Excellent Idea for all you noobs to the industry

[defjoe]

I just read this article in my local paper about job shadowing. I think it's a GREAT idea, especially in our industry cause, as you can find but just doing a search on this forum alone, youngsters who actually find a design job out of college are turned off within a year or so cause it's not what they thought. Nor do they know all the skills or have all the skills they thought they had coming from school. Even though this doesn't talk about design specifically it's still very telling!

Dream job could turn out to be nightmare

Before choosing a career, consider job shadowing or volunteering in that field, experts say.

By L.M. Sixel | The Houston Chronicle
Posted November 10, 2004

Lots of people choose the wrong career. They assume they'll like being a vet because they love animals. Or accounting will be fun because they enjoy math.

Unfortunately, it's not that simple.

Some animal lovers don't realize they'll probably end up running a small business and focused as much on payroll and liability insurance as sick animals.

Many would-be accountants may not realize the job requires a lot of repetition and routine work.

So before you invest a lot of time and money in going to school and picking up the skills you'll need, invest a bit of time and find out what a career entails.

Although there are books that discuss the pluses and minuses of dentistry -- good pay but few conversational opportunities -- or car repair -- also good money but requires contact with a certain share of irate customers who feel overcharged -- there's really no better way to investigate a career than by spending time with someone who does the kind of job you're interested in.

That way you can find out if it's a career that demands long hours, whether it pays well or whether there's lots of on-the-job pressure.

Steve Currall, associate professor of management at the Jones Graduate School of Management at Rice University, is a big fan of career tryouts.

'You either decide more in favor of what you originally thought or you'll decide that's the last job you'd ever want to have,' Currall says.

'I think the experience also destroys some of the myths we have about jobs,' he adds. You can find out some of the real challenges along with the negative aspects of the job.

Someone who likes to play video games might think about a career as a computer programmer. But that requires a tremendous attention to detail, says Currall, and you wouldn't know that unless you spent time with someone who writes computer code.

Currall says he could have benefited himself if he had paid a little more attention when he chose his own career.

Even though he spent a lot of time in graduate school working closely with professors, he didn't find out until later how solitary the work was.

'I didn't grasp it until I really got into the career,' he says. 'A lot of the work is sitting at home at the computer. So for people who are more social, it's not fun to sit in front of the computer all day.'

Challenging coursework; unchallenging job

Cheryl Matherly figured she would go to law school and become a lawyer. But when she spent summers during college working for a law firm, she realized she didn't like the lawyers or the work.

It turned out they do a lot of research, they spend a lot of time preparing legal briefs and focus a lot on details.

'It wasn't very interesting to me,' Matherly recalls. 'I liked people contact.' She realized how much she liked working with fellow students at the University of New Mexico in Albuquerque as the assistant residence hall director.

Today, Matherly is assistant dean of students and director of career services at Rice University, and she recommends students try career examination.

She finds that students who are studying engineering often enjoy the challenging coursework. But when they take an internship or spend time with a working engineer, they often report that they don't enjoy the job very much.

Sometimes, it's the culture that's the turnoff; other times the work is more focused on safety than creativity, she says.

So how can a student or midcareer changer find someone to shadow? To get the real story? Matherly suggests asking a family friend or contacting a professional association for ideas of people to contact. Sometimes, a school guidance counselor can help locate alumni.

For a longer-term experience, internships are an excellent way to try out a career, she says. Volunteering also is a good way to test a job before making a major commitment. Interested in working in the medical field? Volunteer at the local hospital.

She also recommends that students or midcareer changers conduct an 'informational interview' of someone with an interesting career.

Ask about the pros and cons of the job. Ask whether they like it. Ask how the job is expected to change.

Librarians, for example, don't work as much with books anymore as they work with databases, Matherly says. Learn where the field is going.

Matherly also says she has her students write a report after conducting an informational interview and describe what the work environment is like, whether people work in cubicles or private offices, how people dress and even how they address each other.

'Students have the leverage to do this,' she says. 'People are very inclined to help students out. They remember when they were in that boat.'

'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/)

Post Edited (defjoe) : 11/10/2004 5:49:16 PM GMT

[Keyare]

Great article!

[morea]

Mmm... good info.

But that won't stop me from using it as my new pickup line.

/emoticons/devil.gif 'Hey baby, can I be your shadow?'

I haven't lost my mind... it's backed up on disk somewhere.

[D-Zine]

agreed...great article Joe!

I hope alotta ppl read this!

Boobie Island or Bust!

[Kink]

Wish I would have read this 7 years ago!

The schools have this day that all kids go to work with their parents called 'Take your kids to work day'
To have them understand more about the work world.

I think they should revise it... for highschool anyways.. to place kids with other kids parents that work in a similar field that they are interested in for future purposes.
THen, other than being a day to goof off at your parents workplace, it'll be a day to learn more about their future and what it MAY entitle.

Don't dunk the cat in the water!

[redboxer]

Excellent article defjoe. I've had quite a few young unemployed jobseekers coming to shadow me recently thru this thing we have in the UK called the New Deal (I can hear all you Americans going 'THERE'S NOTHING NEW ABOUT THAT' /emoticons/biggrin.gif and these kids all think they want to be designers coz they did well at art at school and they think it's a cool job. I'm sure most of you would agree that it can be a cooler job than a lot of other ones (one of my friends used to hang dead pigs on hooks for a living) but getting real about the nature of the work is ESSENTIAL. I think I can cope with it because I came into GD from a marketing and advertising background - and I learned most of what i know on the job from a designer i worked with. so perhaps i don't have the 'big dream' that so many young art-school kids have these days.

makes a lot of sense to look at the areas around graphic design - like marketing and advertising - to find alternative routes into the field.

sometimes you have to take the long road home if the shortcut's flooded <hmm...deeeep /emoticons/blink.gif >

all we are saying is give peas a chance...

