To All Professional Audio Engineers

[KingRazor]

The only reason I ask in the first place is because it seems like every career I look into requires a bachelor's degree AND roughly 3 years related experience.

I've got almost 3 years experience mixing (albeit it's volunteer work). But I have no education on the subject.

 

[D.A.R.K.]

There's another major aspect to it, and that's networking.
I don't think a degree in this business is as important as work quality, experience level and references. I have 23 years touring experience, and 17 of that includes mixing live shows professionally. All of my gigs have come from either a 3rd party recommendation or from directly experiencing my work. I have never made a serious resume, or been asked for one for work.
The same goes for the studio work i've done, which evolved in the same way. It all came from playing the bass.
All that said, i'd relish the opportunity to go to university and experience the forum of like minds and discovery, there can't be anything negative about that- if you can afford it.
It surely couldn't hurt your chances.
Volatile world now though- I have friends with masters degrees who are trying desperately to find employment to pay for their education.

 

[TL5]

And?

I went to school studying architecture.

I took a few broadcasting classes and got a job, 1st as an intern, doing ENG for TV news. Then I landed some contract work editing. After that I was reading the news on a local AM radio station.
5 years later, I have a morning radio show in a major market. I was there 7 years.

I moved to Nashville in Nov 2000 and had weekend shifts on two different radio stations + a satellite network.

While I was on the phone talking to a regular listener one Saturday, I flippantly said I needed a full-time, M-F day job. The listener had me come in for an interview at the company he owned. I was hired on the spot to manage the audio -video systems in a landmark facility in town, where he (the listener) had the contract. There's 22 rooms in the facility.
That was 10+ years ago.
Never finished the degree and never formally studied 'audio' other than what was in the broadcast classes.

D.A.R.K. is spot-on about networking. I got the TV internship by networking, and the first radio job, and the next one, and so on.. I also agree with what he said concerning the formal study.