[Kerrowdown]

The duties are: Follow the commander, take snaps of commander handshaking with officials. Print handshaking photos. Frame them. Give them to commander and handshaked person. (And this is 100% legit, i had a high ranked officer relative that asked all about this)

Welcome to the UK.

[E-man]

Ma seems really costly but taking individual courses seems to be coming pretty close. And somewhat Ma feels luxurious.

The Army does have a photographic unit, consist of 14 people. You work 1 day a week with 2 person shifts and rest of the time regular army training. The duties are: Follow the commander, take snaps of commander handshaking with officials. Print handshaking photos. Frame them. Give them to commander and handshaked person. (And this is 100% legit, i had a high ranked officer relative that asked all about this)

Yeah, I think half the photos I shot for the newspaper were those 'grip-n-grin' shots.

[Kerrowdown]

I shot for the newspaper were those 'grip-n-grin' shot

We've all got some of those.

[hooverfocus]

Go!
You might close a door, but there's a floodgate opening right before you. At 26 it's easier to leave, easier to adapt, easier to take things in, easier to recoup if it doesn't work out. Doesn't mean you can't do that later in life, but if anything, it's only going to get more difficult.

I went to Paris at 26, had a 6 month internship, then tried to get into a photography school for which admission was notoriously a b!tch and the age-limit meant I only had one shot—somehow it worked out and I got in. Wondered long and hard whether to accept, eventually I figured I wouldn't have another chance at that and if it happened then it was meant to be. Spent 3 years there, learnt a great deal of things, but especially had the chance to try things out first-hand (we tend to forget one of the benefits of schools is having access to equipment and stuff), met a whole bunch of talented and interesting people, got my degree. I've since returned home because luckily I had the chance to, but I'm already planning on leaving again because I see and feel all the limits of staying here (lack of challenges, lack of peer confrontation).

In short, if I could do it again, I would.

[swanlefitte]

No advice here or pertinent stories. I did live in Nottingham for a year back in 2005. I enjoyed it. I rode my bike along the canal on the river every day. Small enough to enjoy nature and big enough to have what you need. 2 hours to London by train.

[pres589]

Honestly, going to sound like a jerk, but don't meant to be; go into the Army. Do the conscription. Gain some life skills (and probably a number of "useless skills" as previous mentioned) along the way and some discipline. I wish I had done something like this but the USA isn't really the same regarding enlisting here vs. what I've heard of conscription from friends in Finland. And about Finland; if you speak English, and you certainly appear to, don't worry about getting around there. If I can go from Kansas to Oulu and handle social situations acceptably (I thought I didn't understand women at home, Finland is a bit different ball game...) then you'll be fine. Winter is probably your biggest enemy, not language barriers.

Based on everything written, I'd join up and push hard to get into the photog area, even if it is really unchallenging, because it's still practice and meeting people perhaps. Bring your gear, shoot around on your free time, and when you're out in a year or whatever you will have had that experience. And you'll have played along with something your country does to keep its independence while having time to think about what you want to do next.

[HopelessTogger]

Be a qualified plumber/gas fitter first. Earn around £80,000 a year. Be a photographer second.

At least then you'll be a wealthy photographer, because there are no poor plumbers.

[MarkJerling]

Be a qualified plumber/gas fitter first. Earn around £80,000 a year. Be a photographer second.

At least then you'll be a wealthy photographer, because there are no poor plumbers.

Best advice here.

[pakinjapan]

Any chance to apply for scholarships? IMO, If money is tight, and you want to go to school for networking. you can do networking online, join local camera / photography club (if there is one), or simply make a copy of your email address + portfolio site and stick it on a wall somewhere in campus / public place, Instagram, facebook, etc. Many way to do networking without paying for school but work to save money until you financially ready.
I am an immigrant too. at first I had no networking, money was super tight, working in kitchens until I found a real job then go from there. Sometime having a M.A. is a luxury. If money is tight, luxury can come later. my 2 cents.

[lesmore49]

Be a qualified plumber/gas fitter first. Earn around £80,000 a year. Be a photographer second.

At least then you'll be a wealthy photographer, because there are no poor plumbers.

X 2. I started off my working life as a junior photo/journalist back in the 1960's. Loved photography and writing, but decided to go school, get a degree, then professional qualifications, in a field outside of photo/journalism.

As an older retired man, I now have the luxury of assessing how my life has gone. In my case, I made the right decision. I believe things worked out much better for me, than if I had remained in the publishing industry.

But I never lost my enthusiasm for photography and that became my hobby and passion rather than work. Some benefits, I've been able to photograph what I want and in all probability have done better, financially.

In the end, though it's your (OP) decision. Only you know what you want.

However it is good that you have asked others for advice. Making a well informed decision is always better than going into something blindly.

[MadMathMind]

Photography differs from other professions in that you can start practicing it without having any formal training and build a body of work. A lawyer or doctor, for instance, must have a degree or be enrolled in a degree program to get any experience in that field; and the degree is 100% mandatory to obtain a license to do those jobs. Engineering, for instance, is another such field, where it's generally impossible to get a position (internship) without some formal training, as demonstration of at least the basics of the field is hard to prove any other way.