[defjoe]

wel lt's not to good that it seems like very few are reading this thread.

'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/)

[D-Zine]

I know...I simply can NOT understand it!

Boobie Island or Bust!

[morea]

Our industry is so selective - I'm surprised that more people don't take advantage of all available resources.

I haven't lost my mind... it's backed up on disk somewhere.

[Jason Fraker]

I think that internships are good, but this is a great idea that will save you years of school. My wife went to college for three years as a Music Ed. major. They didn't put her in the classroom student teaching until halfway through her junior year and she hated it. She had to scramble to get out in four years and ended up majoring in music performance and minoring in Sociology.

As for me, I got a two day a week internship at a print shop and just started showing up every day after a month or two...

Great article, man. Thanks!
-Jason

A lie can travel halfway around the world before the truth can even put on its shoes.
-Mark Twain

[Hendo]

I know all the GD schools here in Minnesota do this. they have been doing this for 10+ years.

I shadowed my present company and that is how i got the job.

I get resumes and schools calling all the time for my own business and my full-time job businesses.

When i get time I will take some students!

It's a great idea!

Designing innovative advertising for the marketing needs of small and large businesses.

Contact me at www.hendersongraphics.com

[Magnus]

Ingornace joe. Ignorance and blind ambition...probably the 2 reasons this thread isn't read more.

"It's not cheating if you win."

- Bill Mears

[Kink]

I just think cus fellow designers are SOOO busy.. no one wants to read a post that long.

SUCK IT UP!

IT'S a GOOD article!

Don't dunk the cat in the water!

[Drawing a Blank]

Good read Defjoe. I wish I had had the opportunity to do that when I first went to school as an engineering student.


Must be a great religion you have if it is threatened by a bumpersticker

[moonsplash]

Very good article. It has only taken me ten years to get where I am in my higher educational goals. Switched majors four times and finally am quite happy and satisfied with GD. Finally get a diploma Spring 2006! Yay!

~Amy

[Mojovonious]

I'll be doing a stage in a couple of months, at a government run School Board.

[C05MIN]

This article is really great.

I am in that critical point In life when I (alone) have to decide what career I want to pursue.

I already take a few steps in web-design and programming. And I feel the same way, that if don’t like been lonely you are in a wrong spot.

After reading all of this thread…this question is strongly going to my mind…For
How many of you Your life is what you expected to be ? Is not the unexpected a part of our life?

Teens like me and other should really read this. I will send the link to all of my friends and enemies…

[DavidLieb]

I actually recommend something like that to all of my students. It's surprising how few actually try it...

Personally, I wanted to be in advertising when I was in college. All it took was about 10 minutes of talking to two ad execs to figure out that it wasn't for me...

David Lieberman
Academy of Web Design Course Video (http://www.awdsf.com)
Add Web Design to your Skills!

[morea]

^
that's a story I've heard all too many times. Everybody should take the time to find out what they're in for before they commit to a field.

I haven't lost my mind... it's backed up on disk somewhere.

[defjoe]

yes and this is the perfect thing to do with any career you want to look into. I think HS should push this more.

'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/)

[Invader Xan]

The trouble with design is, I think, that the attractive part of the job is actually fun. All it takes is a copy of Corel Draw (or worse... Powerpoint! *shudder*) for someone to think they're a graphic designer. This could be why bad designs are so rife nowadays.
Sorry... am I cynical?

At any rate, any job has pros and cons... You just have to weigh them up and see if the good sides outweigh the bad. Personally, even with all the admin and ignorant clients, I still prefer my design career to most of the other options out there.
My only thing is, I'd much rather get out of advertising and into something... better. Actually, if anyone has any good advice on getting into corporate identities and logo design, I'd really appreciate it!
I guess that's another thing. Design is a wider field than most people might realise, and just because one aspect of graphic design doesn't suit someone, doesn't mean that they won't find their niche somewhere else in it...

Food for thought...

[PrintDriver]

Careful what you say about Corel. It is a staple of the signage industry and many on here use it professionally...
For some things, it's actually better than Illustrator.
It's far and away better than any Microsux product.

As for Corporate Identities and logo design, what is the difference between doing ads for companies or doing 'promotional' material for them? Promotional not only meaning 'trash and trinkets' but more like branding. You're still doing ads, menus, business cards, stationary, marketing collateral, etc. Try to hook up with a marketing firm.

PrintDriver is a grande format digital print dude. His advice/opinions may not apply to the 4color/offset/web world of printing

[Chuck Biscuits]

Yeah, that's nice to hear (err.. read) I get clowned anytime I say I used Corel Draw. Illustrator is my main program, but Draw comes in handy for lots of features. Never understood why some designers are so brand loyal (or afraid to learn new things)

http://hunter-graphics.50megs.com/cropcrop.jpg

[texaz_pepper]

I'm new on the forum - and was purusing threads... but I have to say that this is an important article, no matter what you wanna be when you 'grow up' (does anyone really do that???).

I have two teenage daughters, one thinks she wants to be a decorator. I have a friend who IS a decorator - and my daughter is going to spend a few days over spring break helping her out. Decorating is not just rearranging other people's furniture and painting their rooms...any more than graphic design is just throwing things together on a page and (hopefully) proofreading... :D

I backed into graphic design through a public relations major, a job at an ad/marketing firm and finding I liked the challenges of layout. I'm limited in what I understand about Photoshop and Illustrator, but I'm fluent in Quark and am working on InDesign. I hope to gain a lot from reading what others are saying... thanks.

