---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Juilliard was four years, and I called it…"
description: "\"Juilliard was four years, and I called it 'med school with guaranteed unemployment at the end.' And it ends: you're getting ready to go out and be an a..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/140/bradley-whitford-14298_actor_juilliard-was-four-years-and-i-called-it_2565915.jpg"
---

#  Juilliard was four years, and I called it 'med school with…

![“Juilliard was four years, and I called it 'med school with guaranteed unemployment at the end.' And it ends: you're getting ready to go out and be an actor, and... nothing.” quote by Bradley Whitford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/140/bradley-whitford-14298_actor_juilliard-was-four-years-and-i-called-it_2565915.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/140/bradley-whitford-14298_actor_juilliard-was-four-years-and-i-called-it_2565915.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/140/bradley-whitford-14298_actor_juilliard-was-four-years-and-i-called-it_2565915.jpg)

> “Juilliard was four years, and I called it 'med school with guaranteed unemployment at the end.' And it ends: you're getting ready to go out and be an actor, and... nothing.”

[Bradley Whitford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bradley-whitford/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

A prestigious arts education can lead to limited job prospects, leaving graduates feeling unprepared for the market.

**In simple terms:** Fine arts training may not guarantee employment.

Key Takeaway

Plan career steps beyond school.

Themes

education career expectations

Mood

cynical reflective

Type

critical observational

When to use this quote

- job search
- freelance work
- networking
- skill diversification

Key Concepts

employment market artistic training economic reality

Questions to Reflect On

- How can arts schools improve employability?
- What alternative paths exist for graduates?

A Different Perspective

The quote may overgeneralize; some graduates succeed.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Actor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/actor/) [Nothing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nothing/) [School](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/school/) [Theatre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/theatre/) [Unemployment](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/unemployment/)

## Related quotes

> [“Unemployment is not the end of your life. It is the beginning of a bright future. “For I know the thoughts that I think…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charleen-goombs/unemployment-is-not-the-end-of-your-life-it-is-the-beginning-of-a/)

Charleen Goombs

> [If I wanted to be a doctor today I'd go to math school not med school.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vinod-khosla/if-i-wanted-to-be-a-doctor-today-i-d-go-to-math-school-not-med-school/)

[Vinod Khosla](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vinod-khosla/)

> [“By the end of medical school, most students tended to focus on "lifestyle" specialities - those with more humane hours, higher salaries, and lower…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-kalanithi/by-the-end-of-medical-school-most-students-tended-to-focus-on/)

[Paul Kalanithi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-kalanithi/)

> [I was giving everything I had to classes, and I was getting a 2.6. I knew that wasn't going to get me into med school.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-vogel/i-was-giving-everything-i-had-to-classes-and-i-was-getting-a-2-6-i/)

[Frank Vogel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-vogel/)

> [I wanted to be a doctor. I was pre-med at school, and I actually even took the MCAT. My ultimate decision was that I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katrina-lake/i-wanted-to-be-a-doctor-i-was-pre-med-at-school-and-i-actually-even/)

[Katrina Lake](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katrina-lake/)

> [When I got out of high school, I thought, I'll take a year or two off and play the clubs, get this out of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gregg-allman/when-i-got-out-of-high-school-i-thought-i-ll-take-a-year-or-two-off/)

[Gregg Allman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gregg-allman/)

> [“No. I mean, med school is THE greatest challenge, right? I want to see if I can make it." "This isn't about a challenge.=,"…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katie-klein/no-i-mean-med-school-is-the-greatest-challenge-right-i-want-to-see-if/)

[Katie Klein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katie-klein/)

> [Well, my parents originally wanted me to become a doctor - that's why I was in school; I was pre-med, and I graduated with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-yeun/well-my-parents-originally-wanted-me-to-become-a-doctor-that-s-why-i/)

[Steven Yeun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-yeun/)

> [I was pre-med in college, and so since a lot of people take a year off before they go to med school, I decided…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frankie-grande/i-was-pre-med-in-college-and-so-since-a-lot-of-people-take-a-year-off/)

[Frankie Grande](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frankie-grande/)

> [PERFECT SCENARIO HIM: Hey what you up too HER: Nothing just getting ready for the game what you doing HIM: Oh ok cool, nothing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/m-walder/perfect-scenario-him-hey-what-you-up-too-her-nothing-just-getting/)

[M Walder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/m-walder/)

> [“I prop my guitar up against the nightstand. Then I turn toward the bed and fall into it face first. The mattress is soft…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emma-chase/i-prop-my-guitar-up-against-the-nightstand-then-i-turn-toward-the-bed/)

[Emma Chase](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emma-chase/)

> [We Russians are already living, not getting ready to live.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/boris-yeltsin/we-russians-are-already-living-not-getting-ready-to-live/)

