i was kinda wondering about something and i thought there are people here who can help me.

i'm in my third year studying graphic design and i'm starting to have second thoughts about doing this design stuff for real. i was just wondering if it's any fun in real life or is it like being a technician doing the same things all the time.

the main reason i chose graphic design is that i thought being an artist (as in painter) is too hard, i mean, to make a living out of it. but i sill wanted to do something that would be interesting and creative.

:blah: i think that's the most i've ever written in this forum...

anyways i'd love to hear what you guys have to say, if you have any advice for me.....

i only work on small jobs from home for friends, i love the look on there faces when i work my magic in photoshop, flash, dreamweaver and illustrator, they have all heard of photoshop, but never seen it in action

Its often a lot of fun and very satisfying when you finish a job and the client signs off on it you get a nice feeling of closure.

Having said that, be sure you have a strong stomach for the clients who don't have a clue what they want and hate everything.

There's no easy answer to this.

I second this!!!!!!!! AMEN!

Are you patient? Jobs usually start out boring and tiring, and you need to have a lot of dedication and patience for your career to evolve.. expecially graphic design, but when you have an opportunity it can change your job completely from bad to great. You can make a great living, and I'm sure.. that someone with a lot of skill and style that works hard can make their creativity bring them to the top. Just be prepared for some bumps along the way, and don't give up if things seem like they'll never get better... I say go for it, stay with graphic design, doing something you like is essential... You can learn a lot and have fun along the way, instead of doing something that you don't like..

Ok. Look at what people are getting paid, at any of the graphic design jobs. If that's the kind of money you want to make, go for it. If I was to go back and do college all over again, I would have researched which kinds of jobs would be in demand, and pay well. I think graphic design would be an awesome field, if it paid. But I make more money now, stocking Pepsi on store shelves, with no school required, than I would almost any graphic design position in Eugene, Oregon.

But Glen, because you were stocking Pepsi into store shelves you MISSED HAVING COFFEE WITH ME!!!

If you'd been working out of your own home office making scribbles for pennies for angry un-pleasable clients you would have been able to take 10 or 15 minutes WHENEVER YOU WANTED to have java with the Canadians that visit you.

Back to YOU, Nevet. I've never regretted being (among other things) a graphic artist. It has really helped me pay the rent over the last 12 years or so. Like Alan says, you got to have thick skin as clients can (and will be) bung-holes from time to time. You need to know when to tell them to bugger off and when to sweet talk them. You also need to have a plan or two in place to make sure you recharge your creative batteries from time to time too, or you'll burn out and then you'll be worrying about the rent again.

AND, if you like keeping your mind working, being in any visual art field is great. The only thing that will limit you is your desire to improve and expand your talent and craft. Not all jobs allow for this. (Once you know how to flip a hamburger, there is not much further you are going to develop THAT talent! )

Good luck - hang in there.

It's kinda neat to read this thread as my wife is mulling over going back to school to be a graphic designer. She's all kinds of creative and what she really wants to do is designs for things like cards/stationary and even the patterns that are put on dishes (think along the lines of Corelle). Odd I know but she thinks it would be fun. Scary part is that even though she doesn't know the first thing about Photoshop I still think she'd be killer at it.

well, patience i've got, thick skin not so much....
is that something you learn as you go? all this dealing with clients thing? because everyone i talk to about this says the same thing...

So true. I'm a slave to my day job.

I worked 6.5 years working for someone else as a video editor. Very similar field as far as clientele is concerned. It's one of the main reasons I left the job, a couple of clients back to back really put my ability to do good work in doubt. I was most dissatisfied with the pay, because I was working for someone else. Now I do video work on the side, at the rate I choose. So working for yourself is the way to go.

I don't really like video editing anymore. It's the type of thing that after you are done with a project, it gets trapped on a DVD, only to have been watched by the client a few times. I'm eventually going to start a business where I do Wall Art for clients, things that will hang inside homes and buildings, to be admired every time somebody walks by it. I don't think I would have ever gotten the idea to do graphic design work if it wasn't for my time at PSC. This is what I love to do. So if you love it, you'll be more motivated to be successful at it, even if it means starting a business in the basement.

My best advice to you is to also learn WEB design. It is the way of the present and the future.

When I grew up in the trade, it was all about print, and tho people are still doing print, almost every company of any size is looking for a web site. When it comes to getting a job now, I'm lost in the "slow lane" because print is all I know. Employers want designers to wear many hats, and they want all the talent in one person.

Try to get an internship while you're still in school. Even if it doesn't pay, you will get invaluable training and can at least then have something with which to start a resume. Find websites or magazines that appeal to you and study what they did with type and design.

Best of luck!

Pearlie's right there... WEB is the KING (at least until they drop the Big One and we go back to tin cans and string to communicate ).

And Nevet, yes you can develop a "thicker skin", and you don't have to become a heartless beyotch to do so. I tend to be (contrary to my character here on PSC) a NICE guy, and used to have problems with people walking all over me. But I also hated being an *sshole... yet over the years I've learned to look after my own interests without looking like a bonehead. The real key to THICKER SKIN is learning to have SOLID boundaries with clients (and, I recommend, friends too!). The clearer you are with WHAT THEY WANT and the clearer you are with WHAT YOU ARE GOING TO DO FOR THEM and the better you GET THAT DOWN ON PAPER FIRST BEFORE STARTING WORK, then all will be okay. You'll actually get much respect for operating that way (and the people who won't respect you for being so clear about things? To heck with them - you'd probably be better off without them as clients/friends anyway!

part of what i'm studying is web design. i'm learning basic HTML and CSS and also dreamweaver...

so you're saying that's where the money is?

Those three things are perfect, Nevet. Once you learn those, and of course basic design, you should be ready for the real world and a job. The big $ will come with experience.

And about your signature... look up the Desiderata... and don't be sad, this world still has a lot of good things going!

start here http://www.w3schools.com/

don't give up!