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[quote=Anonymous]Hi!  Glad you are finding the suggestions useful.  With a little more Googling I was able to find U.S. potters who offer apprenticeships.  Also some pottery-related jobs in Vermont.  I have ties to Vermont which is why I've looked there - their economy is very favorable to small and "indie" businesses.  In Virginia, I found a website -sylviegranatelli.com - which shows some bio info on recent apprentices (these are young college grad women who already have developed a personal aesthetic).

I've also found there is a DC Design Center in downtown (designcenterdc.com).  See if any professionals or institutions there might resonate with your child and then help facilitate a visit or Zoom call or whatever might give insight. The way I got into my local Design Center was due to a complimentary interior decorator consult offered through my city's high end shelter mag.  Doing this appointment taught me that the upper middle class was just on the borderline of the clientele.  I had just enough of a WASP background and polish to get through the free consult in a believable fashion and then went home and had a laugh about $6K loveseats and Lucite panels impregnated with pieces of bamboo.

Over the years, I've known people slightly who have gone into the arts (a comic book colorist, several graphic designers, a combination musician/music teacher/cabinetmaker, etc.) but do not have specific knowledge in the areas your child is interested in.  If your child has a high school art teacher or an extracurricular art instructor they might have ideas.

I do think if approached correctly, it could be very fun to meet with arts professionals to get career advice and to experiment with what might be low paying but enjoyable developmental jobs.  I left the first university I attended (with straight As) because it was socially a bad fit for me and that made me attuned to how many freshmen actually flunk out of schools they were confident were a good choice as a 12th grader.  The financial cost of these mistakes is daunting compared to taking a year off to try low-paid but relevant work.

I love the Indigo Girls reference!  Whether a BA or BFA is worth it is a complicated subject but I believe college is valuable for many because it trains people how to learn and gives them a chance to socialize with more like-minded people than they might have found in high school.  I enjoyed the second university I attended and eventually went on for an MBA.  But there is no question in my mind that there are big issues with the price paid for most colleges these days for the value derived.  Large amounts of student debt are best avoided.  I feel this is especially important when considering a field with an uncertain or known lower financial return.  That's why I support a working gap year vs. a risky Year 1 at a costly school.  [The only RISD grad I know became a graphic designer at American Eagle headquarters and then Dick's Sporting Goods (internal corporate catalog/web/store/advertising design).]

I don't know of specific trades to recommend but do recommend that an interest in high-end retail interior design be looked into thoroughly.  From what I've seen, the upper middle class no longer patronizes interior decorators like they did in my youth.  Instead they DIY with the help of TV shows and books. Working with high income customers is a very people and sales oriented profession.  The closest analog I know of is high end Realtor work.  There is plenty of that real estate work in the immediate suburbs of DC, and that requires a lot of office work, property visiting, working with repair and maintenance contractors, etc.  Perhaps this might be another avenue for your child to pursue - part-time real estate sales assistant.  Just choose the agent and territory wisely.

Again, best of luck as you help your child find a solid path towards a career.

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