[thecat@]

great article. more newbies should read this.

when i started college i wasn't sure if i wanted to be a child phycologist or a fine artist.

in my second semester they had us running a day camp so we could try out our new skills with their heads [it was during the kiddo's summer vacation].

i quickly learned i didn't like the little buggers [in large numbers they go after blood], so solidified my arts major. it was a valuable lesson and not just in my major. before this episode i was engaged to a catholic and dreaming of 9 kids ... whew! that was a close one

regards,
cat
---------------------------
Catherine (cat) Morley
Project Manager: Creative Latitude
www.creativelatitude.com (http://www.creativelatitude.com)
Creative Director: Katz-i Design International
www.katzidesign.com (http://www.katzidesign.com)

[Shrimp123]

Hey Guy's and Gal's

I'm Irish, and living in ireland.. i'm like in my second last year (5th year) of my secondary school (beofre you go to collage) last year in school we have a year called trasnition year.. the school organises weekly trips to work places, and you do that a few times a year!

Should be implemented in America! ;)

http://www.freewebs.com/general3214/ShrimpOrange.JPG

[MonotoneLime]

So..now Im a wee bit nervous reading all these posts. I know they all mean well..but I tend to be easily influenced in some cases, just depends. The article was great and Im actually in school now and have been for a little over a year for my degree in fine art. Although I have not interned yet or shadowed, I have visited large printing houses and a gd firm here in Tampa, FL and have witnessed how much work, organization and detail goes into everything you do. I guess I just believe that this field is for me. Nothing else strikes my interest like this one considering it changes all the time. I pay much attention to detail and layout and design as the next person. I guess my main concern is finding an internship and actually getting out there. I tend to be on the "shy" side when it comes to presenting myself to others.. *lack of confidence* Others say I will go far..but I don't see it.. Believe it or not.. as big of a city as Tampa is..there aren't a whole lot of positions available from what I've been seeing! *yikes* =) Im trying to talk to Career Services at my school though and have been looking up places to just see if by some chance they would take a shadow?! Me..a shadow?? Scary deal.. I don't think they'll see that as fair trade hehe.. Just wanted to uhm..vent..and reply =)

[cjoe]

An intelligent and insightful article mate. I'm in a design job at the moment, i thought it would all be illustration and mucking around at first, but then i realised that its all about communication with internal and external clients, delivering what the clients want. Some people dont have the people skills to deal with that sort of thing, after all you are not designing for yourself!

[mac]

Good article, yes, but it goes with any job, there are always parts to a job that are not taught or not even thinking you might have to deal with.

'Some People don't know, don't know what is wrong, so there knee deep, knee deep in sorrow'

[D-Zine]

True but I think the job shadowing gives some real insight into the real world for those who don't know. I think its a great idea.

Power to the Oldschoolers

[morea]

This is especially important in our field, because a lot of people are particularly unaware of the true nature of 'prepress' or 'design' jobs. Let's just say a little shadowing can clue you in to the fact that it's not all glamour and caviar! /emoticons/tongue.gif

I haven't lost my mind... it's backed up on disk somewhere.

[mac]

Like in any job, experience is good, cuz you never know what you may have to deal with

'Some People don't know, don't know what is wrong, so there knee deep, knee deep in sorrow'

[Magnus]

Sure it is. But when that situation comes up that goes beyond what experience has taught you, it's nice to have a guide to give you an idea on how to proceed.

Know this: Spammers, Flammers and Trolls will be shown no mercy and given no quarter. They will be pursued to the ends of the earth and executed Mod-style.

- Magnus

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v39/TlantMagnus/trollkill.jpg

[pynk]

kewl article

im about to start a GD degree, and ive only had about 4 weeks worth of work experience

from what ive done, its given me ideas of what type of GD id like to go into in the future, which i think is one of the best things that came out of it for me

i get the chance to do 2 months work experience in my final year at college, which is good, but maybe a bit late???

http://img107.exs.cx/img107/3985/pynk3am.jpg

[Wiley]

Great article! I especially like how they talk about the business side of GD. I've been self-employed for 3 years now and am still getting used to doing EVERYTHING myself. Definitely no regrets though.

Just joined the forum, I hope to stay active, this is great.

[DivineDesign]

wow. i just read this. great article. i wish they had done this when i was in HS. though, i had no clue what i wanted to do when i graduated. i went from meteorologist to journalist to going to community college to get all my gen eds out of the way while i decided....finally it dawned on me. :) And now i'm 3 quarters away from graduating with my GD degree...oooooo i'm skrrrrrrdddddd!!!!!!!

"BAN!"

Today I begin to understand what love must be, if it exists.... When we are parted, we each feel the lack of the other half of ourselves. We are incomplete like a book in two volumes of which the first has been lost. That is what I imagine love to be: incompleteness in absence.

Youare gonnalisten to me..and you are gonna LIKE IT!!!!!!

[Twisted Poet]

I like what I read I am a student currently and would like to recieve more information on how to find someone in my area to shadow because it is hard to find someone in any career that I am interested in. So I hope that someone will help me out and send me some info either here or at charlestrahan@startdepart.com please consider lending me a hand
:~Twisted

[morea]

hey twisted, your best bet is probably to look through your local phone directory and either call or write to the print shops, advertising / design agencies, or newspapers in your area, and see if they would be willing to walk you through a normal work day.

Since you're not asking for payment other than experience they are normally happy to oblige.

