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Birdie1483
02-21-2006, 06:13 PM
I'm a soon to be graduate of Visual Communication Design at Purdue University. I am seeking a full time job in all aspects of design in the Midwest, including graphic, web, and publishing, and production. Please let me know if there are any openings in the region!
Thanks,
Jennifer Isaac
Also, I am interested in any freelance work desired.
reuber1
02-21-2006, 06:37 PM
Join the rest of us. I graduated two years ago, and I'm still looking. Then again, Purdue is a little bit more well known than the University of Dubuque, so you might have better luck. Unless it's a large city, the midwest is a hole devoid of design positions.
morea
02-21-2006, 06:41 PM
it's sad but true. This is a very overcrowded field, and it is hard to find a job even with experience.
we have a collection of job search strategies posted here:
http://www.graphicdesignforum.com/forum/showthread.php?t=7892
you may also want to read this article:
What to Expect Out of a Design Career
http://www.graphicdesignforum.com/articles/design_career_expectations.htm
Having a degree from Purdue didn't help me all that much in the Chicago market -- which is really where you want to be if you don't want to move out of that region. I landed more interviews by reading the classifieds in the Chicago Tribune than bugging the agencies. The economy was worse then though, so.
reuber1
02-21-2006, 06:42 PM
I'm sure a degree from Purdue would help more than my UD (http://www.dbq.edu/) one, though.
By the way Birdie, I would have contacted my former employer for you but they just shut down the agency and he retired to florida.
I'm sure a degree from Purdue would help more than my UD (http://www.dbq.edu/) one, though.
I think in the midwest, a degree from Purdue isn't all that *special*. Take the paper to the west coast and they think you're an ivy leaguer. lol
reuber1
02-21-2006, 06:47 PM
I'm speaking relativity here. I'm sure that they could have cared less with the Purdue one (not to say that your education was a waste) but that I am almost positive that nobody has heard of the school I have gone to. With you they might at least say "Oh, Purdue! Nice school." With me, they'd be like "University of Dabookee?", "No, Dubuque", "Oh...where the heck is that?"
Having a degree from Purdue has landed me interviews, name recognition does help. But it certainly didn't translate into a guaranteed job or salary, trust me.
reuber1
02-21-2006, 06:51 PM
See, that's my point. I can count the amount of interviews I've had in three years on one hand. Which now I should state, that little dialogue in my last post was hypothetical.
Birdie1483
02-21-2006, 06:53 PM
Thanks for the input. I know I'm going to have a difficult time finding a job. I'm just trying anything I can and see if I get any leads. I'm sending out so many resumes that I've actually put the wrong name in the "objective." I feel like my brain is going to explode! It's frustrating being around all of the engineers here at Purdue and watching interviews from companies just fall into their lap. I'd love to find a job in Indy or Evansville but it looks like i have to have 3-5 years experience for that. Oh well I'll just keep my fingers crossed!
defjoe
02-21-2006, 06:57 PM
get use to it. landing the first job is the worst thing ever.
Drorain
02-21-2006, 07:05 PM
Jen be sure to include job titles such as production artist, junior designer, prepress specialist in your job search too, these run parallel to Graphic design and the skills learned as a production artist or prepress person can be invaluable.
Thanks for the input. I know I'm going to have a difficult time finding a job. I'm just trying anything I can and see if I get any leads. I'm sending out so many resumes that I've actually put the wrong name in the "objective." I feel like my brain is going to explode! It's frustrating being around all of the engineers here at Purdue and watching interviews from companies just fall into their lap. I'd love to find a job in Indy or Evansville but it looks like i have to have 3-5 years experience for that. Oh well I'll just keep my fingers crossed!
That always frustrated the hell out of me too. The big recruiters were always engineering related.
I'll see if I can connect with my old roomates, they're in Indy still. Poor dears never did escape. ;)
Epectasis
02-21-2006, 08:06 PM
Well any big city will tend to be a very competitive market. Here in Montreal we're about 3.5 million in terms of Population. There's about 5 schools that offer the design program, approx 300 graduates a year. So imagine that. Even engineers have trouble finding work here.
