test. Call back monday and had to leave a message telling her to please call as I had my scores and was ready to interview. Nothing. Call back thursday and left a message with a secretary (who was very surprised that she hadn't contacted me back). Nothing. Now it's monday and Her Most High Buttness calls me and lackidaisically informs me that, "oh, they won't be interviewing again until August so I probably won't schedule it for another couple of weeks." I'm super annoyed right now because throughout the whole time dealing with her she gave off this vibe like she would rather be doing anything else and I've been on point with taking the necessary steps to keep moving this thing forward and now I'm dead in my tracks for another two months because she couldn't be bothered to call me back. Exasperated huff.
I mean, I guess I'll express my skepticism then. Lots of technical/community schools on this list, some general universities- no schools that are specifically art schools.
Now, I'm not up on the landscape of graphic design programs out there as much as I am about entertainment arts (animation, illustration, concept design, etc.), but my experience that I've had and the experiences that I've heard about is that many universities and colleges are perfectly happy to take your money in exchange for a not-very useful education, and even more worthless degree. That a college offers a degree in graphic design tells me absolutely nothing about whether said college is actually qualified to teach the subject- all it tells me is that they are willing to take your money to print off a piece of paper that says, "Art" on it- nothing more.
The fact that much of art is so subjective (particularly in the last century or so of art), means that art programs can easily get away with being lax with providing useful, fundamental training, along with not hiring people that are qualified to teach at a high level in those disciplines. The advent of computer software also gives these programs something to distract you with long enough to make you feel like you're learning something- "Hey, I'm learning Illustrator! Hey, I'm taking a class on InDesign!"- but familiarity with a software package does not mean you can actually use it well- it's no replacement for fundamentals.
If the goal is to be employable at the end of your time there, many programs are little more than a con job. That a school offers a degree in something, doesn't mean that degree is worth anything.
The question to ask is less "what's close that offers this degree?" as, "the people that actually have the jobs that I want- where did they go? What programs did they take? Who did they learn from?"
It means something that if you look at the animators at Pixar, Disney, Cartoon Network, you're looking at numbers of 75% or more all coming from CalArts or RISD.
It means something that a lot of the big names in concept art have come out of Art Center College of Design.
It means something that a lot of great illustrators are coming out of Ringling, SDSU, AAU, and ateliers.
The same names keep popping up in these circles because good art schools are a genuine rarity, and not the rule.
Now, it wouldn't surprise me that graphic design would have more decent school options than these fields, since there are more jobs to be done, the field is a lot less specialized. But the point remains that you should look at the people that currently are where you want to be, and find out where they went. And when they were there, what did they learn? Even if you may not be able to go to a particular school for this or that reason, you should still make a point of being informed enough to know when a school that you go to is trying to bamboozle you for their own benefit (or simply not having the expertise to know that they are providing an inadequate education).
A lot of students waste a lot of time and money because they're used to taking what they are given from authority figures- of which the administration and faculty of a college appear to be, since that was their experience in grade school, in middle school, in high school. They are geared to expect what they say goes, that they have your best interests in mind.
What they're not used to, is approaching the experience as a customer. As a customer, if you're not getting what you want, you take your money elsewhere. If a college thinks it can tell you you're getting a filet minion when in reality they're giving you a patty from a Big Mac, they will- and a lot of people do just that, because they aren't willing to approach their relationship with this giant institution with the correct amount of skepticism. Be informed, be well-read, be educated outside of your schooling so you know what you are and aren't getting from your school.
Now, is this to say that these schools you've listed are worthless? Frankly, I don't know, because I haven't done the research to tell. I'd need to look at the alumni lists of each particular program, look at the work that those alumni have done, look at how many people in said programs have gotten jobs in their field. You may luck out and some of these schools may turn out to have great programs- but I would guess that being limited to schools within a 15 minute car ride severely limits your options, and in general is not a great criteria for choosing a school in what is a relatively specialized field. Not all programs are created equal, and art programs in particular are less equal than most.
tl;dr: Do your homework before you take on $15000-$120000 worth of debt, and 2-4+ years of your life- it's a lot for you to give, so you need to make sure what you get out of it is actually worth it.