Photography is a creative art. You can have all the education on the subject you want but if you don't have the "spark" or the feel, your photos will be flat no matter how technically gifted you are. And that inspiration is something you have to work on your own and you don't need a degree to have a portfolio. I don't have a degree nor am I professional but I know several who are both; they've said no one ever asks about their degree. They just ask to see that portfolio, realizing that the job of a photographer is to take inspired photos. However he accomplishes that is not relevant just that he does.

So ask whether you need the degree as a requirement. What are you hoping to get from the program? What don't you know already? Can you work with a person and pick it up? Would one course be enough?

[HopelessTogger]

X 2. I started off my working life as a junior photo/journalist back in the 1960's. Loved photography and writing, but decided to go school, get a degree, then professional qualifications, in a field outside of photo/journalism.

As an older retired man, I now have the luxury of assessing how my life has gone. In my case, I made the right decision. I believe things worked out much better for me, than if I had remained in the publishing industry.

But I never lost my enthusiasm for photography and that became my hobby and passion rather than work. Some benefits, I've been able to photograph what I want and in all probability have done better, financially.

In the end, though it's your (OP) decision. Only you know what you want.

However it is good that you have asked others for advice. Making a well informed decision is always better than going into something blindly.

With the way things are now in the UK, unless you're going to a really good university to enter one of the real professions (medical, engineering, real science etc) you're best off doing a skilled trade.

There's a dearth of skilled tradesmen here. Even a dearth of lorry drivers. Industry "tickets" and certificates of competence are the real income winners. My post-graduate qualification is an NVQ in hazardous waste treatment and I value that way more than my degree which I got in the mid-90's.

The debt kids come out of HE now are typically around £60k! Lot of graduates asking whether "you want that as a meal", because there's no work for those with vague degrees, that market's saturated. It's been quite wicked has the HE industry. A lot of it's a complete con and I'd go so far to say it's ruining lives.

Huge debts, no real work.

When I'm away and not available to do photography for the firm (I'm a PM in large scale brownfield regeneration) they'll get a "professional" tog in they find off the internet. They don't ask if they have an MA in Photography, they just say go to [X] site at [Y] address and take photos, here's your order number and email them to the office.

Unless we're trust fund babies, we all need to generate an income as we're slaves to our own metabolism. I wouldn't want to base my future on something that may not pay regularly, if at all. That's a luxury few can afford.

---------- Post added 03-13-17 at 04:45 PM ----------

Photography differs from other professions in that you can start practicing it without having any formal training and build a body of work. A lawyer or doctor, for instance, must have a degree or be enrolled in a degree program to get any experience in that field; and the degree is 100% mandatory to obtain a license to do those jobs. Engineering, for instance, is another such field, where it's generally impossible to get a position (internship) without some formal training, as demonstration of at least the basics of the field is hard to prove any other way.

Photography is a creative art. You can have all the education on the subject you want but if you don't have the "spark" or the feel, your photos will be flat no matter how technically gifted you are. And that inspiration is something you have to work on your own and you don't need a degree to have a portfolio. I don't have a degree nor am I professional but I know several who are both; they've said no one ever asks about their degree. They just ask to see that portfolio, realizing that the job of a photographer is to take inspired photos. However he accomplishes that is not relevant just that he does.

So ask whether you need the degree as a requirement. What are you hoping to get from the program? What don't you know already? Can you work with a person and pick it up? Would one course be enough?

^^What he said.

[G.E.Zekai]

Any chance to apply for scholarships? IMO, If money is tight, and you want to go to school for networking. you can do networking online, join local camera / photography club (if there is one), or simply make a copy of your email address + portfolio site and stick it on a wall somewhere in campus / public place, Instagram, facebook, etc. Many way to do networking without paying for school but work to save money until you financially ready.
I am an immigrant too. at first I had no networking, money was super tight, working in kitchens until I found a real job then go from there. Sometime having a M.A. is a luxury. If money is tight, luxury can come later. my 2 cents.

Already applied for an EU scholarship for 15k euros. That would be life changing if i got that.

BTW i already have Ba degrees in: History, Humanities and Political Science. 3 Ba degrees, some experience as a highschool teacher as well as international grade 2 tennis coach (which was my main income for years). But i really grow tired of doing other stuff and putting photography into back seat. And it is very likely that i will work in a kebab shop until i get a steady income from photography again.

[HopelessTogger]

Already applied for an EU scholarship for 15k euros. That would be life changing if i got that.

BTW i already have Ba degrees in: History, Humanities and Political Science. 3 Ba degrees, some experience as a highschool teacher as well as international grade 2 tennis coach (which was my main income for years). But i really grow tired of doing other stuff and putting photography into back seat. And it is very likely that i will work in a kebab shop until i get a steady income from photography again.

How about being a supply teacher?