University + Graphic Design.
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- Louno
Hi,
Im thinking about going to the university. I had a real quick look at the programs and there is one called Graphic Design.
I only have a Private School diploma in Multimedia , which isnt bad , but anyone can get one with a minimum of effort.
One of the things I have noticed when i look at other ppls portfolio that are awsome is that there are a good portion of them who went to the university .
After noticing this fact , i did the oposite , i searched for ppl that HAD their Graphic design diploma , and then looked at their porfolio . there was alot of CRAPPY work .
This led me to conclude , that anyone regardless of their degree of education either has talent for something or not , you can develop that talent of course , but does university only get you a paper that gets you paid more money , or does it make you better at what you do ?
I already have 20 000$+ in debt for my studies in multimedia. So im wondering if going to the university is worth it. this will increase significaly my debt.
I understand that having that diploma may get u a job easier , i personaly lost a great opportunity because of that. I could have been the Artistic Director of a medium sized studio but they decided to hire someone who had a University diploma , phd... I worked at the place and it didnt took me alot of time to realise that the person kinda sucked , and took credits for work I actualy did , and eventualy , i got "fired" .
I felt i was at least equaly or more competent that that person and fell the boss would have kept me if that person didnt steal all the credits .So this is my dillema , should i do it or not ? is it worth it or not ?
Im far far from the best designer , i consider myself a real shit , especialy when i look at other ppls work that i like.
But one thing i REALLY liked when i was studiying in multimedia last year , I had 3 different 6 months sessions , each sessions had 4-6 course in them , and at the end of each session , i could see my work getting better and better, i made some great improvements and its really nice to see that when you look at your stuff and say " man , how could i suck that much , and worst of it , i actualy though that was NICE !? omg " .anyways. sorry for the long post, hope some of you got thru.
comments ?
- mcLeod0
i went to school for the sheet of paper though thats nopt to say i didnt learn anything while i was there. it was a healthy environment for me to learn among other creatives (some of whom should not have been there in the first place). it also gave me the time and resources to develop a portfolio whereas had i worked full time i would not have had that opportunity.
seeing as how the dept i was in didnt have a dept. head, i was forced to learn many things on my own because the curriculum changed so much and i missed out on a lot of what i should have been taught. but like i said, the resources were available to me.
- 0711830
University is great to network with fellow designers.
But I think there are only a select few universities/colleges that really help your talents grow. I mean, the institution I'm attending is not complete crap, some of my professors are really dedicated designers. But the greater majority haven't taught me anything (though, I suppose that's the point of the University, you learn by yourself). My ex collegues are what I would consider very elite designers, and they said that they are learning tons of stuff at Arts Centre. Meanwhile, I'm not really learning anything new where I am.
One thing to keep in mind is that you tend to learn a lot more from your peers than you do from a prof. I have a few really good designer friends, and they've taught me small things to help me get up and going. I prolly learned more with two hours of talking with them than an entire semester of some lecture based courses.
Ultimately, I think its good but certainly not necessary to go to Uni. If money is a problem, you could always try to get a job at a small firm, earn some money, and see how much you like the career.
- pr20
you will learn everything there is to know abour GD in 1-2 years then , what? You'll be forced to stay in you bs program for another 2... Man i'm so glad i was able to change my major othervise i would be stuck in such uncreative field.
- unknown0
I'm not a web designer hence the shite website but, I have a degree and HND Typography and If you had the guts you could just totally lie on your CV about having a degree. From what I have noticed, every job i've got, none have checked if my degree is proper.
Just do it!
- unknown0
go to college and....
get pissed
stay in bed all day
eat takeaways for breakfast
... and complain about how shit the tutors are!!!go to college.... you won't regret it.
- pr20
ah, of course he shoul go to college! On;y don't chose graphic design as your major unless you can change easily.
- neeko0
univeristy was fantabulous.
but dont change your major to Soil Science just to meet a pretty girl...
- kpl0
university is not for getting a better job, it's for being a better thinker. peeps who saw college as a waste of time didn't really go to better themselves.
- vespa0
Yea its good to have time just to think about what you are doing. The educational environment will give you space to experiment without the pressure of loads of cash riding on the outcome and the evils of corporate committees forcing constant compromise.
Go! Play! Think! Get Drunk!
- Louno0
So you guys think the 2-3 years are worth it ?
what other programs are there aside from Graphic Designer that could help ?
btw , one of the BIG , HUGE , number 1 concern is that , i SUCK at drawing , when i was younger i wanted to be a comic book drawer , i was getting pretty good , but then highschool problems kicked in , and slowly i stoped drawing , i didnt have any time left when i was in Pure Science , i stayed in science for 2 years , then i quit because i hated it and i went into multimedia ... and now i cant draw shit.
I know this is a handicap , and I really want to smash my head against the wall for stoping to draw.But do you need to be able to draw / paint good to go to the university , this is one of my main concern :(
- vespa0
simple: just start drawing again! You'll get back into it never fear.
I had the same problem and did a drawing course at St Martins. now I feel much more confident, but I don't think I really needed to do the course to feel like that. It did help though cos I'm a lazy arse and kept putting off the time to draw until I paid someone else to tell me to draw...? The confidence may have come from learning that there is room for all styles and not just the most commercial looking - that is, not to be so hard on myself.
You know if you really can't do the course (for financial reasons or time or whatever) don't pin all your hopes on it. Plenty of kick-arse designers never did a degree, it's all about confidence and detirmination.