Month: April 2021

The journey of my question so far

At the very beginning, when I needed to choose something in my uncertainty box, the direction I chose was how to develop art students’ careers. The question is:  How can art graduates build their careers in the Internet age? 

After I interviewed my previous classmates, and I found that the original question is that they chose the wrong major. My question then became: How can art students choose the right subject to help them define themselves and find suitable jobs after graduation?

After that, I researched the UAL foundation course, UAL outreach program, and UAL insights. I thought the foundation course is quite similar to what I want to do. But this course is mainly for that student who 1) would like to spend one year 2) can afford it. So I will specifically focus on other student groups. For example, I can create an online platform and collect lots of information to help them choose the right subject. Then I realized that I’m more of an information provider, and the most important thing is that they lack the awareness of choosing majors carefully. If they have the attention, they can gather relevant information by themselves, which is not that hard in this internet age. So my question became: How can I Awaken students’ awareness of choosing majors carefully?

Later, I discussed it with the dragon team. It made me thought more about: there are so many art graduates every year, but not everyone can become an artist. Should we do what we love or love what we do? Art students are more likely to feel uneasy in the face of employment problems because they are a group of sensitive and ambitious people. My question change again: How can I reduce art students’ psychological gap when facing employment problems?

When I think about it, I want to convey that we should accept our ordinariness and not have too many unrealistic fantasies. But at the same time, I think it’s negative. I still want to do some positive things and help ambitious students to build their careers. Then I found UAL’s Enterprise Programme, which is a creative business accelerator program. Due to my interests about ‘personal IP’ and ‘freelancer’, now my question is: How can I help art students who want to be a freelancer build personal IP in the Internet age?

Discuss with the dragon group

CROSS, P.G., CATTELL, R.B. and BUTCHER, H.J. (1967). The Personality Pattern of Creative Artists. British Journal of Educational Psychology, [online] 37(3), pp.292–299. Available at: https://bpspsychub.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.2044-8279.1967.tb01944.x [Accessed 22 Apr. 2021].

The general area and keywords of my question so far are:
Art students, Subject choice, Employment, and Future development.

In discussion with the dragon group on Wednesday, Dominic recommended a book named the way of integrity. In the introduction part, the author said that but how I, and other people, could create lives we actually enjoyed.
It also reminded me of my previous investigation: Only 4% of my earlier classmates are doing art-related jobs now, while others change their careers. Then I found that although they didn’t choose the art-related job, they did find jobs. It makes me think of a question: should we do what we like or like what we do?

In addition, art students are a more sensitive group： Sixty‐three visual artists and twenty‐eight craft students were compared with a matched control group. Significant differences in mean scores between artists and controls were found on twelve factors of the 16PF test. On eleven of these twelve factors, the scores of the craft students were intermediate between those of the artists and the controls. Especially salient features of the artists’ personality pattern were A – (reserved, schizothyme tendency), E+ (assertiveness, dominance), Q2+ (self sufficiency), G – (low emotional stability), Q3 – (low self‐integration, casualness), M+ (autistic or bohemian tendency) and G – (low superego strength). They also differed from the control group in being more suspicious (L+), more apprehensive or guilt‐prone (O+), and more tense or overwrought (Q4+). In terms of the second order factors, the artists are assessed as being slightly introverted though there is evidence of some contradiction, strongly anxious, experimenting, non‐moralistic, and slightly sensitive (CROSS, CATTELL and BUTCHER, 1967).

Two directions of my question :

One is to help to reduce a ‘psychological gap’. How can I reduce Art students’ psychological gap when they face employment problems. This direction is more about how to tell students not to fantasize too much about an unrealistic future. (not everyone can become a famous, self-supporting artist)

The other direction is to help art students start their own businesses. I prefer to study the direction of creating personal IP.

How can I help art students build personal IP in the Internet era? This direction is mainly for those students who want to be freelance artists, illustrators, designers etc.

Project 5- The change I want to see

My general research area is about the employment situation of art students. Eleanor (2018) said that the watchdog found that many colleges collected little data about the destinations of their students. Where data was available it was found that arts and media courses scored low in terms of employment prospects. Eva A (1993) stated that many of the respondents were expecting to have a difficult time after graduation, trying to accomplish multiple goals of getting admitted to a Graduate Art program, becoming a practicing artist, and finding a survival job.

