Hello all, this is actually my first post here! Coolsville.
It occurred to me recently that I might’ve overlooked something important when I decided what I should major in – whether the day job opportunities that can come from either major will allow me to travel to conventions.
I admit, this seems like a dumb thing to ponder, but I think that it can be pretty important to someone who aspires to be a professional cartoonist, and it’s something that I don’t see openly discussed that much. I submit that my own ignorance is why I’m wondering about something that is probably a non-issue for a lot of people, but I was curious enough to bring it up.
I’m currently majoring in English, non-certified, with a minor in Graphic Design, and I could also just major in Graphic Design. I feel that each major has its pros and cons, and ultimately went with English out of personal preference. Gene Luen Yang once wrote in an article that you could become a professional in comics by either making your income from your art, like Animation, or by getting a financially decent and steady day job, like teaching in his case. That encouraged me to pursue English as a major – I don’t hate or even dislike Graphic Design as a subject, but it wasn’t a passion.
I was interested in seeing the variety in different viewpoints here, from people either in university or working a job that supports their cartooning/comics passion; how do you make it work for you when you want to attend cons, which is a huge help in making connections and networking? Is not majoring in something like Graphic Design going to set me up for a lot of potential frustration in that regard? Potentially working in a minimum wage job can be rough, but I know of artists who achieved success. What about those who’re teachers?
