When I was a junior in college I realized I was headed for a dilemma. How do I leave college and go into a job without any practical experience? If you think about it, how does anybody leave school really prepared to make money working as a graphic designer? Worse yet, what happens to people with no training in design at all? What do they do?
I'm going to attempt to tackle these dilemmas in 3 separate articles.
In this article we'll focus on you students who are still in school studying design. For you, there are a few things you need to do now to prepare for your eventual exit.
1. Get an internship. There is usually plenty of help you can get from your school's career guidance center. And many universities and colleges have graphic design and marketing departments on campus you can intern with.
2. Get a mentor. Again, there are usually graphic design and marketing departments on campus that you can tap for help. If not, graphic designers are bound to be on your campus somewhere, or in the nearby neighborhood. Just be bold and ask them to mentor you. You will be surprised. Also, try finding a group in your area. You may meet interesting people in the design field, and get a mentor there too.
3. Prepare your school-work. Take some of your best school work and either prepare them for viewing in your portfolio or redo them to make them portfolio-ready.
Next time: How to Build a Design Career When You're Fresh Out of School
Photo courtesy imagerymajestic of freedigitalphotos.net
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