For my primary research, I investigated the employment situation of my fine art classmates. The data shows that only 4% of people are doing an art-related job, while 17% have jobs entirely unrelated to their majors. 37% of them choose to be a teacher, and 15% of people are designers now.

In the beginning, my research data made me think that there are two main reasons for the difficult employment of art students. One is the nature of the major. Art major is a creative major and does not have a solid professional attribute. Kobe (2015) said that in uncertain economic times, any student graduating from university is no longer guaranteed a job. If this is true of students graduating with degrees in such career fields as business, law, and teaching, it is even truer in the creative field. The other reason is that some students don’t like this major, so it’s hard for them to stick with it and become an artist, and they change careers.

Subsequently, I questioned that whether there are any other reasons. After reading a few more articles about it, I came up with a few different reasons.
1) There is a mismatch between the number of art students and the number of jobs available. Eleanor (2018) argued that Arts and media does stand out as the area where there is the greatest mismatch between the numbers of students taking the courses and their future employment in the industry.
2) Art students lack of career counseling in their university. 82% of the art students felt that they had had inadequate career counseling in their schools, as compared with only 59% of the English students and 68% of the psychology students (Whitesel, 1980). Eva A (1993) said that having career information available in Art department offices and offering career-oriented Art courses to tell the student about what to do with a major in Art and how to prepare for that is essential. However, I think this point is a little outdated since these two articles were published 30 or 40 years ago. Nowadays, many universities set up career service centers for students to prepare their CVs or interviews.
3) Students who choose fine arts majors are mainly motivated by their interests, not by their future careers. Student interest in the subject is an important influence on major choice. Passion drive students’ lives and tastes for majors are a dominant factor in choosing specific majors by students (Jaradat, 2015). They had chosen their particular area of concentration in Art because of enjoyment in working with that medium, skill or familiarity with the medium, preference for the type of Art product created, better rapport with the professors, or preferences for the social structure in that area (Eva A, 1993).
4) The personality of art students leads to their limited choice of jobs. Eva (1993) claimed that the literature showed that Art students tended to have values systems and personality traits that might make working at certain jobs more difficult. Examples were not like a job that involved a boring routine or not liking to be a ‘pushy salesperson.’

Having analysed all of the points above, I now feel my topic is a complex topic with different reasons. My potential change has two directions. One is to make college students aware of choosing a major carefully by presenting employment problems. The other is to integrate resources to provide college students with a more comprehensive understanding—for example, the foundation course of UAL. But foundation courses are mainly for students who can afford it and are willing to spend a year exploring it. I would pay more attention to other student groups. Of the two directions, I personally prefer the first one. Because awakening students’ awareness is more valuable than providing information directly, if they have this awareness and are more careful and rational in their choice of major, they will always have a way to find relevant information.

Bibliography

Eva A, T., 1993. Program and Career Perceptions of Undergraduate Students Majoring in Fine Art. Ph.D. The University of Tennessee, Knoxville.

Whitesel, L., 1980. Career Attitudes of Art Students. Studies in Art Education, 22(1), p.36.

Eleanor, H., 2018. Arts students given ‘false jobs hope’ by colleges. Daily Mail, p.21.

Jaradat, M., 2015. What’s Really Matter When Choosing a College Major!. International Journal of Arts and Commerce, 4(2), p.94.

Bonita M, K., 2015. Entrepreneurship for the Creative and Cultural Industries. Abingdon, Oxon : Routledge.

Career attitude of art students

Whitesel, L.S. (1980). Career Attitudes of Art Students. Studies in Art Education, [online] 22(1), p.36. Available at: https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/pdf/10.1080/00393541.1980.11650270?needAccess=true [Accessed 8 Apr. 2021].

1. Woman art students rated their commitment to a career at the very highest level and also claimed that their schools had provided them with inadequate career counselling.

2. More male art students, than male psychology students, felt that they would not be able to earn a living in their field of study.

3. Woman art students expressed concern that they had been inadequately counselled to function in those careers.

4. The male art students’ negative responses about earning a living in their field might reflect a similar lack of career information.

