Is a Film studies degree worth doing

[sdbfeeney]

im considering doing a film studies degree as i am a film addict but i am afraid that the course wont lead to any profession except the dole cue.

[tetherend]

Contact as many film companies as you can find and ask them.  They're bound to point you in the right direction.

[acw]

What career would you like at the end?  Think of that, then find someone IN that profession and ask them! :-)  I'm currently in nearly �10,000 worth of debt from my degree, but i SHOULD get a very well paid job at the end of it.  You seem sensible enough to think of career prospects and you clearly are doubting your gut instinct.  I suggest you talk to some people in your future industry.  Good luck!  Good luck with A levels too if you're just doing them! :-)

[teamcool]

Im about to graduate (fingers crossed) from a BA in Film and Media Studies and there are a number of career options open to you at the end of it. The course is made up of different modules so it is not entirely film analysis. As with media studies and film analysis you could go on to become a teacher/lecturer and also a critic or theorist. The course i did also covered media production so it trains you in different aspects of that (i.e. radio, tv and web design) therfore you could progress into those carreers (i.e. presenter, camera-operator, web-designer etc). There are also screen-writing courses so you move into writing scripts for tv, film and radio. I hope I havent missed anything out but you have to be dedicated because it is such an abitious industry and alot of skilled people are graduating each year and are going after limited jobs. Good luck and best wishes whatever you decide to do!

[teamcool]

What area are you from and what uni are you hoping to go to?

[Lillabet]

A lot of people don't end up in work that directly links to the subject matter of their degrees. Whilst some such as Law and Medicine are fairly vocational others such as Sociology, English and Modern languages are less so.

I think you are right to be concerned that some employers view newer subjects as having less weight than more traditional academic subjects. This doesn't necessarily mean that you should only take film studies if you see a clear vocational path at the end of it.

An awful lot of the value that a university degree confers upon you is in terms of transferrable skills. Working with people, meeting deadlines, balancing workload, writing formal reports, presentational skills etc.

In my experience as a student and University teaching fellow sometimes a 1st class degree is not enough if it is the only thing on a cv. After all it just shows that you can sit in a library for 3 years and that isn't necessarily what a business wants. 2:1 students who have the ability to talk about the skills they have and who got involved with societies etc often find work far more easily.

You are likely to do best in a degree programme that you enjoy. (Good results do help - the ideal is a 1st and a strong CV) You are looking at 3 years study so choose something you are interested in. If you do see a career path then use your time at uni to build the experiences and skills that job / employer will want. Selling your skills strongly will make up for any doubts about the subject matter of your degree...