Getting older and working in design
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- Ben990
I've been thinking about this a lot lately. I'm kinda tired of graphic design sometimes and feel i won't be in the game in 10-15 years but i have zero idea what i would do outside it.
I think there are too many self-proclamed designers and the profession is been diluted with all those websites offering graphic design for 5$.
I feel the place to be is into apps and websites design, but i find those very complicated and perpetually changing and I'm very lazy.
My dream is to create a website with a product, a service or anything else that would make me rack up a small decent salary and live out of it. But i have no idea what to do. I'm lazy and i can't code complexe stuff.
I have no idea what my professional future will be.
- sausages2
35 years old here. Been freelancing for 7 years or so after working in big ad agencies. I used to work solely in print but have been coding websites for the past 4-5 years and it's the bulk of my work now. We moved from a large city to a small town on the coast and freelancing has been supporting my wife and 2 young kids. Work here is pretty scarce and while I work remotely for some good (and loyal) clients, we have times where we really struggle financially.
I echo a lot of what's been said above. Many clients are on a race to the bottom as far as budgets go while expectation remains high.
I can't see myself working as a designer much longer. I stopped enjoying my work a long time ago – just going through the motions these days and writing invoices. Thinking of transitioning to marketing and getting a cushy job with local government or something. Or stacking shelves... Neither would be much fun but to be honest, neither is this. (Sorry to continue the maudlin theme)
- bklyndroobeki0
^
i also know a developer at a university. he's been there for 8 years and is 53, he is VERY happy.
- you're on to something w/ the local gov't jobbklyndroobeki
- btw. love this thread.bklyndroobeki
- Yes, this is some good sharing. Good food for thought and very interesting timing I will say.BabySnakes
- cbass990
I feel as you get older, you want to keep making more money with your experience, but at some point, they figure they can get younger people to do your job for less. That is what scares me..
It's almost like you need to be an AD or CD to keep going...
- Don't mean to be rude - but a prostitute could say pretty much the same thing.fadein11
- ^ Yes I canKnuckleberry
- whinger0
I'm almost 45 — am not at an agency, am the boss of no one and really enjoy my work. I have pretty low levels of stress and I think that comes from having the experience to know that I can get the job done and that my client will be happy. I find that almost all of my clients appreciate my years of design experience. I, however, do not do any web design, so that may be a big part of the difference.
- Were you a web designer @ one point?bklyndroobeki
- Very first job, but then moved to print, mograph and back to print.whinger
- yuekit0
In terms of digital, I think the perception of "young man's game" may be skewed by the fact that the entire industry is still fairly new. I would guess there will be more diversity of age in the future.
- Bennn-1
any idea what careers are made for introverts having a bachelor degree in graphic design but who dont want to work specifically as graphic designer anymore?
I've read social network manager is tailored for those people.
Any of you are or know people doing this job?
what else?
- Well, considering the entire social media employment space is in a bubble ready to burst, I wouldn't put many eggs in that basket.ETM
- social media are about to burst?Bennn
- Some burst but others come along. That seems to be the thing for a while.CyBrainX
- I mean, how long can Snapchat stay popular?CyBrainX
- desmo1
I love and appreciate the design world but I can't really see myself being in the design world in the next 5+yrs. The idea of career change is freaky at this older age.
- Salarrue0
I think any business related studies helps to understand what potential good clients are looking for and with a +20 years experience in the field, one is more capable to come up with creative business solutions / work.
I find these are a good summaries by John Maeda about the current design field potential for "older" designers.
- Also the creative process is similar for every medium. At heart we’re problem solversscarabin
- trooperbill0
Got made redundant 4 weeks ago having bounced around loads of small agencies for the past 16 years (wow)
most digital marketing is becoming pr now and im not skilled in it and dont have the time to reinvent myself
been around every big agency in the area and lost of in house roles for interviews and im too experienced for most and not specialist enough for others... it sucks
most agencies who interviewed me were just farming candidates and had no intention of hiring... a recruiter told me this was a major issue at the moment
got a temp job offered at a large brand which would have been cool if it was permament
just in time i landed a role in a big digital agency - its a more junior position, further away than id really like and for 3k a year less than i was on... but i gotta eat and have a kid due in jan so need the cash
they were concerned that id jumped job every few years but in my experience there is no job security... whaddayagonna do. i basically turned it around saying i was having a kid and looking for a new 'home'
too long for a dick and too short for a richard i think they say.
i start next monday which gves me time to illustrate the jungle scene on our nursery wall.
i thought bout moving out of the industry completely but had no idea where to even begin.
