Entry LEVEL SUCKS!

[Trnowicki]

Being entry-level in the Rust Belt ( I'm in Pittsburgh) is horrible. The only design jobs i see posted or advertised are allmid-level. It seems no one wants to take a chance on entry-level candidates. I think the only way to get started in this field is becoming full time from an internship or knowing someone who already works somewhere.

California and the whole west coast seems to have graphic/web jobs like crazy. I suppose I'll just have to save money, move there and hope for the best! If nothing happens,at least I'll be warm.

[morea]

hey, I'm with you. nobody's hiring around here (upstate NY) at ALL.
I need to apprentice myself out to someone on GDF.

'Will work for beer.'

The more people I meet, the more I love my cats.

[Fixion]

Myself and a couple other designers are saving up loot to go to Atlanta to find work. where did you go to school?

[morea]

local community college and the infamous School of Hard Knocks. (5 years in printing, 3 in design)

The more people I meet, the more I love my cats.

[Fixion]

One of the biggest problems with Pittsburgh is that there are so many schools pumping out designers to a dead market.

[Drorain]

yup, then when you get a job, you need to be a production bitch for a year or two

http://www.grivakisgraphics.com/images/img_logomark.jpg

~Everyday, All the Time, Without Fail!

One crazy "MAss- Hole

[Trnowicki]

I went to the Art Institute. I freelanced for an in-house company for several months and a marketing firm as well a long time ago while i was still in school. Graphic designers are needed for growth and business...two words that become further and further associated with pittsburgh.

I have such little patience which doesn't help on a job search. Just waiting for the first big break!

[Neuro]

I am sitting in an entry level position right now and have hit the top of the pay scale of this position. January will be five years at this damn entry level position. I work for a child company (branch of the parent company) and they don't have a supervisory position of the prepress department because there is only three of us. I could have gone for the supervisory position at the parent company but that is over an hour away. I left and went to a commercial printer which last all of about 2 months and they shut down completely. Owner was a crook and scewed us all. Luckily I was still freelancing for the company I work for now and was able to come back. But I still don't have anywhere to go. It sucks because the only movement would be into the catalog designers position but I would have to have him killed first. He keeps saying he wants to find better work but he can't find anything better so I can't move into his position. We are all deadlocked and not ever making anymore money!! ARGH! As Morea said there isn't crap around here. She has been looking for awhile and without any luck. Upstate NY sucks!!!

My 27 years of wisdom has revealed... children=cat food, printshops=hell and people suck!
Guess I know it all now?!

[Fixion]

I know how you feel. I went to La Roche, interned at American Eagle, then worked part time at this design firm in station square, till my boss told me I was the best employee he ever had, but he had t let me go because his daughter was graduating from pennstate with a gd degree and she was taking my position. Now i work a floor down from my old office, but this job is only a temporary design position anyway. Of all the designers I know from Pittsburgh all but 2 who got jobs moved to get them. And many people who have the jobs SUCK. this city is bombarded with horrible design. And goodluck trying to get anywhere near what you are worth freelancing.

[idaho]

We all have to work our way up the ladder. Big cities are definately not the place to go to find a decent GD job. GD seems to pay about the same no matter where you go buty the cost of living is a lot higher in the larger cities. I was working in Indianapolis making 34k, lost my job, found a new job with a huge corporation in of all places eastern Tennessee making 5k less (and my wife took a 13k paycut) and we've got a lot more money here than we ever had in Indianapolis. Smaller towns are CHEAPER.

My advice to all of you is look in cities with populations around 100-200k. You'll be surprised what you find. Definately avoid the really large cities like Atlanta, NY, LA (unless your into 3D and gaming). There just aren't any jobs.

Just my $.02

-Idaho
'You want it when? Ok, no problem. Excuse me while I pull the magic wand out of my ass!'

[Fixion]

I kinda need at least a moderately large city to not go crazy. It seems to me that there are many more open jobs in the bigger cities (at least for entry level), just because their are more companies.

[Drorain]

you could try boston, a little dry here now, but search monster and craigslist up here

http://www.grivakisgraphics.com/images/img_logomark.jpg

~Everyday, All the Time, Without Fail!

One crazy "MAss- Hole

[dark_witch]

Yeah, we have a lot of GD jobs here in Utah on a weekly basis...the problem is, they sometimes pay crap. Most of the good GD'ers go to NY or CA for the big jobs. Brigham Young University pumps out (or so I'm told) some of the best in the country....and every one of them leave the state, so the companies end up hiring tech school grads and community college grads instead who mostlyhave an Associates.







Kill a man, you're an assassin...
Kill an army, you're a conqueror...
Kill 'em all, you're a god.

http://images.google.com/images?q=tbn:XxeR9IoySUsJ:www.astircreil.com/Gifs/Sniper%2520kitten.jpg

[Trnowicki]

You have to go where the jobs are even if it's in a stupid city. The cost of living might be lower, but there is also less there. Less to do, less places to shop, less culture, less of a scene, etc.

Oh well, beggars can't be choosers, so maybe I'll end up in podunk nowhere arkansas.

[Big Perm-dizzle]

birmingham, alabama was ranked 2nd Cheapest City (in our population class) to live in by forbes

and I totally agree with Idaho

www.hirethisdesigner.com (http://www.hirethisdesigner.com) - portfolio
www.conceptprint.com (http://www.conceptprint.com) - the company I work for

[defjoe]

welcome to the industry and the real world (as produced by Bushy boy)

it's an up hill battle all the way. Even Entry level postion wil lrequire more then they are suppose to. Cause they can do it.

My advice... find a back up industry.

'I will become the most powerful Jedi ever!'
'I'm the damn designer, bitches!'

Check out my indie comic book!
www.assassinsguild.net/ (http://www.assassinsguild.net/)

[idaho]

Trnowicki said...
You have to go where the jobs are even if it's in a stupid city. The cost of living might be lower, but there is also less there. Less to do, less places to shop, less culture, less of a scene, etc.

Oh well, beggars can't be choosers, so maybe I'll end up in podunk nowhere arkansas.



Look at it this way, if you end up in Arkansas I hear moonshine is awesome and the sheep are friendly. /emoticons/thumbsup.gif

-Idaho
'You want it when? Ok, no problem. Excuse me while I pull the magic wand out of my ass!'

[paulrandfan]

I agree, you have to find a back up business (like me working at a restaurant), or discover areas of the market that aren't touched. I have one:) but I'm keeping it a secret because it's my damn corner! Anyhoo, I'm looking to move back to columbia, reasonable sights and entertainment, no graphic designers (not many), and cheaper living.

mua ha ha


j/k I'm kind of loopy.

'To Design is much more than simply to assemble, to order, or even to edit; it is to add value and meaning, to illuminate, to simplify, to clarify, to modify, to dignify, to dramatize, to persuade, and perhaps even to amuse.' --Paul Rand