Community Status Updates

Maha

@DonValentino Because Strat.

Dec 19 2014 07:14 AM

Drakonid

That's not how that works...
Dec 19 2014 07:14 AM

Strategist

Wait... wut?
Dec 19 2014 01:50 PM

Liesa

..no we have a voting thread still up.
Dec 15 2014 07:24 AM

Alexiel

You're anal Batraoz? Um... grats?
Dec 13 2014 04:51 AM

Hopeless

Wooooooo, congrats!
Dec 09 2014 10:06 AM

Karla

Nice! I'm applying for a certificate in graphic design, so I can relate to your excitement. :)
Dec 09 2014 01:02 PM

Shannon

I just started it and now you've got me really worried D:
Dec 02 2014 07:09 PM

Maha

@CaptainDantes I know, which is why im hesitant on something different... But I also don't want to earn what I am now and continue to stress over just being able to live on what I earn.. I actually want some real savings.
Dec 02 2014 05:41 AM

CaptainDantes

Simple - marry rich!
I kid I kid. It is definately a legitamate predicament. Everyone always tells you that "money doesn't matter." But in actual fact, money makes your life more comfortable. For that reason it took me 2 years after college to decide what i actually wanted to do with my life. Now, even though when I graduate I won't be making a ton, I'm doing something I love and I know I'll make enough to be comfortable. So, I see what you're going through :(
Dec 02 2014 06:40 AM

Maha

@CaptainDantes I sort of wish I was the type to want to be a doctor or dentist... From what I can see though, something around 56 grand upwards would be the lowest amount I thinK i'd aim for but I mean I earn 39k but only see 32k after tax here...

My partner is trying to finish her bloody cert 3 in childrens services but since we can't get government help for it, it costs more than we can afford per cluster. So its slow and where we live, the child care jobs are usually taken very quickly..

Oh @CaptainDantes such is life...
Dec 02 2014 07:01 AM

Norava

Is it something you really enjoy doing? Are you actually good at it? I feel like if you're not passionate about it then it's a tough field. (All of this is opinion based, no facts to back it up.)
Nov 26 2014 07:43 AM

Bones

With the modern work being online I dont feel you need to now pick a career from where you live.
Nov 26 2014 07:58 AM

Hopeless

This is just one [lengthy] opinion, so keep that in mind. I finished my BFA in Graphic Design a few years ago.

Since then, about half of my graduating class cannot find a job in the field at all, and the other half thrives. Like @Grant said, if you're not passionate about it (and if you're not good at it, which is hard to self-determine), your work is just going to lose out to the hungry, passionate designers competing against you for the same jobs. The good thing is that graphic design opens you up to several pretty distinct types of jobs: Web design and development, strictly illustration, strictly print work, copywriting, marketing/general branding, etc. This is part of why I've been able to move around so much post college and still find work everywhere (different states in the US, so that's all I have as a basis for comparison, fyi). I've had jobs in each category and in the end, found my niche in vector illustration and web development. Many others go different paths/combine/etc. Graphic design is a pretty good combination of creative/analytic and you can slide that scale either way you prefer, really.

If you can rock the shit out of any one of those and land a job, it's not too hard to expand on your specialties if you like what you're doing (similar to many other professions, I'm sure).

Anyway, sorry for the length of this comment, obviously I'm passionate about it. :) If you are too, you should go for it! Failing at something you DON'T love is pointless anyway. Also, like @Bones said, this field has quickly become dependent on computers/internet (unless you go straight-up analog on this career, which some people do), so it's starting to matter less where you actually live. I've lived in 4 states in different parts of the US since graduating in 2012 and haven't had any trouble finding jobs. A couple places where I haven't known anyone in town took a little longer to settle into - knowing people helps, and if you go down the marketing path, you'll see how important networking is. Keep that in mind.

Good luck with your decision :)

/longasspassionspeech
Nov 26 2014 08:46 AM

Maha

Will be glad once my mouth heals from dentist.
Nov 14 2014 04:06 PM

Wynd

I had a molar pulled out a few years ago. I woke up after the surgery yelling "MOM WE MISSED MY APPOINTMENT. WE NEED TO GET A RESCHEDULE!!"
Nov 10 2014 05:44 PM

Maha

They put you under @Wundy ?
Nov 10 2014 09:17 PM

Wynd

@Maha, nope. Didn't have insurance. Had to take pills that make your memory blank.
Nov 10 2014 10:51 PM