- Well the positive of this is you got another job and within 4 weeks... thats good no?dee-dubs
- Ben991
:D
- bklyndroobeki0
read this recent issue yesterday
http://hosted-images.magazine-se…, it put a sprint in my step.
- mekk0
I'm 25, started doing web stuff around the age of 14. Did a design school that I paid myself doing shit for events and bars. I thought this would be three hard years. haha. I dumb fuck. The real pain and struggle came when I started working in advertising. Suddenly my work was rated and it was shit. I needed another 3-4 years to really 'get good' and haven't earned enough to save a penny.
Things are good now but your stories really creep the fuck out of me.
- nocomply0
I think about this frequently. I'm currently 32 and I run my own one-person business doing web design, development, and consulting.
For now it's working out pretty well. I'm sure in 5 years it'll be more or less the same, or hopefully even better as I continue to grow my business, expertise, and get better at client selection.
But how will things be in 10 years, 15 years, 20 years, or more? Will people want a 50 year old dude pitching them a website? What about a 60 or 70 year old consulting on their project?
I have no idea, but I suspect that our culture of agism in this industry is going to change. It will have to. Everyone in our generation is going to have to work significantly longer than our parents and grandparents, regardless of the profession. That's just life. Age won't be what it used to be.
Owning your own business is a way to avoid getting fired, but it doesn't solve any answers as far as gainful employment is concerned. I think all of us will just have to figure it out as we go along. That's what I'm trying to do.
- Clients wont give a crap how old you are as long as you get them results.breadlegz
- yuekit0
Interesting thread. Just playing devil's advocate,
Are burnout, money issues and ageism NOT issues that people encounter in other careers? I think it's quite common that people dream of doing something else, while underestimating the downside and challenges they would encounter. What is a "good" career for middle aged/elderly workers?
One main advantage I can see with design/dev is that it gets you a set of skills that you can use to pursue other online business. Also the location independent aspect, not being tied down to a 9 to 5 office job could work quite well with middle age/semi-retired lifestyle.
- jonnypompita0
I am a 36 year old interactive art director/designer who is also starting to feel burned out with the industry. It's just getting harder and harder to give a shit anymore. I have never held a job outside of creative/advertising so it's scary to even think about doing something else with my life. Been freelance in NYC for the last 6 years and I've been observing alot of the same things mentioned in this thread. The employees at agencies getting younger. The race to the bottom in terms of budgets and timelines. The chaotic approach to getting digital work done. The awful clients, it's really soul killing. At this point I'm going to try to milk every penny I can before I make my exit in the next 4 years. So far it's been working for me.
Ideally I would love to work in a product based business or even client side in a managerial role. I still love design and would love to continue doing it, just not in an agency environment. I f*cking hate advertising agencies and the holding company bean counters that run things now. I hate the politics and the people who work in these places. I do it only for the money now. Having health insurance through my wife allows me to continue freelancing until I can make my exit.
- The key is to save enough money for a rainy day. Too many people live paycheck to paycheck and thus have no options.jonnypompita
- epigraph1
36 here. I was kinda floating in the wind in college and got snagged by graphic design. I enjoyed it immensely as a student, but the realities of making it career of it burnt me out in only a few years.
It quickly became demoralizing to spend so much mental energy and bandwidth on making some stupid piece of shit product or service look pretty for such a little payoff. Luckily I got fired and was forced to find something more suitable.
Now designing stuff for my own business and cherry picking super small projects for colleagues and friends fulfills my desire to design.
- bklyndroobeki0
Jot down some ideas and sell something (clever/simple) on
http://society6.com or etsy.com