5. 97% of the woman claimed they already thought of themselves as artists, while just 79% of the men did.

6. Only 62% of the art students felt able to earn a living in art, while 66% of the English and 88% of the psychology students felt able to earn a living in their fields.

7. 82% of the art students felt that they had had inadequate career counselling in their schools, as compared with only 59% of the English students and 68% of the psychology students.

Program and Career perceptions of undergraduate students majoring in Fine Art

Thaller, E.A. (1993). Program and Career Perceptions of Undergraduate Students Majoring in Fine Art. [Doctoral Dissertation] pp.1–343. Available at: https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ED368280.pdf [Accessed 5 Apr. 2021].

Many of the respondents were expecting to have a difficult time after graduation, trying to accomplish multiple goals of getting admitted to a Graduate Art program, becoming a practising artist, and finding a survival job.

Although many described negative past experiences in jobs that were unsuitable for them, 50% were expecting to support themselves after graduation through ”menial jobs,” ”odd jobs,” ”anything that won’t degrade” themselves, and any kind of work ”that pays a half-way decent wage.”

  1. Perceptions of Art and Art Courses

1.1 Art was extremely important to them. Some said Art was the most important thing in their life.

1.2 Most of the informants said that their decision to major in Art was the result of a lifelong interest or desire to study Art.

1.3 They had chosen their particular area of concentration in Art because of enjoyment in working with that medium, skill or familiarity with the medium, preference for the type of Art product created, better rapport with the professors, or preferences for the social structure in that area.

1.4 Many were actually ”generalists” because of the ”creative freedom” to mix Art media together.

2. Future Goals and Expectations

2.1 Many of them seemed unsure about the means to achieve their goals, since achieving them depended greatly on circumstances and on other people.

2.2 Their responses often indicated multiple goals, and often their Art career goals involved some Art-related way to support themselves such as teaching or museum work.

2.3 Their answers about what they were most likely to do indicated a variety of activities or a somewhat complex career path – to work and to do artwork equally.

3. Job plans and financial expectations

77% said they would consider at working a full-time Art-related job (which is sometimes hard to find).

32% indicated that they would consider a full-time job not related to Art.

55% did say they would consider working at a part-time job not related to art and working part-time at their artwork.

32% said it was likely that they would work part-time to full-time at a job not related to Art after graduation.

4. Specific suggestions by informants

4.1 having career information available in Art department offices and offering career-oriented Art courses to tell student about what to do with a major in Art and how to prepare for that.

4.2 one informant wished for a course in economics or money management specially designed for art majors.

5. Other factors

5.1 The literature showed that Art students tended to have values systems and personality traits that might make working at certain jobs more difficult. Examples were not like a job that involved a boring routine or not liking to be a ”pushy salesperson.”

5.2 The problem with taking any jobs available without analyzing and choosing jobs carefully is that they might risk getting more disillusioned by trying to do jobs for which they are unsuited in personality and values.

5.3 It is important for everyone to learn to understand their personality traits and learn to compare those to what is needed for particular jobs before they attempt them.

Arts students are given ‘false jobs hope’ by colleges

editor, R.A.E. (2018). Colleges exaggerating arts students’ career prospects, says Ofsted chief. The Guardian. [online] 21 Nov. Available at: https://www.theguardian.com/education/2018/nov/21/colleges-exaggerating-arts-students-career-prospects-says-ofsted-chief [Accessed 3 Apr. 2021].

‘Arts and media does stand out as the area where there is greatest mismatch between the numbers of students taking the courses and their future employment in the industry.’

‘Yet even with the poor prospects, course adverts often listed potential jobs in the arts which are, in reality, unlikely to be available to the vast majority of learners but underplay the value of other skills these courses develop.’

‘However increasing numbers of students are taking up media, performing arts, music and design courses.
Mrs Spielman made her comments in a speech to the conference of the Association of Colleges in Birmingham. This coincided with a report from Ofsted that outlined concerns about the number of courses on offer that do not lead to good local jobs. The watchdog found that many colleges collected little data about the destinations of their students.
Where data was available it was found that arts and media courses scored low in terms of employment prospects. Yet at least three colleges surveyed by Ofsted reported these courses as having the most applicants.’