Graduation day is a very crucial day for every graphic designer. It is the point in life where you make the all-important decision regarding your graphic designing career. Believe me, if you're still about to graduate, now is the ideal time to start thinking about your future and career prospects.
Having spent nearly a decade in the field of graphic design, I believe it is my duty to impart knowledge and guidance about the practical world of the young and aspiring graphic designers. I would like to give a few career advices for graphic design students that you will want to remember your entire life.
Continue the Learning Process:
Just because you've graduated from graphic design school, doesn't mean that you should stop learning. Learning is a continuous process that should be pursued by every human being. Don't let your skills stagnate by saying no to further learning. Don't limit yourself to one specific skill set, be a jack of all trades. The more multi-talented you are, the more openings you will get in acquiring a job. Constantly update yourself with the latest tricks and techniques in graphic design so that you don't lag behind.
Theory is Easy, Practice is Not:
The first thing that I learnt from my experience as a graphic designer is that whatever you learn in textbooks don't always apply in real life. This is because talent is more essential than degree in graphic design. When stepping out from the school life to the practical, you must learn to differentiate between theory and practice. Now I don't mean to discourage the concept of reading books and course material. You may learn the essence of graphic design from school but when you enter the practical field among creative veterans, the whole scenario changes.
Don't stop Socializing:
Many students who are graduating from design school hold a perception that after stepping into the professional world, they will not be able to hang out with friends. Well... they couldn't have been more wrong. This is because networking and social media for graphic designers is extremely imperative. Maintain your contacts with colleagues, seniors and teachers all along your professional life. Frequently visit graphic design related seminars and build contacts with creative professionals over there.
Build a Graphic Design Portfolio:
A pre-requisite for becoming a graphic designer is to assemble and build your personal graphic design portfolio. It serves as your identity and displays your creative potential to the world. Now of course you must be thinking... being a graphic design student with no work experience, what will I show in my portfolio? You can start off by displaying your assignments and class projects. With the progress of time, you can update some real work as well.
Polish your Core Skills:
Although I just mentioned that one should be a jack of all trades, I personally believe in being "Jack of all trades and master of one." While acquiring the know-how about several aspects of graphic design, remember to polish your core skills in order to make them prominent. For example, if you have a desire for becoming a web designer, cultivate your CSS, HTML and other web developing skills.
Gain Experience as in Intern:
While this piece of advice isn't compulsory in becoming a graphic designer, it certainly helps boost your credentials for a future career. Interning at a design related firm is a pre-requisite at every graphic design school so that shouldn't be a problem for most students. But for students who think that evading the internship program is better... think again. Internship gives you a great chance to experience the 'real' world and learn from the adept and experienced people in the professional field.
Never Lose Faith in your Abilities:
Take it as advice or simply motivational words, but never lose faith in your abilities as a graphic designer. You will encounter scores of people who criticize just for he sake of it. When you enter into the professional world, you are surrounded by people who are more experienced than you.Don't get discouraged that you don't know much and be confident in whatever you know. Satisfaction for graphic designers is the key to success.
Make your Personality Attractive:
Rugged jeans, a pimped shirt and fuzzy hair, probably coupled with a pierced ear... this is the general perception of a graphic designer's appearance. However, my advice isn't for for graphic design students to be like that. I believe that appearances are only skin deep, your real personality is deep within. Develop your personality into an interesting and appealing one, the kind that people will find hard to resist. Update yourself with the latest news and trends on things besides graphic designing as well. This way when you converse with people, they won't take you for a design geek.
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