I'm an academic advisor at a major university in the states and I can say with 100% certainty that this is absolutely the case with private schools and generally the case with most public schools. You don't need a degree to do good art, you need a degree to meet a qualification requirement for some jobs. Most schools will teach you all the theory in the world and for the handful of students in art programs that already had a lot of talent or learned the value of practice they will do all right. Most end up in the "educated but unemployed" legion that grows each year.
State public schools are generally shifting to a numbers model as they expand student enrollments to compensate for lowering state funds. Art programs are generally cheap to offer as typically all they need is a classroom and a teacher (rather than the more expensive lab components of STEM or the more industry connected needs of Business or Public Admin). Every school wants to push their art programs because they are considered easy to push student credit hour production (the "revinue" for public education funding).
Some states, like my own, have been throttling this back and replacing SCH production to a placement model for enrollment, leading to art programs getting slimmed down into more professional, more limited access, higher standards programs. My state is one of the few and my university is pretty damn industry connected for our art programs. That said, we're not a small fine arts school and most students that go into our programs have done no research on the topic beyond "I like art, I wanna be an artist!"
School is a product, and the product isn't the degree. It's the opportunity to network, the opportunity to pick up skills, and the opportunity to get a credential at the end for doing so. If your fine arts school doesn't offer you all three there is no point.
I suppose taking all of this into consideration, perhaps I should keep to my current path of self-teaching?
Besides at the end of the day when you're sitting across from the hiring manager for a company, it isn't the shiny diploma that you spent four years and thousands upon thousands of dollars to attain that will get you the job. It's the work in your portfolio.
Again, I can't make that call when I have done no actual research into the educational/career value of the particular schools that you may have access to.
And depending on what sort of a career you want, a degree may or may not be worth it. If you want to be hired on full-time by a studio, an art director may only care about a portfolio as you say- but likely they're only seeing your work after your resume has passed through a filter of HR, who may require one (a standard HR thing to do, even if it makes little sense for the role). If that's the career path you want, even a bullshit degree may do you some good if your portfolio has been developed to a high level independently- or again, finding an education that actually does you some good as long as you're spending the money, is probably the best option.
If you'd rather work on a self-employment level, a degree means less because then you're presenting yourself as a business rather than an individual. Then client lists, client relations, reputation, etc. start to matter more than what's on your resume.
I also have no idea what making a career out of graphic design freelancing is like on a personal satisfaction/career stability level to tell you if that is or is not a good idea to pursue.
Making good decisions here is going to come down to you doing the footwork researching all this stuff- talking to the schools, the teachers, the students, talking to people that work in the industry on how you can get from A to B, reading up on what's going on in the field. Just getting good, solid, specific, actionable information is a lot of work just by itself, so you should hit the bricks gathering info, before you commit to, "I'm going to spend $90000 on this school!" or "all schools everywhere are horseshit, I'll make it on my own!". Either one of those is totally jumping the gun.
I've seen both sides of the industry, some care about a degree and some don't.
My previous job had by far the best benefits and salary of any of the design jobs I've had, but you were required to have a degree in graphic design or marketing along with a portfolio. My boss didn't care about the education, but HR wouldn't accept anyone that didn't meet the requirements. Any company with exceptional benefits will ask for formal education.
My current job lists a degree as a requirement, but work experience and a portfolio are acceptable substitutes. The benefits aren't as good, but the caliber of my peers is much higher.
To me, design school was not an investment in knowledge, because I learned very little. My gain was in the form of connections, but much like grades, you have to work on networking. It won't happen by virtue of going to school. The cost of networking was $10,000. Sometimes I wonder if it was worth it.
They have been incredibly helpful, so I agree. Don't stop!
I've definitely known that networking is probably the biggest benefit I'd have from going to a school that provides classes for a graphic design degree. I think my first step, as you say, is to... talk to people. There's actually a little group I kinda joined on a website which facilitates local gatherings. It's based around designers "getting out of their basements" and hanging out in a coffee shop while they work.
Get a little fresh air, meet some new people, have some horrible excuse for coffee. Win-Win.
Edit: I also stumbled onto a craigslist post for a local screen printing company that are looking for a Graphics Artist. No requirement for employment seemed to be listed, offering paid vacation after six months and a 401k. Pay based on... experience. Still a promising prospect, however it's also a two and a half hour bus ride away. 30 minute ride in a car.