Freelance will most likely be the way to go, first year always suck but if you keep at it, it gets better. But you can never really stop...Work dictates WHEN you can....
Drorain
02-21-2006, 08:18 PM
Freelance will most likely be the way to go, first year always suck but if you keep at it, it gets better. But you can never really stop...Work dictates WHEN you can....
I'm going to beg to differ with that...I am finding there is so much involved with freelancing that it wouldve been impossible for me even to think of doing this from the outset.
perhaps some people can, but I think its most beneficial for someone to work in the field a couple years experience, and maybe a years worth of self-education via reading some of the major industry books
I agree. Even if you're doing something that's not design related, having professional experience is INVALUABLE. Dude, even if you have to make coffee and answer phones at a design/ad agency -- you would be surprised how much you learn by watching others.
Epectasis
02-21-2006, 08:30 PM
oh if you can get into a place where you're even near a design department, go for it, im just saying that even that is very difficult to do. But you gotta keep at it, keep your expectations low and take anything that comes at you. Unless you know you're getting ripped off, of course.
Birdie1483
02-21-2006, 09:40 PM
Thanks EC I can use all the help I can get! They always talk about "networking" and thats how people get jobs, but everyone I know are teachers or engineers. Stupid engiNerds :p
No problem. I just heard from one of my old roomates today actually (I had to send a postcard from Alaska to her son for a school project), so I asked if she has any leads.
Whatever you do, just don't marry one of those engiNerds. I did, and it did not turn out well!!!!!!!! lol
D-Frag
02-21-2006, 10:03 PM
yeah i took on a couple freelance packaging jobs fresh out of college, worst mistake I ever made, I had no clue wtf i was doing. I could do that same job in about 15 minutes now, as compared to the hours it took me back then.
good luck finding a job, you might want to consider an internship
Crimson
02-22-2006, 12:39 PM
Teaching ain't much better in Indiana either. I struggled with layoffs and finding a good design job while my wife went to college and get her teaching degree. Now I have something but she can't even get nibbles with the glut of elementary Ed teachers in the midwest. We almost moved to Florida but am a little attached to finding my own place of design that treats me decent. Finding a job period- SUCKS. Then throw having kids in the mix.
hmmm. Maybe I should move my thoughts to the soapbox
Navian
02-22-2006, 01:48 PM
Thanks EC I can use all the help I can get! They always talk about "networking" and thats how people get jobs, but everyone I know are teachers or engineers. Stupid engiNerds :p
It doesnt matter who you network with, it helps, but as long as someone knows someone you get the word out. that is networking.
Birdie1483
02-22-2006, 02:42 PM
Unless you're a banker or doctor, Indiana in general (at least Southern Indiana) doesn't have a good job market. You might get hired as a teacher but since our school systems don't know how to correctly spend money you might get laid off in a year or two after budget cuts.
Navian
02-22-2006, 03:16 PM
Unless you're a banker or doctor, Indiana in general (at least Southern Indiana) doesn't have a good job market. You might get hired as a teacher but since our school systems don't know how to correctly spend money you might get laid off in a year or two after budget cuts.
Do you have friends there? Your teachers are a good networking source, they where/are in the industry, they should know someone. Are there job fairs where you live? Do you have neighbors? Do you go to a church, and know people in your church?
These are all places where you can start networking with, if they dont know anyone, ask them if they know anyone who might, then give them information, and recieve information about there contact. Then contact that next person you know, once you get referalls from people you know, you can work on those referalls. and try to get referalls from those referalls.
That is networking. Open your phonebook, look up all the potential companies you could work for, then call them up and ask them who is the person in charge of a certain department. Get the info, and talk with the person, dont directly say your looking for work, go about it in-directly. talk to that person and see if they know anyone.
Birdie1483
02-22-2006, 03:28 PM
Yeah my entire family are teachers, but they dont know anyone. I"m putting my feelers out and seeing what I can find. I dont go to church and Purdue doesnt really do anything for creative arts students in terms of job fairs. We do, however, have a professional class where representitives from various companies come to talk to us, so I"m hoping to venture down that avenue of "networking." If anything so they know my name for future reference to other companies. We'll see what happens.