By 2014, one of the fast growing job markets will be that of graphic design. Graphic design, designing websites and computer animation will be the hottest careers. The career path for someone in the computer graphic design profession will be highly competitive. Are you wondering why this is so? The reasons are many. For instance, some study it only for the fun of it, while others follow through as a full time career. For becoming a computer graphic designer you need a four year college degree or a Bachelors Degree. If you do a two years college degree or an Associates Degree then you could obtain some technical positions. To help your career go forward, you need to get yourself more educationally qualified. It is important to understand the need for formal education if you want to pursue a career in this field.
Nearly 3 in every ten of all those working as computer graphic professionals work as independent freelancers. Half of all the freelancers would be holding regular jobs in either any computer graphics company or any other computer related profession. Freelancing is definitely a viable option for those pursuing this career, as small businesses and individuals continue to have more need for their services, but cannot afford the rates of most graphic design firms.
Various career options are available in computer graphic design. What are the other career options you have? You could choose a career in the print media like books and magazines, audio media like radio advertising or digital media like films and television. Some large or small specialist companies may not give you a wide variety but a steady line of work. You may decide to work as a freelancer in this profession but you need to put in some very hard work. This can only make your clients happy and make them offer you new projects.
A mere college degree and knowledge of your future goals are not enough if you wish to pursue this as a career. It is essential that you develop your skills in areas of computer graphic software application and other computer skills. You need to make a portfolio which is a collection of some of your best work. These portfolios are important tools to bag assignments and may be a deciding factor on who gets a project and who would be kept waiting.
As soon as you finish your college and have made up your mind as to what you want to do, your aim should be to get that first entry level job. Where can you get computer graphic design jobs? You can get them through online job boards, online or print classified ads or through the college or university placement desks. Freelance jobs can be found through online job boards, classifieds, and work for hire job boards. Because every one knows that this is a rather expensive endeavor, work for hire boards give better results for design careers than any other career. Wish you good luck in your pursuit for a graphic design career.
1. Area of Focus
The first thing that you need to know about schools of this nature is that they are designed with everyone in mind, and that means people going into the program may have absolutely no experience. In my case, they asked for a portfolio of work as part of the admission process. So, if you are self-taught and eager to solidify your already existing knowledge, or a total beginner, this is a good choice for you. If, however, you have already completed a similar program, you may wish to take a new program merely to upgrade your skills (because the field of new media is always changing). If you can, it really, really, really helps if you take a freehand drawing course prior to learning how to draw using a computer.
2. Recognition
- Does the school participate in any graphical arts competitions? - Have students accomplished anything of reknown in the industry?
3. Teachers
Trust me, this doesn't go without saying. The quality of your education will be directly related to the instructors. I have never encountered an instructor that wasn't immensely knowledgeable about the subject area. Of course, there is a big difference between knowing the subject area and being able to teach (that is, to convey that information, and manage students, answer questions, etc).
4. Job Placement
100% make sure that you get into a program that incorporates on-the-job experience. Or at least a practicum. This usually is 100 hours of real on-the-job experience and it is absolutely invaluable to your career.
5. Curriculum And Tools
You must assess whether the curriculum is relevant to you field of study. You may want to compare the curricula of different schools to see which offers the best form of education. As it so happens in my case, the administration did something they have never done before: changed the curriculum halfway through the program. The reasoning behind this was that the software we were scheduled to be instructed in would soon be discontinued on the Mac. It really pays off if you can see the facilities beforehand so you know what tools they are using. Don't just oogle at the computers, snoop around and see the programs directory and make note of what programs are installed, and if they are the latest versions.
6. Student to Teacher Ratio
Graphic design is kind of an industry that more or less demands personal contributions on every project. For this reason, you can't just be known as the photoshop guy, it is your responsibility to be well versed in a lot of different programs and techniques for creating stunning graphics and illustrations. And that means you will definately need one-on-one instruction, or at least the ability to stop the class in case you get lost. These programs are very fast-paced and if you don't make sure you fully understand concepts in the first semester you will get hopelessly lost - fast.
7. Accreditation
Accreditation means the school has passed a certain standards of educational quality. If you can, ask for literally one minute of the head departments time and find out a listing of companies that students have been hired into.
8. Cost
A full education in graphic design can cost anywhere from 13,000 to 16,000 dollars for an intensive one-year program (120 credits). The goal here is to find a university, college, or technical institute that is recognized internationally for excellence. Let's face it, Harvard University will look a lot better on your resume than Texas Community College. Three great recognized schools in are BCIT located in Vancouver Canada (Vancouver is the equivalent of Hollywood for graphic designers, web designers, and all new media experts), the Art Institute (with locations worldwide), and the Vancouver Film School (VFS) that has graphic design programs that are very specialized.
9. Scholarships
You might want to consider whether the design school you are looking at offers any scholarships. You also might want to know the terms to them too. Some schools offer scholarships based on academic performance. Some offer them based on art competitions they hold regularly. You should qualify for a national student loan either way, and repayment is extremely affordable.
Both Melusi Maseko & are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.