We are one, our cause us one, and we must help each other if we are to succeed. ~ Frederick Douglass

[morea]

p.s. - you may want to edit your post above (by clicking on the pencil in the upper right hand corner of the post box) and change your email address so it doesn't get picked up by spam bots. Just change @ to (a) or (at)

We are one, our cause us one, and we must help each other if we are to succeed. ~ Frederick Douglass

[atex512]

nice article

[chriscrooz]

Apprecaite the information. It's a huge help to surround yourself around people who have the same passions as you do in life. It gives you examples and insite that someone in a different profession can't give correctly.

[Tzvook55]

Excellent article defjoe....

Sure is !!!

and these kids all think they want to be designers coz they did well at art at school and they think it's a cool job. I'm sure most of you would agree that it can be a cooler job than a lot of other ones (one of my friends used to hang dead pigs on hooks for a living) but getting real about the nature of the work is ESSENTIAL. I think I can cope with it because I came into GD from a marketing and advertising background - and I learned most of what i know on the job from a designer i worked with.

If you ask me ... a good designer needs to be a bit older then those kids running around, "hooking" for pennies ....
I never knew a good designer that came from school and knew the job ... yes ... you need a good teacher afterwards, and a lot of knoladge in outer fields to make you a good one, you need to know man nature to talk & to understand your customers ... and so on ...

[hexdragon]

er im kinda new so ill just jump in and hope im not made fun of by all u designer people

i have been interested in getting into graphic design for a while but dont have a clue where to start what programs to use or anything dont suppose anyone can help me out

[JPnyc]

Not to worry. The crew keeps order around here. Oh, and welcome!

[Step]

I have hired many new comers to the Graphic Design / Printing World only to find that they haven’t been very well prepared the actual practice of Graphic Design for Offset Printing. I know schools cannot teach everything to everyone because of the diverse nature of our business, but I do think it is the duty of whoever is teaching to make sure the student fully understands the area of design they are choosing.

I have given many talks and seminars to Graphic Arts Students speaking on Offset Commercial Printing. I usually get the “you’re kidding” or the “I had no idea” statements at the end. The hardest thing for new people to understand is that this is a competitive business and business owners expect results. I know how difficult it is to come up with an original design. Factor in the fact that it has to be done in a timely manor for the company to make money and now you are talking real pressure. Then to do it 30, 40, 50 times a day....many burn out in the first year or two.

However, on the flip side of the pressure is the reward. I still see Video Box sleeves I worked on in the 80’s floating around. The corporation that chooses you over hundreds because of your concept. The satisfaction of knowing that you helped a start-up company become a giant. And the list goes on.

For all professions, not just ours, go work in it before you choose it as a career. Many business will accept interns as long as you don’t slow production. Become familiar, ask questions and most of all, be flexible.

Thank you, I will step down off my soapbox now.......


Joe Davis,
StepPrinting.com

[defjoe]

Well said

[Eggles1]

Where I live in Australia, kids in 4th year high school (about 15-16 years old) have two weeks of 'work experience', for which they can receive a small wage. The school can help them organise placements if they need it. Since most employers are aware of the scheme, it's not too difficult for the kids to get the placement. My elder daughter had a week at a kindergarten and a week in a library, as they were both areas of interest at the time. Her experiences, although not totally negative, helped her decide against possible careers in preschool teaching and librarian. I think the scheme could benefit by being broadened to allow kids to experience as many workplaces as they can - but I guess that has to be balanced against the time needed at school. But I think there is a definite need for kids to experience as much as they can about the type of career they think they want to do well before they start tertiary studies in the field.

[sadesigner]

Cool article, especially for a newbie like me! I agree, work experience beats the rest, but it's like playing piano from hearing vs classical training. If you have both, you're made. Being from a web design background (for over 5 years) it's sometimes difficult to put on my graphic design hat, but the experience over the years has definately given me the edge on designers that just walked out of the classroom. I would however not promote myself as a GD yet, that's why I'm here, scouting for juicy bits of info and tips :-)

[colonel5]

the thing i realize more each day is how much school didn't teach me, I am barely a year out of college and only 6 months into my first real gig, Normally i should be in a department being mentored by what i'd call a "real designer" but alas I am alone here in this small company learning the best i can alone ;o( that's why i love coming to this forum, so many people from so many walks of life in this industry, I've only been around this forum for a couple months but I've learned so much and hope to someday actually be able to add to the converstaion

[lbwd]

I like the last two lines :)

[SinFUl]

Great article.... Thnks for the info

[panzer]

obviously its a great idea

[aantonsen]

I agree great article.

Inspire those of us who are on the Island of (Lost GD).

AA

[WannaBrie]

Great article! I think this is a great idea and i wish i would've had some opportunity like this years ago. I got my first degree in Fine Arts (printmaking was my major, fine art photography my minor) I thought I was going to just blast onto the scene and have galleries calling me like crazy to do shows, etc, etc...what I didn't realize was that without some major contacts or great representation the only way to break in was self promotion, something I am not good at all. A big part of it was selling yourself. I sucked at that and became very disillusioned. Finally, after years of floundering about, I finished my second degree almost three years ago, got very lucky and landed a job with a marketing company with an extremely talented and experienced art department who have been wonderful at teaching me all the stuff I didn't learn in school. Ahh! Finally happy in my work! I love what I do! But it took me 20 years to do it!

