Top Ten Excuses For Not Going to School

By Jay Aydinalp-Mathews

As the former Admissions Director for Brainco, it didn’t take long before I’d heard all of the excuses. I had almost 300 people contact us about attending Brainco one term, yet only a fraction of those people actually did anything about it. Why is that? Excuses. We’ve all got ‘em. Here are the ones that I heard time and time again.

1. I can’t afford it. This is the big one. You know you want to do it, but you’re not sure how you can pay for it. Well guess what? WE HAVE A FINANCIAL PLAN FOR EVERYONE. If you really want to go to Brainco, we can work with you to make it happen. Cross this one off your list.
2. I already have a book. So did I. I marched into Carmichael Lynch with a half-baked book many years ago. I didn’t get a job offer. I got Brainco’s phone number. I later took my wife’s last name when I married in hopes that they wouldn’t remember me if I returned. One very insightful student summed it up perfectly when he said in his initial inquiry to Brainco, “If I show my portfolio to my family, it’s a very good portfolio. If I show it to Leo Burnett, it’s crap.” Have you seen the books coming out of Brainco? If your work doesn’t measure up, you don’t have a book, you only have an excuse. And a bad one at that.
3. I’m not sure I want to go back to school / I already have a degree in advertising / I only need a class or two. This one comes in many forms. The reality is; no one is here because they want to go to school, they’re here because they want to change their life. There are no shortcuts. If you want to run with the best, you need to learn from the best. If you’ve uttered any one or all of these excuses and still can’t figure out why you can’t get a job, we need to talk.
4. I’m not sure I can do it. Odds are you can’t. 100% of the people that never try, never do it. They just keep on doing what they’re doing and occasionally check in with us to see how we’re doing. We’re doing great. We’re changing people’s lives. People that didn’t think they could do it are doing it. It takes commitment and a lot of hard work, but you can do it. We wouldn’t have a school if we didn’t believe otherwise.
5. I’m going to another school. Great. At least you’re committed to making a change. That’s the first step. So what steps did you take to determine which school is right for you? Don’t tell me you blindly followed your friend to cooking school. That’s not the kind of commitment I’m talking about. You need to go to a school that can get you where you need to be. This isn’t another 2 years of avoiding work. You need to go somewhere that’s going to push you to the best whatever-it-is you want to be. If you’re not ready to work for it, I can tell you that Brainco is not the right school for you. Need some help figuring it out? Check out these articles.
• The Most Important Factor in Choosing a School
• How to Choose a School & Why You Need One

6. The timing is just not right. Next session. Next year. Next life. I’ll be the first to tell you this excuse has some validity. I’ve heard some pretty tragic stories from some people that really wanted to make it happen. Sometimes the timing isn’t right. But what’s your story? Examine why you’re pushing off school. Does it have anything to do with the other reasons listed above? Cross those off your list. If you know this is something you need to do, you’re just delaying the inevitable. At some point you’re likely to delay it right into another unsatisfying career. It only gets more difficult with time.
7. I know someone in the business. So do we. Hundreds of people. CEOs, Creative Directors, Account Managers, Lead Designers, you name it. We know people all over the country. Networking plays a vital role in starting a career in this business…but so does talent. Don’t expect to get a job because your Gamma, Delta, Melta buddy has a hotshot job at an agency. You’d be lucky to find yourself slaving over the copier and fetching coffee for the person living your dream. That’s your dream…take it back.
8. I’m already smart and creative. Prove it. Come in, blow us away and we’ll get you a job in the business. That means showing us how smart and creative you are. If all you can do is tell us that you’re smart and creative, you’ve got along way to go.
9. Too much noise. Friends. Parents. Pets. Everyone will be questioning why you’re considering going back to school. They don’t understand. At this point, hopefully you do. If you need help managing the noise, by all means bring these people with you to your meeting at Brainco. They haven’t had the luxury of doing the research you’ve done. We’ll help set them straight.
10. I’m already in the business. Of course you are. And you’re working in the job you always dreamed of, right? Not if you came looking for us. There’s a part of you that knows you could be doing better – better agency, better work, better coffee. What are you waiting for? Do something about it.

Actually, there’s one more.

11. Seems like a lot of work. It is. If that’s the best excuse you’ve got, you don’t want it bad enough. Keep doing what you’re doing. We’re only interested in the people that really want it. Those are the people that will succeed.

If you recognize yourself in any of the statements above, it’s time to stop making excuses and get into Brainco. The people that want to make it in this business don’t have time for excuses. They’re done dreaming. They’re busy making it happen.

Now it’s your turn.