Gaining His Independence

A working professional in the music business, Victor Joyce has been frustrated by the lack of energy and drive in many of the people on his various project teams. "Few people seem to have the same sense of urgency and ambition I do," he says. "It is discouraging."

Victor didn't let himself succumb to the discouragement, however. Instead, he turned an otherwise frustrating situation into an opportunity for himself. "I had to work with these people because they had skills I didn't," Victor explains. "I realized that if I had the skills they did, I wouldn't have to depend on them anymore. Keeping that in mind, it wasn't hard to make the decision to go to school to learn everything for myself."

Living around the corner from the International Academy of Design and Technology in Tampa, Victor didn't have to look far to find the right school. Victor actually enrolled at the Academy at the same time his wife, Paula, did. Both chose the Digital Production program for their first degree.

I was writing music long before I enrolled at the Academy, but now, knowing what I know, and with Paula as my partner, we don't have to depend on anyone else for the other parts anymore. It's all up to us and our own energy and drive. The Academy has set us up to be independent. - Victor Joyce | Digital Production/Recording Arts

Victor finished his Associate of Science degree program in June 2006 and, even though he had already learned enough to start a record label, Phat South Entertainment Inc., with Paula, he decided he wanted to know even more. After a short break, Victor and Paula started in on their Bachelor of Fine Arts degrees in Recording Arts.

"An Associate degree affords us more credibility than no degree," Victor says. "And a Bachelor's degree affords us more credibility than an Associate degree. Going into meetings with big companies, having an Associate degree and Bachelor's degree on my résumé will help."

Just because Victor is back in school doesn't mean he and Paula have postponed, or even scaled back, the plans they have for Phat South. The label is in the middle of its first project, which just happens to be an album of Victor's music, a hybrid of country, crunk and soul he created on his own.

"I write all kinds of music and I listen to all kinds of music, but for this project, Paula and I took the music that has most influenced us and that we love and blazed our own trail."

"I was writing music long before I enrolled at the Academy, but now, knowing what I know, and with Paula as my partner, we don't have to depend on anyone else for the other parts anymore. It's all up to us and our own energy and drive. The Academy has set us up to be independent."