[wafflepancake]

I think everyone here liked the article and obviously it's a great idea to get work experience as soon as possible. However, I am surprised that no one has mentioned anything about the more depressing side of work experience. Maybe because I live in England and it's different over here, but I think there should be some kind of law or a way of monitoring all the work experience that companies offer. Basically the problem is that companies start to take advantage of students and young people wanting to get into the industry by paying them NOTHING or a seriously bad rate which is well below minimum wage simply in the name of Work Experience. It then creates a situation where it is pretty much EXPECTED that people have work experience before being taken seriously for paid employment, therefore more and more people start to work for free and more and more companies start to take advantage. I often see posts where companies or individuals are looking for someone to create animations or to design something or to work for free for 3 months and it's absolutely ridiculous to ask serious desgners or animators to do work for free after spending up to 4 years at University or whatever. Designers need to eat too. People are blatantly being USED by companies... big ones and small ones. I last heard that BBC is a perfect example of this. Of course there are good opportunities also, but I think there is a lot of really dodgy work going on where the employers interests are purely to save money and nothing else. I've done some work experience before and some of it has been good... some of it bad. I guess if you do two weeks of work when you are in High School, living with your parents, then maybe it's a little different, but still.... This whole free "Work Experience" situation is getting out of hand and I don't think it should be promoted. What do you guys think?

well, that was my rant for today. :)

the end.

[sadesigner]

You know, that got me thinking...

I always find that it's sometimes the bigger potential clients who will bitch the most about price, because they realise that they're so high profile that we'd be able to cash in just by adding them to our portfolio. This is also something worth considering, the 'lateral probable value' a client might offer e.g. a big publisher having overflow and needing a quick design solution, offering you exposure in a magazine or related deals like that if you offer discount. You should actually be the one offering discount in such cases.

I'm just suggesting, think out of the box. I do however wholeheartedly agree with the fact that junior designers are used and abused. But isn't this purely a case of initiation into the industry? Most of us went through it and I feel it made me realise early on that I have to work very hard for achieving my personal goals in the workplace... I don't agree with paying below minimum wage though, that's just plain dumb from an employer's perspective.

Just remember, most of the time a client will get what they pay for.

SAD

[jmdesign]

That shadowing thing is a good idea. I'll have to keep that in mind.

[clairabelle]

great idea! i live in england and went on works experience for 2 weeks and changed my mind immediately. i am now at cleveland college of art and design and am wanting to get some experience or "shadowing" as we have been calling it! it sounds like a great opportunity to see what you are letting yourself in for. my lecturers are getting us well prepared and letting us know exactly what to expect (in individual tutorials every week) as they have both been in advertising themselves (this is the field i am most interested in) and it is a big help to have such support at hand.....ive learned that it always helps to ask as many questions as possible....if you don't ask you'll never know! don't be afraid to ask about anything you're unsure about....you won't look stupid or silly you will simply be showing an interest and willingness to learn more from the people that know more!

claire xxx

[Finnstar]

yeah, ive lucked out because im in the middle of a degree (AS) in graphic design and, its a great program, but i want to get started in the career now to see if im going to enjoy it or if im cut out for it. ive got a friend of the family in philadelphia who is an advertising copywriter and is giving me the time of day to help me out. he knows designers, advertisement agencies and the like and i cannot wait to move up there and get my feet wet. experience is experience no matter what and the best work youre going to do for a portfolio isnt always what you did in college, being directed in a certain way by means of project descriptions and all that. experience, shadowing, meeting people, its all necessary to make it in a career involving creativity because thats what youre going to be doing for the rest of your life, meeting people and continuous improvement and learning. great article, really made me think positive again about the trip im gonna be making in the next few months. it always sucks getting nervous about unknowns.

[Samakimoto Graphics]

That's what I did straight out of high school. I did a stint as a *graphic design trainee* for 6 months. Of course I did not do much design at first, I ended up doing mostly typing copy. But the art director there was very patient.

He would take me along when going to meet clients. And eventually (after reading through an illustrator manual) I got to design my first comp graphic- a logo that the client still uses 11 years down the line.

Never regreted it!

[tnowicki]

It seems like everything that I've learned after college is stuff that should have been taught in high school - rather than pumping eager students heads full with the idea that companies jump at the opportunity to hire new grads and out with the old. I love design and I think i will always do freelance on the side, but it's turning out to be a non-lucrative career decision. The pay varies, but tends to be on the low end of the salary scale, unless your in a senior/director/partner position. It's nearly impossible to find entry-level positions, You can get stuck working in one type of industry because your portfolio reflects only that, you have to spend a fortune on upgrading and buying new software, and the entry-level crap production jobs are shipping to india.
I think eventually I will go back to school for Marketing & Management. I had a marketing class and it was my favorite, and I've always had more of a business mentality than that of a flaky artist.

[shayeGC13]

I live on the Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia and there isn't many digital design jobs you can get in Queensland (There mainly in Sydney, New South Wales) and its really annoying:mad: . This is because when you learning about digital designing at school you can't really shadow digital designers so when you eventualy finish schooling "you get thrown in the deep end" of the digital design workforce and its really hard to find a job in this profession because there are so little in Jobs in Australia.

anyway i'm starting 2 repeat myself so i'm going.

[Ieatsox]

I hink that the industry I am reelated in is veryexclusive jobs, and when i go into it for real , not inside of school, I think it would e awesome to shafow someone.

[Begga]

I was very lucky and got a job this summer at a big packing company where they have their own little design wing.
Even though I plan to work in web and print, doing this job has opened my eyes to how little i know. I'm working with great people who have done this for 20 years.

It made me release how cocky young people often are.
If I would meet my boss in a store, I would simply see an older man who probably did a very boring job. I would never think he knew more about design or printing than I did.

And it also took some of the shine of the job, this can be frustrating work, and most of the time you don't get projects that would inspire you. Right now I'm re-designing a potato bag. How fun is that!!!! :D :D
But I'm still sticking to this carrier. Nothing els I would rather do...

