Work Experience vs Degree
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- shitehawke0
It depends entirely on two factors, how good your work is and what kind of work you want to do.
A chap i know did a diploma, freelanced for a few years and got hired on the back of his work to a really good studio. Did some lovely work there then decided to set up on his own. Now still doing lovely work and not really caring that he didn't do a degree or a masters cos it never impeded his talent.
Whereas i know people I went to college with that haven't work in design due to folios or talent or whatever.
If you're good, go find an employer that will respect that.
- juhls0
A degree is not as important in this industry compared to others, but if you can do, do it.
- minus the first "do"juhls
- It will probably be more good than bad, especially when the economy sucks.juhls
- is not important if you expectations are making 40k a year.Meeklo
- Well, I keep hearing that a portfolio is more important. I personally think there are things you learn in school thatjuhls
- you would never think of if you didn't attend.juhls
- Meeklo0
Bottom line is, working experience comes with time and practice, no matter what you choose (school or not school), eventually you will get there (work experience) no matter what path you choose, because education NEVER stops.
- And that's one to grow on.johnnyklebitz
- +1 Sure doesn't. Every night I have to study up on something new or something that has changed.fyoucher1
- mg330
tkmeister,
Freelance gigs doing what? Production Design? Art Direction? If in that area, yeah, I wouldn't think that education would be a big deal. I don't think we're so much talking about education being a requirement as it being a great benefit as your career progresses.
- acescence0
i think at larger places you maybe have hr weeding people out and they may look at a degree because they're simply not able to quantify ability. i just made that up, but it seems logical, no?
- GeorgesII0
I don't get it,
I'm 28 year old, started working in the field when I was 19,
maybe I knew what I wanted to do straight from high school, which is rare apparently,
Now that I have all this baggage under my belt, I think people respect me for the help I can provide to them and I don't remember ever being asked for a degree.
I guess its depends of who you are and how you present yourself, anyways I want to retire by age 30 so 2 years ago I created my own company and now even though I still have a day job (problem solver) I see the end of the tunnel, I don't want to push pixels all my life. this field is getting crowded :)
- tgqt0
It will come into play when you are asked. How smooth is your move? How do you react to this question? If you can justify your decisions in a convincing manner you will be ok. If you get defensive you are finished.
It's all about finding the right opportunities and not trying to cookie cutter yourself into a position that doesn't fit.
I do not have a degree.
- I do interviews sometimes and lots of so called designer don't put enough emphasize on their work. my 2ctGeorgesII
- my move is smooth... lolStitchy_Lizard
- Meeklo0
A degree is not as important in this industry compared to others, but if you can do, do it.
Its not important if you are happy with a production position. There is things you learn in school that you will only learn on the job if you are dedicated enough to educate yourself constantly (and this goes way beyond knowing how to make a mask in photoshop).
Its not about the paper on the wall, its about dedication to what you do, the paper doesn't mean anything, you are right, what id does, is all those nights with no sleep studying or working hard to deliver on time, its proof of dedication and love for the profession.
Talent has nothing to do with going to school or not going to school.
Do you love this profession? if you are going to skip school that's ok with me, but you will have to study twice as hard on your own, for longer time to catch up. Aim to be the best, I know it sounds cheesy, but its true.
- tkmeister0
I think everyone takes a different path. Whatever the path you take, you've got to make sure you make yourself marketable. Maybe you are very focused and specialized in one area, maybe you are more of a balanced all round player. Either way, you have to make yourself exceptional so that you stand out from the rest.
- Jamal_Jenkins0
both
- seansuth0
I opted to drop out of a small technical school several years ago. I would have loved to goto an art school but even with financial aid, it was way out of my reach. I landed an internship and went from there. Now, with 4 years under my belt and currently maintain a Sr designer role, I do not regret dropping out. I have been extremely fortunate for my career to this date and have never once been judged for not having a degree. I am very driven and know that I need to work just as hard as those designers that have the degree because they do have somewhat of an 'edge' on me.
Long story short, it comes down to how driven you are and how badly you want to reach personal goals that you may have set for yourself. I know that I am reaching mine one step at a time...
- well said. dedication and passion for the field are the most important thingssection_014
- section_0140
Didn't read all the posts, but, without a fucking doubt in my mind, WORK EXPERIENCE. That's my opinion though. Graphic design is one of the few fields where your degree doesn't mean shit and is worth little to nothing when compared to a proper portfolio.
- I think the point of a degree is the experience and philosophy you get from doing it, not how it is recognized.ribit
- NONEIS0
Work experience or proof of potential are all you need. I have never been asked where I went to school in more than a passing fashion during any of the interviews I have had. If you can show that you understand the issues and sensitivities at hand, can produce good creative/interactive consistently and can prove that you know the tools and best practices, what else truly matters? You certainly don't chose to pass on hiring someone with skills and a legitimate track record of experience – just because they lack a degree, that would be bad business in my book.
Experience will count significantly more after you have held a studio job for more than a year, but freelance before working in a team environment should be able to land you a first job. The last few places you worked, and your ability to present case studies on the work you did become of far greater importance than school after a while.
I should say, experience, and personality are what matter most. I know this is sort of a black and white question, but neither of these options matter if you act like a douche ;D. I would rather hire someone with signs of potential who I like and could see fitting into the team, than someone who is overqualified and acts like it.
- PonyBoy8
- Degree with experience would be unstoppablescruffics
- Degree barely moved, he had already studied all the shots. Experience had to work hard but learned a valuable lesson.palimpsest
- CyBrainX1
I graduated with an Associates Degree (the 2 year equivalent as the original post from 13 years ago. No one, I mean not one single company in 28 years ever tried to verify my college degree. I could have gone to finish a 4 year degree since my school started a bachelors degree right around the time I left. Did I really need a third figure drawing class? Did I need a third page layout program with Pagemaker or Quark? InDesign wasn't even a dream yet and I'm in Motion Graphics now so what would have been the point? No one cares about anything other than your portfolio, your experience and how you represent yourself in an interview before hiring you.