How is the job market for a Graphic Designer?

[pink_hippo]

I am currently thinking about changing career to be a Graphic Designer. But would anyone please tell me if it is even worth the effort to go earn a degree in Graphic Design and then try to find a good paying job in the field?
I heard from many people that this field doesn't pay good.
If you have any special personal stories, would you please share with me? I am desperate http://www.graphicdesignforum.com/emoticons/mad.gif

[defjoe]

do a search...talked abot a MILLION times on here. you will find something very quick

till then here's an example

www.graphicdesignforum.com/default.aspx?f=35&m=101982 (http://www.graphicdesignforum.com/default.aspx?f=35&m=101982)

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

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[TBdesign]

pink_hippo said...
I am currently thinking about changing career to be a Graphic Designer. But would anyone please tell me if it is even worth the effort to go earn a degree in Graphic Design and then try to find a good paying job in the field?
I heard from many people that this field doesn't pay good.

If you have any special personal stories, would you please share with me? I am desperate /emoticons/mad.gif

What are you doing for a carrer right now?? The stuff you are doing now, can it benefit you in any way in the graphic design field?

The market is not bad right now, I see jobs out there in my area every week, not as many as alot of other majors but they are out there. Alot of companies do not even advertise a job opening in my area, 'you kind of just have t be plugged into your area' a company a freind works for didnt put out any advertisments and got over 200 resume, just by word of mouth, and local artist, and design seminars. They had to stop taking resumes because they kept comming in. There can be an enormous amount of jobs out at one time then kind of fall back and you may only see a few for a while.

Pay is not bad, some that said pay is bad may be desktop publishers or something to that effect. The average pay around here is $30,000-$35,000 and have seen some salaries starting at $45,000-$65,00 and even more just depending on what you are into in the design world.
Graphic designer, production artist, web designer, photographer, package designer, enviromental designer, art director, etc.

Start looking at design firms, advertising agencies, coporate design in your area, look for thew jobs that are open now and what possibly could be opening in the future. Check up on schools in your area and see the programs that they have to offer, and how acredited are they to firms in your area. If it is a bad school doesnt mean you will not get a job, it will depend on your portfolio, but I have found the better the school, some fo the better projects you get to work on, and have for your portfolio out of school, granted you can work on whatever you want on your own time also.

[Patrick Shannon]

Although I remain just a little optimistic, I stand by my opinion that this career path is a sinking ship going down. (And it shouldn't be.) Don't get me wrong, I absolutely love the career (but not my current job) and I love talking about and explaining all that technical terms and processes about it (that's why I like this forum so much). And back about five years ago, GD was a very viable career path. But today's world is indeed different, and while I won't go over my situation, I will say that I'm starting to feel like I've wasted the last five or six years of my life. And I can't even fathom how college graduates with no experience feels (although that's what they seem to be hiring these days.) As much as it pains me to say it, take my advice, if you want to be a autonomous adult, don't follow graphic design. (But I'm crossing my fingers that I can give you a different opinion in five more years.)

Patrick Shannon

'Dear valued customer, go home and die. Signed, your friendly graphic artist.'

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[TBdesign]

Patrick I dont see what you mean by it is a sinking ship?
There is always a need for designers, if it is graphic, web, video, gaming,photography, etc. there is always going to be a need. Until the day comes that they start shoving everything in a brown bag.

[Patrick Shannon]

TB, that's exactly what I don't understand. On paper, it makes absolute sense as you simply look all around and see areas and aspects you're needed in. And back in 2000, it was not that hard to land an interview. But there are simply too few jobs out there with too many job seekers. Many print places have closed, and of the businesses that have been successful, many of them have adopted a 'hire em cheap' mentality, or simply looks for some sort of associates or masters completely disgarding experience. There is also an alarming amount of graphic work being commissioned overseas (any company who practices this is anti-American and should be taxed to high hell). This is just the state of things these days, and it completely doesn't make sense to me either.

Patrick Shannon

'Dear valued customer, go home and die. Signed, your friendly graphic artist.'

http://www.patrickshannon.com/mwwc_sm.gif
My War With Culture (http://www.mywarwithculture.com)
Political incorrectness reinvented.

[TBdesign]

Yah that over seas crap pisses me off, not just with design with everything, but it is hard to avoid it these days.
It has been a little slow in my area at times for jobs, but there have alwasy been some every week. and alot atleast every month or two. It might just be your area, where you from??

[Patrick Shannon]

St. Louis, Missouri (well, right outside to be more technical). I know other areas might have better fortunes, but I'm too stuck here with committments (some of those being financial).

Patrick Shannon

'Dear valued customer, go home and die. Signed, your friendly graphic artist.'

http://www.patrickshannon.com/mwwc_sm.gif
My War With Culture (http://www.mywarwithculture.com)
Political incorrectness reinvented.

[imagemaker]

For info on what is wrong with/possibilities in the GD market, take a look at the originating post to this forum titled 'Graphic Design by 'Seawolf'

'Hello. I really know nothing about graphic design. The only experience I have with images is resizing and basic editing.

However, I have been given the task of designing a website for a new C.O.P.E. program in the area. COPE in an acronym for 'Challenging Outdoor Personal Experience'. In a nutshell, it is a program that incorporates challenge courses and climbing/repelling to promote teamwork between Boy Scout, Church, and Corporate groups.

I'd really like a graphic or banner with a silhouette of a person climbing, a caribiner, or something else incorporated with the outdoors.
Where can I go to find one? I don't have a budget to hire anybody...'

And that goes on all over, in every office, in every industry. I've been at this for twenty-five plus years, and have been out of work 12 of the last 18 months. My last two interviews asked, 'If you have so much experience and are so good, why are you out of work?' I can only respond, 'A four man department was cut to two.' Why aren't you back to work? No answer.

I could spew more, but I'm sick of hearing myself.

There was a quote somewhere from a poet stating something to the effect that being a poet was not so much an avocation, as it was an innate predisposition. There are some of us that do design because THAT IS THE ONLY WAY WE KNOW TO ACKNOWLEDGE AND RECOGNIZE TO OURSELVES THAT WE HAVE CONTRIBUTED, THAT WE HAVE VALUE.

Before I knew what graphic design was, I was losing a little sister to cancer, and the only thing I knew to do to 'help' her was to make a sign that told her I loved her. Thirty years later, the same circumstance arose with my father. He is still alive, and it was not cancer, rather dementia.

At the risk of sounding snooty, if you DO graphic design, do us a favor and don't. If you ARE a designer, a visual problem solver, a visual communicator, by all means join the circus. If you 'hear what I'm saying', become a copywriter. If you 'see what I mean', I look forward to SEEING how you view the world.

--Ciao for Niao--

Ethan

[uncle carbunkle]

hear hear!

*uh oh...does that make me an audio technician? hmmm....what does that pay...?*

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[Keyare]

Nice response.

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[DeleteYourself]

nice! i nominate imagemaker as the new, official GDF motivational speaker.

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[D-Zine]

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