Digital Photography Certificate or Diploma?

[Kevin Cabral]

I'm wanting to get serious with photography and hopefully find work. A certificate or diploma would help prove I know what I'm doing. The real question is, which piece of paper is worth getting. I am coming from a graphic design background, which I graduated last June and it was a year 3 program. So I find being in another program longer than 2 years is a waste of time, especially knowing I found it real hard to find a design job. After graduation I found my passion in photography, so all my time and money has been on that. George Brown College in Toronto, Ontario offers a certificate of a year and a half of Digital Photography. Humber College offers a 2 year program, but costs $9,000. George Brown would be much cheaper I'm sure and it's not a full-time program, it's part-time which allows me to still work and make money. Anyhow, what do you guys think I should do? Any help would be much appreciated .

Thank you.

 

[Manip16]

A certificate or diploma would help prove I know what I'm doing.

No, a portfolio would prove that. A certificate/diploma would show you know how to spend money so someone else can teach you how to make a good portfolio.

The real question is, which piece of paper is worth getting.

Neither. Which one offers the better actual course? Both pieces of paper are worthless. But if the course itself improves your photography, that is what will really get you work after you graduate. Unlike other industries photography is very "put up or shut up" (i.e. your deliverables matter more than your credentials, unless those credentials are previous deliverables).

It isn't like law school where you can show up with a Harvard diploma and automatically get a job. They'll always want to see what it is you bring to the table, always.

After graduation I found my passion in photography, so all my time and money has been on that.

That's great. So why not get a job that pays the bills and do photography on the side/weekends? Maybe you could do wedding photography, news, portraits, artistic, or whatever other kind interests you.

George Brown would be much cheaper I'm sure and it's not a full-time program, it's part-time which allows me to still work and make money.

If you must do a certificate then that sounds better. At least then you haven't sunk all your chips into a photography career path. You'll still have a job, and hopefully less debt.

 

[Kevin Cabral]

Manip16 wrote:

A certificate or diploma would help prove I know what I'm doing.

No, a portfolio would prove that. A certificate/diploma would show you know how to spend money so someone else can teach you how to make a good portfolio.

The real question is, which piece of paper is worth getting.

Neither. Which one offers the better actual course? Both pieces of paper are worthless. But if the course itself improves your photography, that is what will really get you work after you graduate. Unlike other industries photography is very "put up or shut up" (i.e. your deliverables matter more than your credentials, unless those credentials are previous deliverables).

It isn't like law school where you can show up with a Harvard diploma and automatically get a job. They'll always want to see what it is you bring to the table, always.

After graduation I found my passion in photography, so all my time and money has been on that.

That's great. So why not get a job that pays the bills and do photography on the side/weekends? Maybe you could do wedding photography, news, portraits, artistic, or whatever other kind interests you.

George Brown would be much cheaper I'm sure and it's not a full-time program, it's part-time which allows me to still work and make money.

If you must do a certificate then that sounds better. At least then you haven't sunk all your chips into a photography career path. You'll still have a job, and hopefully less debt.

I know George Brown has wedding photography which was something I'd like to get comfortable with. I always found myself getting nervous when doing wedding photography, not sure why lol. From what I was reading, George Brown basically helps you create a portfolio and everything you do gets add to it, so that's good.

Well I wouldn't mind to do photography on the side, but honestly I'd love to have it as my primary job eventually. I graduated with a creative background and didn't get lucky to get work for it, so hopefully photography is something I get lucky with... I'd love that.

Here is the program George Brown offers: http://coned.georgebrown.ca/owa_pro...de=PA0039&stream_code=PS0389&cert_code=CE0098

 

[Daisy AU]

If the piece of paper will not make much difference, then wouldn't it be more cost effective for you to do several workshops with some well known photogs, fitted in-between your current job?