I don't get it, most artists I know would love to have an assignment like that.
Somebody pay me to do that, next time I talk to my brother I want to be able to say, "Oh, you performed a kidney transplant today? That's great, but guess what I got paid to do today", with the biggest shit-eating grin on my face.
Someone tell me about art blogs. I am basically non-active on social media and I feel like I want to get my work in front of more eyes. Should I just make a tumblr account? Honestly I hardly even understand how tumblr works.
I have an ancient and neglected DeviantArt account but it never got much traffic and DA seems like a bit of a dinosaur these days.
Tumblrs pretty good for just getting eyeballs in your work (and probably helps with Google ratings etc). Don't know how reliably it translates into commissions etc - lotta factors at work there - but it's easy to set up and free, so why the hell not have one, really.
Phone posting and edit sucks sorry - but don't feel you need to get involved with the actual tumblr functionality or anything. Just using it as a blog and portfolio site will start the ball rolling.
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As someone who did study languages, all signs point to the latter.
Could my partner be a blocky german girl whos rough around the edges? Later, we fall for each other... Perhaps as we fall from a building.
You totally could! Its just a matter of persistance. What would you learn next?
Man, your obsession with boxes and box-shaped things has made a turn for the disturbingly fetishistic.
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Honestly, I'd probably try to "finish" learning Spanish first. It's the language I've spent the most time with, and seems like the most useful for me to become fluent in.
After I'd reached the point where I'm more or less fluent...I don't know what I'd move on to!
That's how the French generally communicate, yes? Handing worksheets to each other and being very, very patient?
Because if they just talk normally I am totally screwed, malheureusement.
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On a serious note about this. I love my co-workers. Any time a new snack is brought in we break down the box it came in and wonder why they did it that way. Then we hold up the unfolded box to a paper size chart and try to figure out how much a print run would cost.
This sort of thing interests me given my desired profession. (I'd be the guy making the stuff that gets printed on the box)
Not really, but I also never look at it to find mistakes. I'm more interested in how they approach structure issues. Any weird things I can't figure out are probably a work around to a production issue.
Arthil, are you in school right now?
The past several months I have been trying out different things, mainly focusing on logo design(and dabbling in branding ideas along with it) but I also seem to like illustration... Well it's kind of illustration. Using references to get a general shape down and getting the details finished on my own.
Compared to some of my previous aspirations, this is the only one I can say I legitimately enjoy doing. It's also the only one I've made a little bit of money from. If I were to go to college, I think I'd need to also use CLEP so I can do my best to avoid taking classes which have no bearing on my intended profession.
This is you.
Also even that's not true, I am still going to make a fortune on the children's book I'm writing about it now.
In other news, I'm glad I'm in enough of a social media bubble that all I've seen is universal support for the gay marriage announcement.
But living in a bubble also means that the headlines about the Confederate flag being removed from state buildings/major retailers have been hitting me like a headline that just announced a ban on DDT: "I'm glad that's happening, but I assumed that would have already happened like what, 40 years ago? How is this breaking news now, in the year 2015?"
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Good luck.
Given I like keeping my sanity, I'll probably focus on getting my license and just get a cheap vehicle. Easier on me than dealing with the bus.
Now, I'm not up on the landscape of graphic design programs out there as much as I am about entertainment arts (animation, illustration, concept design, etc.), but my experience that I've had and the experiences that I've heard about is that many universities and colleges are perfectly happy to take your money in exchange for a not-very useful education, and even more worthless degree. That a college offers a degree in graphic design tells me absolutely nothing about whether said college is actually qualified to teach the subject- all it tells me is that they are willing to take your money to print off a piece of paper that says, "Art" on it- nothing more.
The fact that much of art is so subjective (particularly in the last century or so of art), means that art programs can easily get away with being lax with providing useful, fundamental training, along with not hiring people that are qualified to teach at a high level in those disciplines. The advent of computer software also gives these programs something to distract you with long enough to make you feel like you're learning something- "Hey, I'm learning Illustrator! Hey, I'm taking a class on InDesign!"- but familiarity with a software package does not mean you can actually use it well- it's no replacement for fundamentals.