[Boris Yeltsin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/boris-yeltsin/)

> [I raced because I was paid to do a job and I felt like I had to do the job. Number two: I raced…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lance-armstrong/i-raced-because-i-was-paid-to-do-a-job-and-i-felt-like-i-had-to-do/)

[Lance Armstrong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lance-armstrong/)

> [If you're going for an interview, you will dress smartly and look the part, that is absolutely fine, but it's just the level to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jo-swinson/if-you-re-going-for-an-interview-you-will-dress-smartly-and-look-the/)

[Jo Swinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jo-swinson/)

> [When you look around the room during meetings and practice, you see that everyone has the same goal. It's obvious by the way that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-kendricks/when-you-look-around-the-room-during-meetings-and-practice-you-see/)

Eric Kendricks

## More by Bradley Whitford

> [I was at the vice president's Christmas party. I thought that his speech was spectacular, and I knew that it was a very emotional…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bradley-whitford/i-was-at-the-vice-president-s-christmas-party-i-thought-that-his/)

[Bradley Whitford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bradley-whitford/)

> [Being an actor, you always feel like you're swimming upstream. People are going, 'No, they don't like you. They don't like the way you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bradley-whitford/being-an-actor-you-always-feel-like-you-re-swimming-upstream-people/)

[Bradley Whitford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bradley-whitford/)

> [When you act, you're always playing a version of yourself. You can't bring more to the role than what you are](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bradley-whitford/when-you-act-you-re-always-playing-a-version-of-yourself-you-can-t/)

[Bradley Whitford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bradley-whitford/)

> [Only two things ever stop the government from doing anything: money and politics](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bradley-whitford/only-two-things-ever-stop-the-government-from-doing-anything-money/)

[Bradley Whitford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bradley-whitford/)

> [At the end of your days, you will be judged by your gallop, not by your stumble.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bradley-whitford/at-the-end-of-your-days-you-will-be-judged-by-your-gallop-not-by-your/)

[Bradley Whitford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bradley-whitford/)

> [Infuse your life with action. Don't wait for it to happen. Make it happen. Make your own future. Make your own hope.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bradley-whitford/infuse-your-life-with-action-don-t-wait-for-it-to-happen-make-it/)

[Bradley Whitford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bradley-whitford/)

> [My joke about Aaron Sorkin is that The West Wing was a great show about democracy, run by Kim Jong-Il!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bradley-whitford/my-joke-about-aaron-sorkin-is-that-the-west-wing-was-a-great-show/)

[Bradley Whitford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bradley-whitford/)

> [The issue for my character, and the issue of the show is, how dirty do your feet have to get without suffocating yourself in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bradley-whitford/the-issue-for-my-character-and-the-issue-of-the-show-is-how-dirty-do/)

[Bradley Whitford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bradley-whitford/)

> [You need to be real enough to be believable, but you don't necessarily have to be real enough to be real. There is a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bradley-whitford/you-need-to-be-real-enough-to-be-believable-but-you-don-t-necessarily/)

[Bradley Whitford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bradley-whitford/)

> [We all go through life bristling at our external limitations, but the most difficult chains to break are inside us.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bradley-whitford/we-all-go-through-life-bristling-at-our-external-limitations-but-the/)

[Bradley Whitford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bradley-whitford/)

> [An experience like 'The West Wing' is what I would imagine - even though I've never done it - that surfing feels like. It's,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bradley-whitford/an-experience-like-the-west-wing-is-what-i-would-imagine-even-though/)

[Bradley Whitford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bradley-whitford/)

> [Having an affair with an intern is just an incredibly stupid thing to do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bradley-whitford/having-an-affair-with-an-intern-is-just-an-incredibly-stupid-thing-to/)

[Bradley Whitford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bradley-whitford/)

> [Infuse your life with action...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bradley-whitford/infuse-your-life-with-action/)

[Bradley Whitford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bradley-whitford/)

> [I am an old, old friend of Aaron Sorkin's, who is the executive producer and writer. He had been talking about doing a political…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bradley-whitford/i-am-an-old-old-friend-of-aaron-sorkin-s-who-is-the-executive/)

[Bradley Whitford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bradley-whitford/)

> [I did not always agree, personally, on the positions that Bartlet, character from the West Wing, took and I argued against them on many…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bradley-whitford/i-did-not-always-agree-personally-on-the-positions-that-bartlet/)

[Bradley Whitford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bradley-whitford/)

[Explore all 47 Bradley Whitford quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bradley-whitford/)

## More Actor quotes

> [I actually think acting is a form of self-hypnosis. You have to be hyper, hyper aware of what's going on around you. You have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julianne-moore/i-actually-think-acting-is-a-form-of-self-hypnosis-you-have-to-be/)

[Julianne Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julianne-moore/)

