Shillington Education - worth the 7k?

Considering the OP, Oli, posted this post in 2018, I imagine they have either graduated or moved on in their life decisions.
I’m sure that 7k is probably more like 14k now too.

Well people are still finding the thread and reading and replying - so information is still useful :slight_smile:

It was dredged up by someone with a stake in Shillington…

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Okay, but without it on your resume, would you have been interviewed? Nope.

I don’t mind people reactivating old topics when the subjects are still relevant and of interest to others. If we discussed every issue only once, we’d have nothing left to talk about. Sometimes, it puzzles me why people piggyback onto old topics instead of starting new ones, but it’s not a big deal.

As for promoting Shillington, we have forum rules against advertising here, but Studio_Chenchen appears to be an actual designer discussing a general design issue regarding design education. I can’t think of a more important topic for a design forum to discuss.

I have my reservations about for-profit schools and the value of course certificates. But I also have my reservations about students piling up a couple hundred thousand dollars of debt for a top-notch university design degree that lands them an $18 per hour starter job.

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Same here. There seems to be several such “unwritten laws” implied when it comes to old-fashioned message boards like this, but I don’t really care about any of them. Go ahead, resurrect a thread, derail a thread, whatever. As far as I’m concerned, any level of participation is always optional, and always welcome.

I’ve never been asked for proof either and never requested proof from applicants. We mostly took them at their word when filling out the application forms or turning in their resumes.

Faking it through an interview would have been difficult given that so many of the interviews involved discussing previous internships, academic knowledge, experiences, past positions, and the general attitudes that are typical of university design graduates.

I don’t remember ever asking an applicant in an interview where they went to school. By the time they made it into an interview, we had already done the easy background checks. Besides, in the interviews, the subject of school experiences usually came up in a sideways sort of way when talking about various things.

My starting salary 10 years ago was 30k. Couldn’t even live decently in NYC with that.
But it went up really quickly. After 5 years in I was in my 60k. And now double that. It seems to double every 5 years but I don’t know if I have reached the maximum.
Most of my classmates had their family still helping that for a year or two after graduating college.
It is why you don’t see too many people from a less affluent background going to become a designer…

Even my internship was unpaid and cost me credits ( tuition) back then…

I have been seeing many positive changes now though. Now I tell my students to not take an internship if it is unpaid. And it seems like people have been paying their interns now.

I am all for self-learned, non-college degree designers, and I have seen people succeed and be really good at what they do without a degree. James Victore for example.

Perhaps not, but I have hired and my students have been hired with just the Shillington Degree in Australia.

I can only speak for Australia since I have only taught here.

Interesting. Looks like Australia is a very different market for graphic design.

The US has a glut of designers. We have public and private universities and colleges offering programs, community colleges, job training programs, and an abundance of for-profit schools. All these institutions have jumped into the game and they crank out a huge number of graduates every year. Employers can be selective and offer lower wages because there are so many applicants.

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I’m considering Shillington and came across this thread while looking for reviews. Interestingly, the subject asking was it worth 7k is only two years old when now in 2021 the tuition price has soared (it’s 10k sterling, 12k euro), which is A LOT of money.

So far I’m seeing an overwhelming number of reviews saying Shillington was the best decision they ever made, life changing, a fast track into design etc., which sound a bit too good to be true. And I found 2 reviews of past students who said the teaching wasn’t good. So I’d love to hear if anyone here has any more recent opinions on the online Shillington course. It’s 9 months, which gives more time to work on building a portfolio but it would have to be amazing teaching with one-on-one support to be worth €12k.

Considering a good program in the US with a bachelors degree at the end of it costs upwards of 8x that… and still with iffy results…

Not sure what to tell you.
Not familiar with this one.

What does it get you? A certificate? Some kind of degree?
What are the entry level requirements for the job you want, in the country you are located? And does this cover those requirements?

Do you really expect Amazing Teaching at that price point? Is there a faculty list where you can read their credentials? I’d be wary of any teachers who are also graduates… Just sayin’
Very doubtful you’d be getting one on one for that price either.