There are so many “cheater tools” out there to give those who are even just a little bit digitally literate a chance to fake being a professional. Whether it’s the ability to edit photos, design a website or even put together a customized workout schedule, millennials are wondering if investing in post-secondary education is even worth their time. There’s nothing a YouTube tutorial can’t teach me, right.
Well, not always.
There has always been a portion of the workforce that is “self-taught” or has a wealth of experience that makes up for lacking professional qualifications. However, what’s the deal when you don’t have either? That’s something that this generation is starting to discover the hard way.
So before you register your web design business based on solely using templates found online, here is some food for thought regarding 3 Jobs that millennials think that they don’t need to go to school for….
- Photography
There’s been a huge surge in “professional” photographers who seemed to scrounge up enough money for a DSLR and now advertise as available for taking wedding photos or product shots for companies. And though there is a lot to be said about having an eye for things and lots of experience in the field, taking at least a few courses at the local art school or college will give you a better insight into the power of your camera, how to take high quality shots, and rely less on editing to get the look that you want. And when you do enter the “post production” phase and are touching them up with software, training will help you be in full control of the result, and you’re not stuck just applying filters to make the photos look “better”.
- Music Recording
With the rise of YouTube and even the possibility of selling recordings on iTunes, many amateur and hopeful musicians have improvised as their own recording technicians. Though the quality is better than what you would normally record from your laptop mic, just because you have an external microphone doesn’t mean that the result will be professional. Whether you are an artist yourself and want to self-record or you enjoy working with and recording other musicians, you should look into a recording program that provides knowledge and skills to create commercially viable recordings. Now you can start sending those samples around!
- Website design
Whether it’s Wix, Weebly, Squarespace, or WordPress, these platforms want you to think that even a kid can create a beautiful and functional website. However, once you start playing around with it yourself, you will find that there is quite a chasm in quality separating your website from that of professional ones. Though putting in many hours of work into your own self-learning can get you so far, enrolling in either courses or a degree that can improve your coding fluency means that you will be able to customize your website to fit your needs, both in terms of style and real functionality. And though it might be a bit of a financial investment, it will save you time and will give you an opportunity to ask questions, troubleshoot on the go, and receive professional feedback on your efforts. Now that might be worth going to school for.
Though there is a lot of be said for natural affinities and talent, investing in schooling, whether through an accredited college or university or a private institution specializing in your field of interest, might be what takes you from being a decent DIY person, to a professional with great intuition. Take you raw talent and interests and make them a real career option by just investing in the right kind of training. That’s something that hasn’t changed…
