Dilema [Archive] - Graphic Design Forum

Debz

10-04-2004, 07:15 PM

Geeze im just a thread starter today huh?

Well i have an issue..

Currently I am in school at Community College for Graphic Design. I love the course's and classes.

I planned on taking 3 classes/semester, since I do work Full Time during the day. Well due to financial situations my mom cant pay for 3 classes this semester. Only one. I know i know .. spoiled lil brat gets school paid for yadda yadda.. i know i know.

Well I know you guys say that you dont HAVE to goto school. I am debating on getting a student loan, or i dont know? Id hate to owe money.. Ugh..

The thing about quitting school that i am scared about is .. I really do learn. Reading is blah.. I think i have ADD i cant concentrate reading.. I need hands on stuff..

What should i do??? /emoticons/weep.gif I LOVE school. I love graphic design..

* Vote Debz & DD 2004 *

I will end terrorism, Stupidity, Laziness and eliminate all the slackers who drag us down. Do not screw wit me.. buahaha! Debz & DD - 2004

10-04-2004, 07:18 PM

Get a loan, I owe 24K in loans but I'm a proud Designer. lol!

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Debz

10-04-2004, 07:20 PM

LOL good god! i am so scared to get a loan.. hehehhe. i hate debt!!

Another issue.. Dont you HAVE to take 3 classes a semester for a loan? That means i cant cut back. When i had to take stupid classes like english I was gonna take JUST english because I suck at it.. and know i would struggle.

* Vote Debz & DD 2004 *

I will end terrorism, Stupidity, Laziness and eliminate all the slackers who drag us down. Do not screw wit me.. buahaha! Debz & DD - 2004

40thCentDesign

10-04-2004, 07:31 PM

I didn't go to school. I did take classes here and there (probably around 10 courses in all), but most were unrelated to GD (i.e. Greek Lit, etc.) The art classes I took were in drawing.

Then I learned typesetting on the job at a small publishing house. I used Ventura and Quark, which taught me how to use fonts, ligatures, kerning, line spacing and so forth. I also helped withg outputting files to the printer. And I worked for free.

Where I learned almost everything about GD was working for another small publisher, doing online ads, print ads, catalogs, conference materiels and so forth. I totally sucked at first, but after six months or so, I started to get the hang of it. I got the job because I knew Quark and kinda knew some Photoshop. Now I know Quark, PS, Illustrator, and some HTML.

A lot of people would have a hard time finding that kind of job opportunity. But I think it was a pretty good route, and it let me learn design while at the same time learning the ins and outs of supplying the printer with correct files.

From what you say 'ADD i cant concentrate reading.. I need hands on stuff..' you might try doing something like that. Find a local print shop or design firm and see if you can just do grunt work. You'll learn a lot just by watching other people, and you might be able to convince them to show you a thing or two. If that doesn't work, then maybe school is the answer.

Silence04

10-04-2004, 07:32 PM

yeah, if you're enjoying school and its really benefitting you, then get a loan, for sure, if thats what you need to do in order to keep going there..
cause your gonna have to learn that stuff anyway, weather you goto school or not, and that 'funness' that your having at school won't be there when your learning by yourself, alone, with no one to talk to or guide you (except for the GDF, of course)....

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Debz

10-04-2004, 07:39 PM

40th: I actually work in a print shop.. with no one with any professional training. LOL so i am becoming the professional.. Teaching them a thing or two.

Maybe ill get a loan.. and ask to work here part time just to do the annual catalog and ad's like i have been doing.. Just not the sales crap.

Silence: yeah i love school. its so awesome when im the one helping the other students along with the teacher. and there like o wow how do u know this?! lol.

I dunno I keep feeling like something is telling me to do something.. (i.e. Breaking up with my bf and moving back home, Mom not being able to help me with school)

I feel like theres something saying.. 'DO THISSSS' But i dont know what this is.. and i need to figure it out.. fast..

Does that make any sense?

* Vote Debz & DD 2004 *

I will end terrorism, Stupidity, Laziness and eliminate all the slackers who drag us down. Do not screw wit me.. buahaha! Debz & DD - 2004

Silence04

10-04-2004, 07:46 PM

debz, how far along are you in school?

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Drorain

10-04-2004, 07:49 PM

Get a loan, the know how in the programs, the feedback, and the artistic development you get with your degree will be much more helpful, and some places, wont even look at you if you dont have a degree. You can make it without it, but your chances just open up if you have the degree

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DeleteYourself

10-04-2004, 07:52 PM

I would say get a loan. Like 40th said, you can definately learn on your own, but school is very useful, especially if you enjoy it. Plus, you never know, you may need that degree as a fall-back for getting a job if competion gets tougher for whatever reason. The loan is an investment. It can only make you more attractive to an employer.

