Associate Degree in recording arts?

I’m still a couple years away from college but I’m interested in going into recording arts (the person that mixes sound in the studio) and I found a college that only offers associate’s degrees and I wanted to know if this would be enough for that field or if I should look into a four year college.

Full disclosure: I work at Flashpoint Academy in Chicago (www.flashpointacademy.com), and we offer an Associate’s program in Recording Arts.

To answer your question, a 2 year program can be enough — depending on the college. When you’re looking for a job after graduation, the main thing that your potential employer is going to want to know is whether you can hit the ground running once you’re hired. If you can prove that you have the skills and knowledge that will make you a good employee, it won’t matter if you went to a 2 year program or a 4 year program, or whether you have a Bachelor’s or an Associate’s Degree.

When you choose a program, make sure you pick one that offers lots of hands on experience and a faculty of professionals who are currently working in their field. You want to be certain that the people teaching you are well versed in the trends and technologies that are currently being used in recording arts — not just the ones that were relevant when they stopped working and started teaching. You’d be wise to weight your college decision on the quality of teaching and the number of in-class, hands-on hours rather than just the length of time it takes to earn a degree.

I wish you the best of luck in your college search. And if if you’re in the Chicago area, you might want to check out our Recording Arts summer program for high school students. You learn a lot, and you get to work with some really top notch equipment and talented teachers. Good luck with everything!

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