Turn this hobby into a career!

http://blog.al.com/wire/2013/01/auburn_board_to_consider_offer.html
As an AU alum, I am proud that my Alma mater is offering this at a graduate level. However, as my SWMBO pointed out, "how the hell are you going to pay for that without adding on to current student loan debt". It's a little expensive when the cost of the degree would be $13,500 at a minimum and $18,000 at the top end, which rivals and even surpasses resident MBA degrees at the cost per credit hour. Regardless of whether I decide to go down this road, I think that this is fantastic or as an Auburn alum would say, AUsome!!!

ps. if this is the wrong section to post, my apologies. However, this does pertain to commercial brewing. Now the state just needs to legalize home brewing to allow this to become a hands-on classroom setting type program. Only then will this become perfection. It's time for our trustees to start "lobbying" with state legislature to change some laws.

Yeah, there are a lot of these programs out there:

http://extension.ucdavis.edu/unit/b.../?type=A&unit=BR&SectionID=164401&prglist=MBP
http://www.niagaracollege.ca/conten...BrewmasterandBreweryOperationsManagement.aspx
http://www.nottingham.ac.uk/brewingscience/course/msc.htm

I admit it would be cool to brew beer for university credits, especially if you don't have to pack up and move for it. I also think it would be ultra cool to turn a passion, like home brewing, into a career. And even though beer is the world's most popular alcoholic beverage, I still wonder about how many micro breweries fail each year?

Personally, I find the craft beer market is becoming saturated as is. While I am as jazzed as anyone that craft breweries keep popping up, and many of them are creating very drinkable brews, but my province (Ontario) alone already has over 30 craft breweries. I simply cannot afford to keep them all afloat! And yeah, I feel a little guilty each time I leave the LCBO selecting one beer over the other when they each deserve my money.

I think such pro-brewer courses are cool, but I wonder when the bubble will burst for the craft beer market? I don't think it will be long coming. Too many breweries, too many beers, and not enough craft beer drinkers.

But I would like to hear someone's opinion on this, especially if they have some experience or statistics on the matter.

http://www4.agr.gc.ca/AAFC-AAC/display-afficher.do?id=1171560813521#s3d

Just found this ^, and it kind of confirms my suspicions. "From 1999 to 2009, employment in the Canadian brewery industry decreased 20.3% from 10,517 people to 8,377 people (Figure 2). This decrease in employment was mirrored by an increase in sales of goods manufactured per worker over the same period."

This means that "in order to maintain profits, domestic brewers are under increased pressure to improve productivity and to cut costs".

Decrease in employment, increase in technology, and increase in cost cutting means bad news for anyone looking to break into the business. Not that it necessarily spells disaster though. I don't want to come off as pessimistic.

Like most of higher education, this looks like a scam. It's only offered to people who've already earned a 4 year degree of better. Passionate about making beer? Go to school and learn about everything you don't care about, then you can come give us your money to learn about making beer.

You're on this forum with a ridiculous wealth of information at your fingertips. You're making beer. You think that paying someone to teach you how to make beer is going to be worth it?

I suppose that this is probably the natural response, and is how a lot of people feel regarding higher education.

Nice to see another university considering brewing education. IMHO, the craft segment (and the industry) is short school-trained brewers. Just my opinon....ymmv.

Don't know about a degree (although it would be cool to have), but it would be cool if some local schools had this and I could just take the classes for fun. Like the sensory development or whatever it was called. I drink a lot of different beers, but I don't always describe them accurately