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defjoe

10-04-2004, 07:53 PM

rob a bank!

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Debz

10-04-2004, 07:55 PM

At the end of this semester (december) ill have 6 Classes out of the 24 i need for my associates.. Ive been going since Fall 2003. I think I mite do the loan thing.. Even try to cut back to part time for work.. I need to talk to my dad tho. I dont want to sacrifice school..

This is a big decision especially going from being 100% independant to living at home, and locking myself into it for a few years..

* Vote Debz & DD 2004 *

I will end terrorism, Stupidity, Laziness and eliminate all the slackers who drag us down. Do not screw wit me.. buahaha! Debz & DD - 2004

D-Zine

10-04-2004, 11:17 PM

Honestly I didn't read through your entire thread Debz but you are already working in both the sales and production areas of this field...even tho you LOVE school...do you really NEED it?? You are getting the hands on experience and already have your foot in the door...this is a good thing!

Boobie Island or Bust!

40thCentDesign

10-04-2004, 11:32 PM

Loans are a pain, though. A lot of my friends who went through college on loans are still paying them off (at age 30), and some of them have told me that they wished they had just gone right into work rather than school. School is good, but a lot of the time it can become a stop-gap between jobs. For example, a friend of mine went to four-year college at a very expensive school. When he graduated, he couldn't find a job to his liking. So, instead of starting off at a small job and working his way up, he went back to school in a graduate program. I don't know what the heck that's supposed to accomplish, other than giving him another forty thousand in debt.

Bottom line is, the schooling you receive shouldn't cost more than the experience that you gain will pay. That's why I've just taken courses here and there, making sure that whatever I take will apply in some way to jobs. Otherwise it's just an expensive hobby.

My younger brother, who makes more than me, has a GED and does sales in a high-level technical book publisher that distributes to fortune 5000 companies. That's just because of his skills, not his schooling. Most employers look for competence, not a piece of paper that says you did time at a university.

My two cents. I would say that if your job isn't challenging you enough and the experience isn't valuable, graduate to a new job, not a new diploma.

Debz

10-04-2004, 11:41 PM

The problem is im not getting any REAL professional training. I am learning a LOT in school. Id hate to give up the hands on work.. but its not teaching me how to do things the correct way.. yanno?

I think i am going to research Loans and Grants. I did hear if you have 10% of a certain nationality in you you can get grants for that nationality.. I am part Native American.. Ima ask my dad to research that. I also heard Native Americans have a lot of oppurtunities out there.. so we'll see..

This is just ANOTHER thing to add to the many things that are suckin in my life right now. LOL

I am really dissapointed because I qualified for the Certificate for Desktop Publishing after my two classes in the Spring Semester.. I know the Cert isnt like a Associates or a BA But i never ever thought i was going to have any type of degree. Hell I am suprised I graduated Highschool with out I was.

Im super scared to sacrifice my freedom and feel like i HAVE to live at my dads house. That I think is the hardest thing I am going to have to overcome. The last week has been tough adjusting to parents again. Its going well.. But still.. No privacy.

LOL I AM SOOO SORRY GUYS!! Ive had a drama-filled buncha weeks and im venting to yall.. Im VERY sry :(

* Vote Debz & DD 2004 *

I will end terrorism, Stupidity, Laziness and eliminate all the slackers who drag us down. Do not screw wit me.. buahaha! Debz & DD - 2004

Debz

10-04-2004, 11:46 PM

40thCentDesign said...
Loans are a pain, though. A lot of my friends who went through college on loans are still paying them off (at age 30), and some of them have told me that they wished they had just gone right into work rather than school. School is good, but a lot of the time it can become a stop-gap between jobs. For example, a friend of mine went to four-year college at a very expensive school. When he graduated, he couldn't find a job to his liking. So, instead of starting off at a small job and working his way up, he went back to school in a graduate program. I don't know what the heck that's supposed to accomplish, other than giving him another forty thousand in debt.

This is EXACTLY why i am terrified to get a loan.. and why i never went to college until i realized that i love graphic design more then getting drunk at a bar. (sad huh? LOL)

Thats why I did this post. I could get different ideas and thoughts from everyone. And thats y i am presenting my situation back. a forum full of brains is better then one brain.

