In this post I am going to talk about whether or not audio school is the right path to take if you want to get into the audio industry. You will hear opinions praising both methods. I am going to approach those opinions unbiasley and let you decide which path is right for you. Then I'll give my opinion based on my own personal experiences.
Let's start with the School of Hard Knocks method. This method involves skipping formal audio school and diving into the industry head first. Many of the audio professionals from earlier generations did this method. They acquired an internship or mentorship and worked their way up from there. This is more of a learn as you go method. A lot of these professionals will argue that audio school doesn't teach you the real world experience that is needed in this industry. And that they just take your money and throw tests at you and don't teach you anything that you can't learn in the field as you go. While some of you may agree or disagree to this point, take that into consideration when deciding which path you want to take. Then there are those That favor audio programs and say learning as you go limits you to one area of the audio industry and that audio programs help to give a person a well rounded survey of the industry and allows the person to work in various fields of industry. So for example if you get an internship at a studio you are only learning what it takes to run and work a recording studio while all the other aspects of audio may not be learned, like live sound and all the science of sound.
Now for audio schools. Those in favor will say that audio schools help give students knowledge about a variety of jobs in the industry and allow the student to make better decisions. It also gives them a well rounded education and that extra knowledge may come in handy throughout their career. Almost any audio school professor will still say that an internship of some sort is needed to actually get your foot in the door. The school gives the student the tools to network and succeed but it is ultimately up to the student to do the leg work and make it happen. Then there are those that say going to an audio school is not needed and you can have the same level of success without it if you work hard enough. This may be true, but for some students they don't know what area they want to go in or how to do it so school provides them with knowledge and options to better make those decisions.
Now for my opinion. I personally think that both are important and it is possible to do well using both methods. It comes down to what area you what to go into and how much knowledge you care to have about the other aspects of the industry. If all you want to do is work in a recording studio and record bands then skip school and get an internship and learn that way. If you want to work in the science of sound like acoustics, then school is highly recommended although some have succeeded in this field without formal schooling. I went to school for two years and then got a mentorship at a recording studio. Through that I learned everything I needed to know about owning and operating a studio, but I wanted to know more about the industry and about the science of sound. So I went back to school to finish my degree. The school environment is a lot different than the intern environment. I mainly wanted to focus on the parts of audio I didn't know and the school helps me with that. It also opened my mind to parts of the audio industry I didn't know existed. Some of those are mentioned in my previous post. I think it's important for a person to be well rounded no matter what field you're going into. Knowing some physics and electronics helps alot when dealing with recording and mixing. Also completing school helps you be a better intern and employee. Knowing at least some of what it takes to mix and record is better than going in blind in my opinion. Real work experience is definitely needed and what you learn in school is rarely how it actually works in the real world, but the same principles can be applied. School let's you experiment and be creative so you can develop your own style and uniqueness that can be marketed to your benefit when searching for a job. I found that just learning how to record and mix wasn't enough for me, so I went back to school and haven't regretted it since. It is also important that if you do choose an audio school, you be active in the industry. Get out and network, shadow at recording sessions, do live sound for a local band. Do whatever you can to get some experience while at school. This will greatly help once you graduate as you will already have some real world experience and look more appealing to an employer. This will also help you apply the things you learn to the real world before you graduate and get you more real world ready.
So to sum up, there are two methods people can take when getting into the audio industry. I recommend schooling and then some sort of internship or mentorship. This gives you the tools you need to be successful and then a taste of real world experience to help get your foot in the door. I did mine in reverse. I did a mentorship and then went to school. I actually feel this is better because while I'm at school I can be working at the recording studio and freelancing. So based on what Ive said hopefully you can make a decision that best suits you.
-Jon
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