Arts, Film/TV, Music, Theatre, Comedy

Internships and apprenticeships are extremely important in the creative arts, providing the opportunity to develop relevant skills, an insider understanding of how the arts industries work, as well as contacts helpful for landing future employment. Some areas of the performance arts such as acting, music, and dance, offer apprenticeships or special festivals during the summer. For actors, summer can also be a good time to take additional acting classes and submit tapes for open casting calls. Other creative arts fields, such as film and design, offer year-round internships. For those interested in the entertainment industry, the alumni-created and run organization Harvardwood is extremely helpful.

Performers are hired through auditions, and visual artists primarily on the strength of their portfolio. Technicians and arts administrators are hired through a more traditional interviewing process. In the film and music industries, your chances of finding a job will be greatly improved if you’ve completed multiple internships; networking is essential in these industries, and the contacts you’ll make during your internships will be vital to breaking into these fields. Learning to network successfully and comfortably will make your job search much easier.

It’s not necessary to obtain a graduate degree in the creative arts to be able to find work. Real-world experience and practice is most important; however, performers may find it helpful, particularly if they want to build their technical skills to compete with students who’ve attended Conservatory or MFA programs. Students interested in film may also find a graduate program beneficial for both the training and as an excellent source of industry contacts. Financial aid is often limited, but some programs do offer full scholarships (which often increases the competitiveness of admission).