> [When you step out and do a song in a musical, the easier thing to do is make it funny. But when those transitions…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kelli-o-hara/when-you-step-out-and-do-a-song-in-a-musical-the-easier-thing-to-do/)

[Kelli O'Hara](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kelli-o-hara/)

> [I once told someone I could act. They totally bought it. I've been getting away with it ever since.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/akshay-kumar/i-once-told-someone-i-could-act-they-totally-bought-it-i-ve-been/)

[Akshay Kumar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/akshay-kumar/)

> [There has got to be a way for me to have a role on TV or in film that is just as normal as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adeel-akhtar/there-has-got-to-be-a-way-for-me-to-have-a-role-on-tv-or-in-film-that/)

[Adeel Akhtar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adeel-akhtar/)

> [I love casting against type and doing things you wouldn't expect, because I think you get more interesting performances that way. Hollywood loves to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-s-goyer/i-love-casting-against-type-and-doing-things-you-wouldn-t-expect/)

[David S. Goyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-s-goyer/)

> [I'm an actor, so I'm never going to feel like I've done enough.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/italia-ricci/i-m-an-actor-so-i-m-never-going-to-feel-like-i-ve-done-enough/)

[Italia Ricci](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/italia-ricci/)

> [I am tired of our characters being so incomplete. When do we ever save the day in a film? When does a Latino actor…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/esai-morales/i-am-tired-of-our-characters-being-so-incomplete-when-do-we-ever-save/)

[Esai Morales](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/esai-morales/)

> [When I was 13, I auditioned for the theater school, and I was there for four years. In the meantime, I did my first…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ana-de-armas/when-i-was-13-i-auditioned-for-the-theater-school-and-i-was-there-for/)

[Ana de Armas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ana-de-armas/)

> [If you stood me in a costume next to a computer graphic of the same-looking character, I think there would be a difference. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/warwick-davis/if-you-stood-me-in-a-costume-next-to-a-computer-graphic-of-the-same/)

[Warwick Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/warwick-davis/)

> [failure in the theater is more public, more brilliant, more unreal than in any other field.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lillian-hellman/failure-in-the-theater-is-more-public-more-brilliant-more-unreal-than/)

[Lillian Hellman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lillian-hellman/)

> [I'm a character actor - always have been, always will be - and historically, character actors don't come into their own until later in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annie-potts/i-m-a-character-actor-always-have-been-always-will-be-and/)

[Annie Potts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annie-potts/)

> [Actors don't hate acting. Most people don't hate acting! Whether you're a child mucking around with your friends or a grown up being paid…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/liv-hewson/actors-don-t-hate-acting-most-people-don-t-hate-acting-whether-you-re/)

[Liv Hewson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/liv-hewson/)

> [It was only when I went to acting school that I was like, "You are absolutely such a pigheaded freak show that you thought…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/giles-matthey/it-was-only-when-i-went-to-acting-school-that-i-was-like-you-are/)

[Giles Matthey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/giles-matthey/)

> [I never planned to do female roles. It just happened. I was typecast.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/divine/i-never-planned-to-do-female-roles-it-just-happened-i-was-typecast/)

[Divine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/divine/)

> [Once I committed to acting, this has been it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernie-hudson/once-i-committed-to-acting-this-has-been-it/)

[Ernie Hudson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernie-hudson/)

[Browse all 21,590 Actor quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/actor/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "Juilliard was four years, and I called it 'med school with guaranteed unemployment at the end.' And it ends: you're getting ready to go out and be an actor, and... nothing.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Bradley Whitford"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bradley-whitford/juilliard-was-four-years-and-i-called-it-med-school-with-guaranteed/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Actor"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bradley-whitford/juilliard-was-four-years-and-i-called-it-med-school-with-guaranteed/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/140/bradley-whitford-14298_actor_juilliard-was-four-years-and-i-called-it_2565915.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/140/bradley-whitford-14298_actor_juilliard-was-four-years-and-i-called-it_2565915.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/140/bradley-whitford-14298_actor_juilliard-was-four-years-and-i-called-it_2565915.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Juilliard was four years, and I called it 'med school with guaranteed unemployment at the end.' And it ends…” — Bradley Whitford",
                "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                "creator": {
                    "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                }
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "name": "Home",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 2,
                    "name": "Quotes",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 3,
                    "name": "Bradley Whitford",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bradley-whitford/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "Juilliard was four years, and I...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bradley-whitford/juilliard-was-four-years-and-i-called-it-med-school-with-guaranteed/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bradley-whitford/juilliard-was-four-years-and-i-called-it-med-school-with-guaranteed/#breadcrumb"
        },
        {
            "@type": "WebSite",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "publisher": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "Organization",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "logo": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png",
                "width": 512,
                "height": 512
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
