What an interesting and huhogtt provoking post. I have been making jewellery on and off for over 20 years, I am almost entirely self taught. When I first started there just weren't that many books on the subject around and courses were few and far between, so I taught myself by deconstructing jewellery from anywhere I could get it. About 10 years ago whilst doing a job I hated, I went on a silversmithing course, but didn't quite finish the course so didn't get the qualification. I do not in anyway consider myself to be less of a jewellery maker than someone who studied to degree level. Its about what you do now, not what you did 5, 10 or 15 years ago. And anyway the most important aspect of being a craft designer is the ideas and your personal creativity, which cannot be taught.However all this is not to say that I wouldn't have loved to study my craft for a dedicated 3-4 years, without any other worries etc, as well as the opportunity to meet other likeminded people, which I think is of equal value. As crafters many of us work in isolation, and to have that kind of network behind you would be wonderful. I think that in the current climate where a university education is going to become so expensive, degrees are going to become rarer in our world. The point I'm really trying to make is that in no way should the lady in your post have felt that she was underqualified to tell her story and shouldn't stop anyone else from turning something that they love doing into a business.

Description:
What an interesting and huhogtt provoking post. I have been making jewellery on and off for over 20 years, I am almost entirely self taught. When I first started there just weren't that many books on the subject around and courses were few and far between, so I taught myself by deconstructing jewellery from anywhere I could get it. About 10 years ago whilst doing a job I hated, I went on a silversmithing course, but didn't quite finish the course so didn't get the qualification. I do not in anyway consider myself to be less of a jewellery maker than someone who studied to degree level. Its about what you do now, not what you did 5, 10 or 15 years ago. And anyway the most important aspect of being a craft designer is the ideas and your personal creativity, which cannot be taught.However all this is not to say that I wouldn't have loved to study my craft for a dedicated 3-4 years, without any other worries etc, as well as the opportunity to meet other likeminded people, which I think is of equal value. As crafters many of us work in isolation, and to have that kind of network behind you would be wonderful. I think that in the current climate where a university education is going to become so expensive, degrees are going to become rarer in our world. The point I'm really trying to make is that in no way should the lady in your post have felt that she was underqualified to tell her story and shouldn't stop anyone else from turning something that they love doing into a business.