[columbeanu]

Interesting article, very sensitive, it's true what he said

[Samakimoto Graphics]

Yup!

[syberwolff]

Great article. The BOCES im going to next year helps us find graphics internships but they don't do that until the second year. My mom works at a publishing company as an accountant and I asked her if they take design internships as an option for when I am able to do that because her work is right near the BOCES I'll be going to.

I'll have to talk to my guidance councelors about getting help finding someone local to shadow or even just goto the design center I know of in the next town over (5 minute drive) and ask if they do internships or anything.

Thanks for the great article!

[superlove]

Any creative field including graphic design needs at least 5-10 years before you become an accomplished practitioner. And before that time comes, the money's not good at all. Best you decide you REALLY like this field enough to work for little compensation for a while.

[LuckyT]

what do you think of this website i recently did Graphics for? www.cosmeticchoice.com.au (http://www.cosmeticchoice.com.au) I am a student. If you can post the link anywhere on the web that would be cool. Does anyone know how to get things ranked highly on google??

[JPnyc]

Not by spamming forums with it, that's one way not to.

[MisterClips]

I am a student. If you can post the link anywhere on the web that would be cool. Does anyone know how to get things ranked highly on google??

This is really a post for a different topic, but if you want to get ranked higher in Google, create a Google friendly XML site map. There's a few free sites out there that do it with absolutely no charge. If products are being sold on the site, list them with Froogle. It's a tedious process, but it ranks you higher. Also, make sure you have a good robots.txt file (basic stuff). Posting the link in forums won't help as much because Google is working to factor these kind of links out of their ranking model.

Back to the topic of the forum, I worked as the graphic designer for my college newspaper for 4 years while in college. I learned a lot by doing actual hands-on work. Insternships are good, but often interns are cut off from seeing aspects of the decision making process.Anything a preson can do to get closer to the industry helps. :)

[Petersburger]

It's a great idea. I put something like that together for our school district last year and it really opened some students' eyes. For the most part, they took it seriously.

[DavidLieb]

This is a really important point. Every once in a while I give talks at art schools and in public forums about making a living as a designer. It seems that very little is taught about it in normal schools. It's one of the things that I think is most important. So many design students turn to other jobs because they don't know where to start!

[gracehan]

excellent!

[kfh_king]

let say this if you study some thing you dont like your going to hate your job any way so why noy like your area of study and because of that like your job not study some thing you hate and end up also hateing your job trust me i know studying bunisess sux and the jobs are boring (my case) but i am also going for the area that i love computer programing and graphic design

[echoflynew]

:p Good idear!

www.book-printing.cn (http://www.book-printing.cn)

I think that internships are good, but this is a great idea that will save you years of school. My wife went to college for three years as a Music Ed. major. They didn't put her in the classroom student teaching until halfway through her junior year and she hated it. She had to scramble to get out in four years and ended up majoring in music performance and minoring in Sociology.

As for me, I got a two day a week internship at a print shop and just started showing up every day after a month or two...

Great article, man. Thanks!
-Jason

A lie can travel halfway around the world before the truth can even put on its shoes.
-Mark Twain

[Emmanize]

Dream job could turn out to be nightmare

Ill drink to that.

[grandloser]

:) great article thanks for sharing.

[designforumsa]

Great Article Joe!

[DoItYourself]

I've been doing this all my life. If I hadn't I would have ended up as a very unhappy landscaping architect, baker (4am + grumpy israeli boss who wants to sell you his business = 1 crappy job.), or chef (if you ever want to experience real stress...) add those jobs to a slew of office and retail jobs...and you have my life from 16-22.

But even though I hated these jobs they taught me patience, work ethic, how to work fast and accurately, and how to complain like a pro.:D

The point of a job is not just to make money, but to be happy while doing it.

It wasnt until I got a job at a graphic design firm that I realised I was in the right field. Now Im in school for it and I cant stop smiling. Even when I'm frustrated with a design or client I'm still happy.

[pdf file]

Here in London, you won't get a decent job in design without having done one or more work placements.

[gallagher]

I started out asa DTP operator hoping to get into design and i think that eased me into the company.. and my job.

[OTEM]

Some of my friends in University do not go into placement until year 3-4, if I remember correctly. By this time they will have already spent at least £9,000 in course fees alone. They are working towards the types of job that you cannot pick up the Yellow Pages (Criminology/Forensics) and ask about a work placement, because you need to be highly qualified. It is a major financial risk because they might not enjoy the job afterall, even though they may have loved the learning and studying side - like this article highlights. We are lucky that many of us have access to placements/shadowing. This article has made me realise that I need to make the most of the opportunity, because I have done neither yet,

and I feel stupid.

Thanks for the article.

[jet22]

Thank you for posting this article.

[graphicsmama]

I agree with this article....thanks for posting it!

[MAVD]

well i did an internship as a graphic designer at a major company here in miami, i found that the art director was the only person responsible for putting together every single thing that had to do with the company, he had time for nothing interesting and certainly not creative at all. i found that while i disliked everything about that kind of job i still love graphic design. The article is fantastic, but some of us already made the choise and in that case, you can only try to find your way.

[Broacher]

One thing that's hard to pick up in an internship--and sometimes, even in your first job, is not what the field IS like, but what is it going to BE like, in say, ten years time. I imagine that the woods are full of many dashed career hopes from people who got into an area that they really loved only to have that field turned upside down or squished out of existence by any number of unforeseen changes in technology and the world economy.

