Senior Tali Duckworth is fully committed to her dreams as a musician.
Duckworth said she is studying classical trumpet performance and is pursuing a music industry minor to open up multiple career opportunities in the music industry. Duckworth decided to leave the minors this year to become a pit musician for Broadway shows.
While one major worked for Duckworth, for other artists, including students who pursue multiple fields through double majors or minors, the uncertainty in the entertainment industry means that success may require two majors. It became almost necessary to enter.
In the aftermath of the WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes, film and television production fell by 7%, the Los Angeles Times reported. When it comes to the music industry, less well-known artists and bands struggle to make a living from music due to obstacles such as high touring costs and music streaming services that charge a few cents per stream. often.
A career in the arts can be fraught with uncertainty, and like Ryan DeMott, whose dream job has changed, students need to learn other skills they can rely on.
“I’m a touring musician,” DeMott said first. “Well then, I’m an economic consultant.”
DeMott completed his undergraduate major in Economics and is currently pursuing a minor in Jazz Studies. Mr. DeMott is also pursuing a master’s degree in applied economics and econometrics.
Some students choose a double major or minor to take advantage of the resources available at USC.
“I don’t know if I’ll ever play music professionally or as a side job (or) more than a full-time hobby, but I had the opportunity to take Thornton’s classes while at USC. ’ and meet Thornton students,” DeMott said.
DeMott, like many students, said she views minors and double majors as an outlet to explore creativity, rather than a path to a career. It’s common for students to choose a minor or double major out of passion rather than fear of failure.
Ben Glickman is a sophomore majoring in Film and Media Studies and double majoring in Italian and Entertainment Industries.
“I added the entertainment industry because I wanted to have something business-related on my resume. I happened to really love studying Italian, so I added a minor,” Glickman said.
For some students, minoring can lead to opportunities outside of the U.S. entertainment industry and traditional career paths.
Triana Jones, who is studying popular music performance and minoring in East Asian languages and literature, said she wants to become an international musician and said USC’s language classes are helping her realize that dream. .
However, extra classes aren’t always easy.
“Language classes in particular are a little tough because they’re usually four out of five days a week,” Jones said.
Sophomore Karena Lenz is studying Business of Film Arts with a major in several colleges in order to pursue a career in the entertainment industry.
“I feel like[Major]has been very accepting of the fact that I can pursue what I love and find it in the entertainment industry,” Lentz said.
Pursuing your dreams in a volatile industry comes with financial risks, so many students say they need a backup plan.
“You don’t always have back-to-back jobs[in this industry]so having a second option was really interesting to me,” Duckworth said.
