Often the question “What do I need to learn before I go pro?” comes up when I am talking with aspiring photographers and many times, they are curious as to whether going to school for photography is the right way to go.
Truth be told, many of the world’s best photographers found their way into photography without a formal art degree. Of course, the more you know about your craft, the better! So heading to art school is certainly a wise investment.
That being said, the most valuable investment you can make to be successful in photography is NOT a photography degree. Instead, getting a business degree will serve you much, much better!
While you can learn photography through workshops, hands on practice, and careful study, running a business has a pretty steep learning curve-one that is best scaled with a business degree to back you up.
Heading into the school of hard knocks is a rough way to learn a business, especially when there are so many affordable options for expanding your business acumen.
Some of the things you’ll need to manage as a business owner include:
Marketing
Sales
Branding
Customer Service
Accounting
Managing
Editing
Order Processing
and at least a 100 other things!
Because small business owners wear so many hats when it comes to running their business, it’s important to have as much business knowledge on your side. After all, you want to build a LIFE out of your work. What we pursue with our time, energy and passion will support our lives. Let’s try to Work to LIVE instead of living to work.
If you take the time to hone your business skills, you’ll be that much closer to realizing your dreams of success in photography!