I just dont know.. I have a lot of thinking to do. /emoticons/dry.gif

* Vote Debz & DD 2004 *

I will end terrorism, Stupidity, Laziness and eliminate all the slackers who drag us down. Do not screw wit me.. buahaha! Debz & DD - 2004

Jason Fraker

10-04-2004, 11:56 PM

Debz, do not get a loan. I hate to be the unpopular one, but there are other ways to do it and many advantages to not having student loans. Why don't you take next semester off and get a part time job on the side delivering pizzas or waiting tables. You can make pretty good money for not too much time. You can spend that semester off working like a maniac and saving every dime you can possible manage to do without (good thing you're living at home again, huh?). You should be able to save enough in that semester to pay for a few semesters in CC. You can even continue this part time job a night or two a week while you're in school (lotsa people do it), and continue to pay cash for your education. If you earn an A.A. or A.S., and have to pay back loans after, you'll take a few years to break even and start actually making extra money. Also, with a college degree and no debt, you can eventually make and save more money to invest in health insurance (most design jobs are with small companies who have crap insurance or no insurance), some investments, replacing your car by paying cash for another one, etc... You can start now, and keep yourself out of debt for the rest of your life. Another advantage is that your lifestyle doesn't cost much and it allows you to do pro-bono work for charity or take a job that you love but doesn't pay much (remember, you don't need much when you've got no payments).

Hope this helps,

Jason

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40thCentDesign

10-05-2004, 12:01 AM

Well, Debz, what is your skillset right now? Which programs do you know? If you know the Big Three (Quark, Photoshop, Illustrator) you should be able to get a job doing layout. Do you have a portfolio of work?

I've taught some stuff before (small, small college that I taught some Quark and Photoshop to students producing a newsletter), so if you want tips and critiques, I'd be happy to help. But you may find that the lack of a competitive environment that a school provides doesn't let you improve as fast as you like.

I've done ok on my own, but I owe other designers and also regular folks who have given me feedback and forced me to improve. Without that feedback, I would have gone nowhere.

Debz

10-05-2004, 02:12 AM

40: I do know Photoshop, Quark and Illustrator.. I am a n00b when it comes to illustrator tho and I think its an awesome program.. Id love to have a class based on that alone to learn what everything can be done in it.

I think a lot of the schooling that i need are more advance then what I am doing now.. The only class that provides a challange for me right now is Digital Pre-Press and my issues are minor. I think what I need most is more design. I have ideas.. But there not great. Im creative.. but I dont know how to take the things from my mind and put them the computer.. because i dont know the advance stuff..

I do agree about the feedback. My mom is great with that.. She makes me do better and better with everything that I do.

Jason: I completely agree with you on the no debt thing. Thats why im terrified to take a loan. I think I may save save save and do it that way. I would love to get school done and over with so I can focus on what I love doing..

* Vote Debz & DD 2004 *

I will end terrorism, Stupidity, Laziness and eliminate all the slackers who drag us down. Do not screw wit me.. buahaha! Debz & DD - 2004

YNOT

10-05-2004, 06:32 AM

Debz...I feel your pain! I don't know much about you...your age, time in the field, etc., but if you've got the 'drive' to go to school, I'd say go for it. I didn't know what I wanted to really do in high school and now I feel like it's too late. I'll make this as short as I can...

I'm pretty much all self-taught when it comes to graphic design. I took college prep courses in high school intending to go to college. Then senior year came and I opted to go to a 2-year tech school for mechanical engr. Found a real love for technical illustration, got hired at a small design studio after graduating (with no real degree) and from there kinda just picked up graphic design while doing technical illustration.

I learned many things there from alot of experienced people, including paste-up, typesetting, logo design, color separations, filmwork, etc. and eventually learned how to use a Mac all on my own with a little help from fllow co-workers.

Looking back now, I've got 13+ years of experience, a great job (although not paid as well as I'd like to be) with a Fortune 100 company but feel like I don't deserve to be where I am. I've gotten this far and with no degree. I wish I would have found out about graphic design in high school. Back then I took art classes because they were fun and an easy grade...I never knew I could make a career out of it.

Bottom line...if you have the desire to go to school, I think you should. You might get lucky like I did and land a good job after many years of experience, but when looking for a job and having no degree...it's rather difficult.

I wish you the best of luck, whatever you decide! /emoticons/thumbsup.gif

Debz

10-05-2004, 04:09 PM

Thank you guys very much.. I have a lot of thinking to do on where i want my life to go over the next few years.. :) IM sure yall will find out what happens 2 me. :P

* Vote Debz & DD 2004 *

I will end terrorism, Stupidity, Laziness and eliminate all the slackers who drag us down. Do not screw wit me.. buahaha! Debz & DD - 2004