And just as often, the human character of a job changes dramatically with changes in technology. One of the great things I loved about the 'old school' work of graphic production was the communal ties it created. Large productions required many, many hands. Usually in one place, for a long time. Doing manual but necessary work. That kind of 'quilting bee' mentality really appealed to me back then.

Even the day to day was very social-- you worked with more service people (couriers, film and stat houses, printers, art supply retailers) and you met with more people directly because---that was the way it went!

If you are serious about jobshadowing, try to ask the kind of questions about what the field will be like 5, 10 years down the road. I think it's especially critical that students ask this as too often the teachers are a generation removed from the work realities out there.

[Cahenz]

The most common e-mails I get on a daily basis unfortunately aren't quote requests. At least once or twice a week I get an email from a high school student who wants to become a graphic designer and they want my feedback on what to expect.

So I tell them to pick a different career, and that they're lucky the caught me when they did because I'm in the process of chambering a round so I can paint the walls with my brain matter.

Kidding. But in all seriousness, I wish more long time professionals would be more blunt about the down sides of this industry. I love what I do and don't feel like it's feasible for me to "jump ship", but I also feel compelled to let young folks know how miserable a career in graphic design can make you.

So parents, for a nominal fee, drop your youngsters off with me for an hour. When you get them back, all those fanciful dreams of being a working artist will be pulverized. Your son or daughter will come out of our session with a renewed sense of purpose, and your education dollars won't be squandered.

:D

[budafist]

Ahuh. When I first put our freelancing business into a local directory, I was getting around 1 student per week asking if they could come and do work experience at our business. I had to say no to all of them. We only work a couple hours per night after work. It's between tv shows and dinner - not very professional at all!

[Onsoi]

cool article... can't agree more!

[GiGi]

I'm also from the UK, and when I was 15 I had 2 weeks work experience (that's what the schol scheme was called) at a graphic design agency. I was really interested in art and design as well as journalism at the time and lucky enough to know a person who's best friend owned a graphic design agency in shoreditch. The work was alot of scanning and cleaning pics, with some hands on client work where I was able to sit in meetings and actually come up with design concepts.
This was 10 years ago and it really woke me up to the real nature of the job, I've done nothing but design since and have never looked back.
I've worked for big corporate and small time advertising/design agencies, which has really given me an idea of the spectrum of work and my role in the design industry... and yeah at times it's tedious and monotone, but I think those initial 2 weeks really opened my eyes, and allowed me to really comprehend what I was getting myself into. The only thing I now regret is that I lost touch with the agency a couple years later and now don't know where they've relocated to as they had mentioned offering me a position within the company.

Maybe someone here has heard of them D.A.P? They were based in Old street, East London in 1998, I think they relocated in 1999-2000, the director was Antony Vecchio... any clues? I'd just like to say hi!

[cgmpowers]

I'm struggling with that now with my son. He loves playing games on the computer, he even loves taking them apart and fixing them and upgrading them. He wants to go into computers for a career but doesn't know what to do. He's entertained the idea of graphic design (even though he's never show any artistic interest), he's toyed around with the idea of networking support or even programming (he had a class in programming but hated it).

I've encouraged him to try to get an internship where he'd get a few months of experience somewhere in one of these fields--but he's refusing because like all teenagers, he wants to many fast money and most internships I've found him either are non-paid or low paying.

So...he starts college next year and unfortunately is very uncertain of his career ambitions...

Chris

I just read this article in my local paper about job shadowing. I think it's a GREAT idea, especially in our industry cause, as you can find but just doing a search on this forum alone, youngsters who actually find a design job out of college are turned off within a year or so cause it's not what they thought. Nor do they know all the skills or have all the skills they thought they had coming from school. Even though this doesn't talk about design specifically it's still very telling!

Dream job could turn out to be nightmare

Before choosing a career, consider job shadowing or volunteering in that field, experts say.

By L.M. Sixel | The Houston Chronicle
Posted November 10, 2004

Lots of people choose the wrong career. They assume they'll like being a vet because they love animals. Or accounting will be fun because they enjoy math.

Unfortunately, it's not that simple.

Some animal lovers don't realize they'll probably end up running a small business and focused as much on payroll and liability insurance as sick animals.

Many would-be accountants may not realize the job requires a lot of repetition and routine work.

So before you invest a lot of time and money in going to school and picking up the skills you'll need, invest a bit of time and find out what a career entails.

Although there are books that discuss the pluses and minuses of dentistry -- good pay but few conversational opportunities -- or car repair -- also good money but requires contact with a certain share of irate customers who feel overcharged -- there's really no better way to investigate a career than by spending time with someone who does the kind of job you're interested in.

That way you can find out if it's a career that demands long hours, whether it pays well or whether there's lots of on-the-job pressure.

Steve Currall, associate professor of management at the Jones Graduate School of Management at Rice University, is a big fan of career tryouts.

'You either decide more in favor of what you originally thought or you'll decide that's the last job you'd ever want to have,' Currall says.

'I think the experience also destroys some of the myths we have about jobs,' he adds. You can find out some of the real challenges along with the negative aspects of the job.

Someone who likes to play video games might think about a career as a computer programmer. But that requires a tremendous attention to detail, says Currall, and you wouldn't know that unless you spent time with someone who writes computer code.

Currall says he could have benefited himself if he had paid a little more attention when he chose his own career.

Even though he spent a lot of time in graduate school working closely with professors, he didn't find out until later how solitary the work was.

'I didn't grasp it until I really got into the career,' he says. 'A lot of the work is sitting at home at the computer. So for people who are more social, it's not fun to sit in front of the computer all day.'

Challenging coursework; unchallenging job

Cheryl Matherly figured she would go to law school and become a lawyer. But when she spent summers during college working for a law firm, she realized she didn't like the lawyers or the work.