If the goal is to be employable at the end of your time there, many programs are little more than a con job. That a school offers a degree in something, doesn't mean that degree is worth anything.
The question to ask is less "what's close that offers this degree?" as, "the people that actually have the jobs that I want- where did they go? What programs did they take? Who did they learn from?"
It means something that if you look at the animators at Pixar, Disney, Cartoon Network, you're looking at numbers of 75% or more all coming from CalArts or RISD.
It means something that a lot of the big names in concept art have come out of Art Center College of Design.
It means something that a lot of great illustrators are coming out of Ringling, SDSU, AAU, and ateliers.
The same names keep popping up in these circles because good art schools are a genuine rarity, and not the rule.
Now, it wouldn't surprise me that graphic design would have more decent school options than these fields, since there are more jobs to be done, the field is a lot less specialized. But the point remains that you should look at the people that currently are where you want to be, and find out where they went. And when they were there, what did they learn? Even if you may not be able to go to a particular school for this or that reason, you should still make a point of being informed enough to know when a school that you go to is trying to bamboozle you for their own benefit (or simply not having the expertise to know that they are providing an inadequate education).
A lot of students waste a lot of time and money because they're used to taking what they are given from authority figures- of which the administration and faculty of a college appear to be, since that was their experience in grade school, in middle school, in high school. They are geared to expect what they say goes, that they have your best interests in mind.
What they're not used to, is approaching the experience as a customer. As a customer, if you're not getting what you want, you take your money elsewhere. If a college thinks it can tell you you're getting a filet minion when in reality they're giving you a patty from a Big Mac, they will- and a lot of people do just that, because they aren't willing to approach their relationship with this giant institution with the correct amount of skepticism. Be informed, be well-read, be educated outside of your schooling so you know what you are and aren't getting from your school.
Now, is this to say that these schools you've listed are worthless? Frankly, I don't know, because I haven't done the research to tell. I'd need to look at the alumni lists of each particular program, look at the work that those alumni have done, look at how many people in said programs have gotten jobs in their field. You may luck out and some of these schools may turn out to have great programs- but I would guess that being limited to schools within a 15 minute car ride severely limits your options, and in general is not a great criteria for choosing a school in what is a relatively specialized field. Not all programs are created equal, and art programs in particular are less equal than most.
tl;dr: Do your homework before you take on $15000-$120000 worth of debt, and 2-4+ years of your life- it's a lot for you to give, so you need to make sure what you get out of it is actually worth it.
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I suppose taking all of this into consideration, perhaps I should keep to my current path of self-teaching? From what I've come to understand, being a graphic designer is as much about being able to communicate well with a client and understand what they want out of a project as it is being technically skilled. Maybe even more important. Someone can be a fantastic artist, know the Adobe Suite like the back of their hand and have a good eye for design. But they might still fail if they are incapable of understanding what it is their client wants.
The programs are the most simple part of the whole thing, understanding how to use Illustrator is something which has come rather naturally to me. Yes there are more than likely quite a few things I do not know how to do, but that is what tutorials are for. I've been told by a handful of people I've spoken with who are in the design field that I apparently have some talent with it, now their opinion could possibly hold little weight but that was still encouraging.
Learning to be able to draw at a basic level(I'm still working on this, though am fully capable of sketching out simple ideas). Understanding design theory including typography, working with grids, and of course color theory are all important as well.
Now I certainly understand that taking this particular path will take some time as well. Months of reading, months of practice and seeking out opportunities to test myself with small-time clients and donating my skills to local charities and other such organizations. I'm a very stubborn person, so I think that I can actually manage all of this.
Besides at the end of the day when you're sitting across from the hiring manager for a company, it isn't the shiny diploma that you spent four years and thousands upon thousands of dollars to attain that will get you the job. It's the work in your portfolio.
Edit: I still need a license and a car, to hell with relying on unreliable people.
I'm an academic advisor at a major university in the states and I can say with 100% certainty that this is absolutely the case with private schools and generally the case with most public schools. You don't need a degree to do good art, you need a degree to meet a qualification requirement for some jobs. Most schools will teach you all the theory in the world and for the handful of students in art programs that already had a lot of talent or learned the value of practice they will do all right. Most end up in the "educated but unemployed" legion that grows each year.
