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mdaniels New user Panamá 78 Posts |
I mean college career, I am about to enter college, I can do well in anything and I got exellent grades, I also love magic so I was thinking in chose a career that will help my magic, perhaps psychology, acting or mechanical engineering, etc
I really want to know what are your thoughts on this. PS: I want to leave something clear: I know that choosing a career is personal and that I should take somthing that a like so an so. I just want to know what you guys have to say about mixing magic with a career. Regards |
Michael Baker Eternal Order Near a river in the Midwest 11172 Posts |
Two different points of view to be considered. Do you want your career choice to augment your magic, or do you want your magic to augment your career?
A magician would benefit by knowing about theater and the performing arts, whereas a pediatrician might benefit by knowing some magic.
~michael baker
The Magic Company |
funsway Inner circle old things in new ways - new things in old ways 9981 Posts |
There are a number of psychologist and neurobiologist looking at magicians for clues as to how our brain minds works. As a business consultant I found magic invaluable for communicating with small business owners with "hidden" problems.
A degree should not be equated with "Career" but one part of the equation. What is it you wish to do in life? How do you plan to help people? You can take speech and theater course regardelss of your career path. Getting a degree and becoming educated are two different thinks. Never allow the first to interfere with the latter. Last year the business world spend more than three billion dollars in educating managers in communication skills they should have acquired in school. If I were king I would make studying magic a prerequisite for a high school diploma.
"the more one pretends at magic, the more awe and wonder will be found in real life." Arnold Furst
eBooks at https://www.lybrary.com/ken-muller-m-579928.html questions at ken@eversway.com |
Dick Christian Inner circle Northern Virginia (Metro DC) 2619 Posts |
Generally speaking (and I know that there are always exceptions) in planning their college studies one would be wise to choose a degree program that is likely to lead to gainful employment. Programs that are designed to prepare one for a career in "the arts" -- performing or otherwise -- are rarely the best choice if gainful employment is one's goal. That is not to suggest that one should consider only those career paths which are presumed to lead to the highest salaries. Society and trends change. What is "hot" today, may not be 20 years from now. But certainly it would be wise to avoid programs that are likely to lead to the unemployment line. Do you know what the majority of actors in New York are doing these days? They are probably waiters and waitresses. A few years ago, before I allowed my memberships in AFTRA and SAG to lapse, the average annual earnings (from industry related employment) of members of SAG (the Screen Actors Guild) was something less than $2,000 -- and that calculation includes all of the "big name" members who were paid millions per film.
One can have many opportunities to pursue their interest in the performing arts as an avocation -- the choice of electives and extracurricular activities while in college, community theater and part-time performing, etc., after college. Once you find that you are able to earn a living wage through your avocation, you can always quit your "regular" job to become a full-time performer. In my own case, I began performing while a teen and continued through Jr. High, High School and college. While attending Penn State on an NROTC scholarship, I majored first in industrial engineering, then switch to business management but also particpated in the Penn State Thespians theater club, performed at pep rallys and other campus events as well as in the surrounding communities. Upon graduation and commissioning in the regular Navy I put performing aside and devoted all of my attention on building a successful career as a naval officer -- spending 13+ of my 20 years at sea, including two destroyer commands. When assigned to shore duty in the mid-1970s I took up magic again part-time and by the time I was eligible to retire I was earning more as a part-time magician than as a Commander in the Navy, so I retired after 20 years, and became a full time performer and owner/operator of the independent entertainment agency I started a few years earlier. I feel that I have enjoyed the best of all possible scenarios -- two successful full-time careers, the second of which I continue to pursue and enjoy while earning a living that while it has not made me wealthy has permitted me and my family to enjoy what most would consider a "comfortable life-style." IMO the answer to the question posed in the OP is "whatever you enjoy and are good at" while you pursue your interest/activity in magic until you are ready, willing and able to make it your life's work."
Dick Christian
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travisb Special user Vancouver, BC 546 Posts |
Anything you can stand that offers flexible hours (to allow for shows), benefits, and a pension.
-Travis |
Ken Northridge Inner circle Atlantic City, NJ 2392 Posts |
I can't go wrong majoring in business/marketing--ask Mark Wilson.
"Love is the real magic." -Doug Henning
www.KenNorthridge.com |
Pakar Ilusi Inner circle 5777 Posts |
Business Management, hands down...
Areas covering the Arts (Magic, Acting, image etc...) can be learnt on the way. Imho...
"Dreams aren't a matter of Chance but a matter of Choice." -DC-
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mdaniels New user Panamá 78 Posts |
Quote:
On 2011-03-13 05:18, Michael Baker wrote: What a mean is that if I have to spend 4 to 5 years studying something, will be much better if I can match it with magic. |
Dick Christian Inner circle Northern Virginia (Metro DC) 2619 Posts |
Quote:
On 2011-03-13 14:10, mdaniels wrote: People from all walks of life (i.e., various professions/lines of work) both blue collar and white collar can practice, enjoy and perform magic. My friends in magic include doctors, lawyers, advertising execs, members of the military (both officer and enlisted, active duty and retired). One of the great things about magic is that it transcends age, race, gender, social status or education. ANYONE can enjoy it. IMO there is no single academic discipline that is uniquely associated or compatible with magic. While psychology has been mentioned I'm not at all sure that it is MORE appropos than any other field of study. I think it would be a mistake to select one's college major on anything other than what academic pursuit and POSSIBLE future career one is suited for. I say POSSIBLE future career because apart from those who studied medicine, I know just as many people who never ended up pursuing careers in their field of academic study as did.