It turned out they do a lot of research, they spend a lot of time preparing legal briefs and focus a lot on details.

'It wasn't very interesting to me,' Matherly recalls. 'I liked people contact.' She realized how much she liked working with fellow students at the University of New Mexico in Albuquerque as the assistant residence hall director.

Today, Matherly is assistant dean of students and director of career services at Rice University, and she recommends students try career examination.

She finds that students who are studying engineering often enjoy the challenging coursework. But when they take an internship or spend time with a working engineer, they often report that they don't enjoy the job very much.

Sometimes, it's the culture that's the turnoff; other times the work is more focused on safety than creativity, she says.

So how can a student or midcareer changer find someone to shadow? To get the real story? Matherly suggests asking a family friend or contacting a professional association for ideas of people to contact. Sometimes, a school guidance counselor can help locate alumni.

For a longer-term experience, internships are an excellent way to try out a career, she says. Volunteering also is a good way to test a job before making a major commitment. Interested in working in the medical field? Volunteer at the local hospital.

She also recommends that students or midcareer changers conduct an 'informational interview' of someone with an interesting career.

Ask about the pros and cons of the job. Ask whether they like it. Ask how the job is expected to change.

Librarians, for example, don't work as much with books anymore as they work with databases, Matherly says. Learn where the field is going.

Matherly also says she has her students write a report after conducting an informational interview and describe what the work environment is like, whether people work in cubicles or private offices, how people dress and even how they address each other.

'Students have the leverage to do this,' she says. 'People are very inclined to help students out. They remember when they were in that boat.'

'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/)

Post Edited (defjoe) : 11/10/2004 5:49:16 PM GMT

[budafist]

I'm struggling with that now with my son. He loves playing games on the computer, he even loves taking them apart and fixing them and upgrading them. He wants to go into computers for a career but doesn't know what to do. He's entertained the idea of graphic design (even though he's never show any artistic interest), he's toyed around with the idea of networking support or even programming (he had a class in programming but hated it).

I've encouraged him to try to get an internship where he'd get a few months of experience somewhere in one of these fields--but he's refusing because like all teenagers, he wants to many fast money and most internships I've found him either are non-paid or low paying.

So...he starts college next year and unfortunately is very uncertain of his career ambitions...

Chris

A young person's passions can come and go - what is he good at? Could he get into 3D animation and therefore make computer games?

[PrintDriver]

If he shows no interest in Art, 3D animation can be the most tedious of arts.

If he likes taking computers apart, perhaps a regular college is the wrong place to be. There is absolutely nothing wrong with going to a technical college to become a hands-on computer 'mechanic' or something along that line.

It wasn't the gold diggers that made the money. It was the guy selling the shovels...

[GraphixNPrint]

I totally agree with PD. Now-a-days computer "geeks" are in high demand, and fairly well paid. Tech school may be right for him as that seems to be the part he enjoys.

Maybe see if he'll go somewhere like Best Buy and talk with someone in thier "geek squad" to see if that seems to be the type of career he would be interested in.

[nikki-owz]

we have work experience in wales already where u can go to a business for 2 weeks to understand exactly the kind of work you will have to do. only thing is you're really too young to understand and most places end up having you make coffee, sweep up the floor and dont really get you involved in the position. shame .. but its a good article!

[budafist]

I did work experience 3 times when I was in high school.

1 day with a freelance illustrator

2 days at a publishing company

3 days at a graphic design studio

This was a compulsary part of my high school course. We had to organise everything ourselves but if we were really really stuck the teachers would send us to their contacts or you could follow a teacher around for a day.

Do other countries do the same?

This wasn't to learn anything on the job, just get an idea as to if our "chosen" profession was what we wanted to do or not.

[seanjennin]

great article Joe!

[Wolfwood]

I'm struggling with that now with my son. He loves playing games on the computer, he even loves taking them apart and fixing them and upgrading them. He wants to go into computers for a career but doesn't know what to do. He's entertained the idea of graphic design (even though he's never show any artistic interest), he's toyed around with the idea of networking support or even programming (he had a class in programming but hated it).

He needs to decide what aspects of the computers actually appeal to him. Is it the physical aspect of taking them apart and repairing them, or the mental aspect of problem solving the software? You mentioned IT support and that can be a lucrative career. A friend of mine works in that field and he never even went to school for it. Just make sure your son has a very even temper and the patience of a saint. :)

[Quirky_Penguin]

Hi all, I'm new to this forum. Hope everyone is ok!:D

I will be going into my second year of uni in September, and decided to get some work experience in graphics before I go back! I had my first day today, and really enjoyed it! They got me involved in one of the projects they were working on, and it seemed quite similar to what I've done at uni and college. I was just wondering what its like in the real world? How similar to work experience is it? I'm assuming it is a little bit more complicated?:confused:

[budafist]

Well, at work experience they will probably be a lot nicer to you in the real world. You also get more responsibility in the real world. Oh and you get paid :D

[klevr]

I really want to try to shadow some designers here, but I live in Tucson, Arizona and for some reason I get the feeling that the GD industry isn't all that prominent here. Where do you suggest I start? Should I just call local newspapers and TV stations or search for random jobs looking for designers and call them to see if they allow students to shadow them?

Great post btw.

[budafist]

There must be designers in every corner of the modern world. Just give a few places a call and see what happens.

Just keep in mind that you are calling businesses to do you a favour. They don't know who you are and they don't know if you are any good. You might be seen as a disruption to the workplace rather than free help.

If you have no experience, then ask just for a short period (I did 2 days each at 2 different studios to start with).