State public schools are generally shifting to a numbers model as they expand student enrollments to compensate for lowering state funds. Art programs are generally cheap to offer as typically all they need is a classroom and a teacher (rather than the more expensive lab components of STEM or the more industry connected needs of Business or Public Admin). Every school wants to push their art programs because they are considered easy to push student credit hour production (the "revinue" for public education funding).
Some states, like my own, have been throttling this back and replacing SCH production to a placement model for enrollment, leading to art programs getting slimmed down into more professional, more limited access, higher standards programs. My state is one of the few and my university is pretty damn industry connected for our art programs. That said, we're not a small fine arts school and most students that go into our programs have done no research on the topic beyond "I like art, I wanna be an artist!"
School is a product, and the product isn't the degree. It's the opportunity to network, the opportunity to pick up skills, and the opportunity to get a credential at the end for doing so. If your fine arts school doesn't offer you all three there is no point.
Again, I can't make that call when I have done no actual research into the educational/career value of the particular schools that you may have access to.
And depending on what sort of a career you want, a degree may or may not be worth it. If you want to be hired on full-time by a studio, an art director may only care about a portfolio as you say- but likely they're only seeing your work after your resume has passed through a filter of HR, who may require one (a standard HR thing to do, even if it makes little sense for the role). If that's the career path you want, even a bullshit degree may do you some good if your portfolio has been developed to a high level independently- or again, finding an education that actually does you some good as long as you're spending the money, is probably the best option.
If you'd rather work on a self-employment level, a degree means less because then you're presenting yourself as a business rather than an individual. Then client lists, client relations, reputation, etc. start to matter more than what's on your resume.
I also have no idea what making a career out of graphic design freelancing is like on a personal satisfaction/career stability level to tell you if that is or is not a good idea to pursue.
Making good decisions here is going to come down to you doing the footwork researching all this stuff- talking to the schools, the teachers, the students, talking to people that work in the industry on how you can get from A to B, reading up on what's going on in the field. Just getting good, solid, specific, actionable information is a lot of work just by itself, so you should hit the bricks gathering info, before you commit to, "I'm going to spend $90000 on this school!" or "all schools everywhere are horseshit, I'll make it on my own!". Either one of those is totally jumping the gun.
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My previous job had by far the best benefits and salary of any of the design jobs I've had, but you were required to have a degree in graphic design or marketing along with a portfolio. My boss didn't care about the education, but HR wouldn't accept anyone that didn't meet the requirements. Any company with exceptional benefits will ask for formal education.
My current job lists a degree as a requirement, but work experience and a portfolio are acceptable substitutes. The benefits aren't as good, but the caliber of my peers is much higher.
To me, design school was not an investment in knowledge, because I learned very little. My gain was in the form of connections, but much like grades, you have to work on networking. It won't happen by virtue of going to school. The cost of networking was $10,000. Sometimes I wonder if it was worth it.
To counterbalance, I just want to say that the last couple pages of Cucumber Quest HURT MY HEART IT'S SO SWEET AUGH
http://cucumber.gigidigi.com/cq/page-630/
http://cucumber.gigidigi.com/cq/page-631/
http://cucumber.gigidigi.com/cq/page-632/
http://cucumber.gigidigi.com/cq/page-633/
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I've definitely known that networking is probably the biggest benefit I'd have from going to a school that provides classes for a graphic design degree. I think my first step, as you say, is to... talk to people. There's actually a little group I kinda joined on a website which facilitates local gatherings. It's based around designers "getting out of their basements" and hanging out in a coffee shop while they work.
Get a little fresh air, meet some new people, have some horrible excuse for coffee. Win-Win.
Edit: I also stumbled onto a craigslist post for a local screen printing company that are looking for a Graphics Artist. No requirement for employment seemed to be listed, offering paid vacation after six months and a 401k. Pay based on... experience. Still a promising prospect, however it's also a two and a half hour bus ride away. 30 minute ride in a car.
Somebody pay me to do that, next time I talk to my brother I want to be able to say, "Oh, you performed a kidney transplant today? That's great, but guess what I got paid to do today", with the biggest shit-eating grin on my face.
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I have an ancient and neglected DeviantArt account but it never got much traffic and DA seems like a bit of a dinosaur these days.