This is a very timely question since I just spoke with a professor yesterday at the college I attend and enrollment is up except the graphics is down. My degree in photography from a two year college was brilliant and would not trade it for anything. It was strictly photographic science degree and geared toward commercial work.

A different college where I received an art degree has the photographic department aligned with the art program and not business. Now the art/photography is my passion, it is clearly not the money route. Fine art photography is not what most of us on this forum do, but there are artists making a good living with this route.

I would definitely encourage anyone to join PPA and hopefully the affiliates group will have great meetings that will provide both technical and business programs that will help. The degrees they offer are a great way to learn.


It is a fine line balancing act to "play" at what we love to do and really earn a decent living by knowing the business. It is a necessary evil (my opinion) but then I am married to a person with a Masters Degree in Business and I know I could not have gone the big business road he picked but it provides security. So does personality enter into the decision of what courses she should take - absolutely.

Friends that I went to school with went off into different directions, some when on to four year schools with photography programs and then that avenue would lead you to teaching. Maybe that would be an alternative - does Professor ........... sound good to her?