Full Sail University

Date: Sep 30 2005
Major: Other (This Major's Salary over time)
When I arrived to Full Sail Real World Education, I had big hopes and dreams of a career in recording arts. The first few months was an adjustment to a new city, and the courses weren't the most exciting. Once I got into the Recording Engineering and Studio Maintenance courses, I was truly interested and wanted to learn all I could. The class instructors at the time were more than qualified and I knew that the equipment at the school was state of the art. The lab instructors were not the greatest, and some seemed to talk down to me and other students for asking basic questions. As beginners and being that we were paying over $20,000 at the time, I didn't view any question as a stupid one. As we approached graduation, we went to see the Career Placement Department to help us in our career pursuits. That was a joke, and they were of no help! The valedictorian of our class got a job as a lab instructor at the school. Out of 32 people in our class, less than 10 students found employment through the Career Placement Department. If I had it to do over again, I wouldn't have been so shy and passive. To make it at Full Sail, you have to be pushy, and not afraid to ask questions, even if the instructor treats you like you are stupid. They forget that if it weren't for student tuition, they wouldn't be in a job! Also, don't wait until three months before graduation to look for a job, and certainly, don't rely on the Career Placement Department!!! Full Sail staff love to act like the school has such a fabulous reputation, but it doesn't. Many employers do not even know what Full Sail is. Some employers look for experience over education any day. If I had it to do over again, I would have taken a few courses of interest from Full Sail, then gone elsewhere. After seven years gone by, I have almost paid the Full Sail student loans off. I would say to any new student to check out several different schools before paying $30,000 for one year of school, and no guarantee of a job in your field. In addition to one year commitment to school, most people have to commit to 10 years of paying the loans back. Also, I would suggest reading books about audio engineering and getting a headstart before going to school there. Most of all, the audio world has many students and not enough jobs to go around. At Full Sail, the glamour is taken out of audio engineering by the staff, and to survive, you must have a thick skin and not get easily discouraged. To date, I have worked on a few gigs running sound in a club environment, but never found full time work in the field.