 

[jkoch2]

Kevin Cabral wrote:
I know George Brown has wedding photography which was something I'd like to get comfortable with. I always found myself getting nervous when doing wedding photography, not sure why lol. From what I was reading, George Brown basically helps you create a portfolio and everything you do gets add to it, so that's good.

There are many good reasons to shy away from wedding photography. Trouble is, it is one of the few niches where people continue to be willing to pay for a "pro." Moreover, it is first and foremost a business: marketing, client relations, cost control, tight schedules.

A start-up operation is riskier than a pizza shop, since the business is highly seasonal, and you have to know how to get people to pay advance deposits and collect from occasional grifters or malefactors.

Well I wouldn't mind to do photography on the side, but honestly I'd love to have it as my primary job eventually. I graduated with a creative background and didn't get lucky to get work for it, so hopefully photography is something I get lucky with... I'd love that.

You won't be happy with a job that consists mainly of lookin for a job and does not cover rent. Haven't you read about the shrinkage of photo-journalism, or the sob stories in the "pro forum"? When was the last time you saw a job ad calling for a photographer--that wasn't simply a scam to entice wanabees to send in work and relinquish copyrights?

Here is the program George Brown offers: http://coned.georgebrown.ca/owa_pro...de=PA0039&stream_code=PS0389&cert_code=CE0098

Avoid. Does George Brown offer secure job leads? Don't believe the advertising. Bait for schmucks.

Better to apprentice yourself to a local pro, even if you do nothing but carry equipment and your pay is in wedding cake and lemonade The opportunity to watch the business side of the operation will be worth 2x the stuff you'd pay to be told in a course.

Also better to affliate yourself with any big social, sports, or religious organization with recurring events that beg for photographic assistance. Build your portfolio of real events. Eventually, someone might pay you something--perhaps almost enough to cover a Happy Meal.

 

[CJoshua]

Hello guys,

Would you recommend an online certificate or an on-campus degree? I know there're numerous courses that claim they have "Officially Certified Programs‎", but how to be sure they are really worth it? I know maybe I'm quite old to study on-campus (I'm 39), but I've been an amateur photographer and I can't imagine myself doing anything else.

 

[D Cox]

Hello guys,

Would you recommend an online certificate or an on-campus degree? I know there're numerous courses that claim they have "Officially Certified Programs‎", but how to be sure they are really worth it? I know maybe I'm quite old to study on-campus (I'm 39), but I've been an amateur photographer and I can't imagine myself doing anything else.

The advantage of an on-campus course is the personal interaction with the other students and the teachers. Sometimes the teachers are experienced professionals.

You should also get some business studies teaching as part of the course.

But it's very expensive, and making money by taking photographs is harder than making money by talking. Everyone can do them, and very very few are paid to do them.

 

[PerTulip]

...A certificate or diploma would help prove I know what I'm doing. ...

I worked as a photographer. Today, I often hire photographers. Never was I asked for a certificate or diploma, I never wanted to see one. I fact, never heard of a colleague having to show his diploma or attempting to show it.

Your portfolio is your "certificate".

 

[Holger Bargen]

Hello guys,

Would you recommend an online certificate or an on-campus degree? I know there're numerous courses that claim they have "Officially Certified Programs‎", but how to be sure they are really worth it? I know maybe I'm quite old to study on-campus (I'm 39), but I've been an amateur photographer and I can't imagine myself doing anything else.

I would guess a good homepage with lots of great photos you took has a higher value than any diploma of the world.

If you want to study photography and want to learn and think that a course would be the best way to do so for you, go this way - but for the gain in knowledge and profession and not for a piece of paper.

 

[CJoshua]

If you want to study photography and want to learn and think that a course would be the best way to do so for you, go this way - but for the gain in knowledge and profession and not for a piece of college papers written

I thought about the 4 months course by Cornell College of Architecture, Art, and Planning - an online certificate with Barry Perlus. But I think it's not worth it. A good portfolio would be much better, thanks for the recommendations.