Hello everyone. First off, sorry for the lengthy post.

I'm 25 and live in Peru. Recently I decided I wanted to pursue a career in Audio Engineering. I have a degree in media arts (or whatever it's called - it changes name from place to place, even in the states) and also studied music.

I'd like to focus on recording, initially as an employee and eventually in a place of my own, but since I'm kind of a Jack of all trades, I'd also like to work on my own music. I've done some work in live situations on both sides of the stage as well, so that interests me as well.

This is why being in a place where music, recording and arts in general thrive is so important to me. I'm aware of reality and the fact that I have to make a living out of it somehow, even if it takes an insane amount of work.

So I eventually thought of NY and came to a crossroads. More like a turnpike actually. Or something equally intimidating. Whatever.

I wanted to attend SAE NY, but browsing the forums and from hearsay it appears it's lost some of its relevance and decreased in education quality. I've heard of inadequate teachers and of poor curriculum, which makes me rethink my choice, as paying for a tuition of that sort, being from Peru and all, is a big deal.

So my question is, would the education quality in SAE NY live up to the hype? Would I be better off someplace else... maybe a different city? Finally, would the curriculum touch at some point the subject of live audio or am I left alone to explore such themes on my own?

The amount of information I can get being so far away is kinda limited to forums, since I don't know anybody in the world of audio engineering that could give me any advice about the US.

Thanks a lot for the insights you may provide, and also a big thanks for reading thus far.

BTW - I'm aware of Full Sail's well-planned program, but it's just too expensive for me.