Dick Christian
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Jonathan Townsend Eternal Order Ossining, NY 27297 Posts |
Quote:
On 2011-03-13 01:55, mdaniels wrote: Magic is will in action, even in our declawed little houstrained subset - where the audience just does not see the backstage stuff but they know it's there anyway. It's a tool for getting things done. A not-so-simple machine but still only a means to an end. Let's set that aside for the moment as such tools can be used anywhere there are things to get done. Your college education is your chance to learn about the liberal arts and gain some exposure to the basics in our society's crafts, your potential mentors, employers and peer group in your career. By way of example I went from being a poor mathematics student to a not-so-poor computer consultant by way of one phone call from my roommate's friend and fellow environmental science student who wanted a program to do some calculations and reports. Sure, you can get yourself to a performing arts college and actually learn hands on about staging, scripting, audiences, directing, storytelling, writing, music etc if you want to get weaned from the magicshop BS and get a solid background and options open for theater/film/public speaking etc. Or you can go with the liberal arts to start and explore the sciences and engineering etc and find what really speaks to your interests and sensibilities - ie find your calling and let the magic support your efforts along the way. As it happens I wanted to know more about how we "know" things so I took a degree in Psychology along the way. But that was after I got over accepting being crazy and could put a focus on learning about how we go about testing ideas about behavior and perceptions and setting up experiments and communicating our findings in ways that advance our understanding of the matter at hand. It was the computer classes that got me a career and being nice to the continuing education folks that permitted me access to the full CS curriculum at college. No tricks there beyond overcoming some self deception and accepting that the only trick or shortcut to an education would be accepting that there are no shortcuts to the reading and thinking and doing required to get the course and labwork done. Just a few thoughts. Your college education - what you learn there - is really up to you. IMHO you are well served to get as much out of what they have to offer as you can. Best wishes, Jon
...to all the coins I've dropped here
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tommy Eternal Order Devil's Island 16544 Posts |
What about politics as I think they are experts at deception. "politics is show business for ugly people" as they say. Also lawyers I have always thought would make good magicians.
If there is a single truth about Magic, it is that nothing on earth so efficiently evades it.
Tommy |
Jonathan Townsend Eternal Order Ossining, NY 27297 Posts |
Tommy, rhetoric is one of the three "r"s that folks don't learn here.
...to all the coins I've dropped here
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Lawrence O Inner circle French Riviera 6811 Posts |
Quote:
On 2011-03-13 01:55, mdaniels wrote: Marketing... wihtout any hesitation
Magic is the art of emotionally sharing live impossible situations
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joe yang Loyal user Florida 296 Posts |
Communications classes helped me get industrial work, particularly MC work, where I could throw in a little magic the competition couldn't. Film studies helped working with cameramen in live broadcasts, telethons, news features, that kind of thing, which is bigger today.
Theater helped the most, not just the acting, research, writing, theory and academic stuff. Learning to design, draw and build sets and props was huge. Then there was the front of the house stuff, the business of managing a theater. It was all very complimentary, looking for magic gigs, with other performance training and looking for performance work with magic skills. But then there are a lot of succesful magicians out there who are professionals in other fields too. I eventually drifted away from theater and built a second career, magic is part of it and still a big part of my life.
aka Mike Booth
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Mike Maturen Inner circle Michigan's Beautiful Sunrise Side 2726 Posts |
I would look at majoring in something that can give you a full-time living with flexibility (psychology is a good choice), with a minor in theatre. That way, you will get the experience of staging, performance, etc...which will help in your magic career.
Just my Scotch and Soda....er two cents.
Mike Maturen
World of Wonder Entertainment The Magic and Mayhem of Mike Maturen 989-335-1661 mikematuren@gmail.com AUTHOR OF "A NEW DAWN--Weekly Wisdom From Everyday Life" member: International Magician's Society |
Steve_Mollett Inner circle Eh, so I've made 3006 Posts |
Major in Marketing; Minor in Theater.
Author of: GARROTE ESCAPES
The absurd is the essential concept and the first truth. - Albert Camus |
Savels New user circa 1730 51 Posts |
Lot's of great ideas. Did anyone mention teaching?
You are working with a live audience. If you are observant and care to understand psychology, there's a lot to work with. Depending on your audience / students, a teacher needs awareness of how the audience perceives the teacher to effectively impart the information (self-awareness). Additionally, you have to be a captain of moving everyone in the same direction of thought. And heck, if you teach punky inner city high school students, they will have no problem calling you out on any false moves as well as applauding you when you inspire them. But it takes a certain type of person to want to be a teacher these days. I also liked marketing and theater. |
Brad Burt Inner circle 2675 Posts |
I really agree with Mr. Townsend above. The broadest possible skill set is a great advantage whether you go into magic full time OR if magic becomes somehow axillary to some other vocation. I have known literally dozens of sales folk over the years that use magic as well as Psychiatrists, psychologist, teachers, engineers (of both train and other type), strippers, pretty much you name it.
Read and learn widely and you will benefit no matter what happens. Best,
Brad Burt
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