Hey everyone.. just musing here about stuff and thought I'd think out loud here.
By the end of the summer, I will have my associate's degree in Fine Arts. Being an art major has been a big part of my life, and this will be quite an achievement considering how many times I've dropped out of school in the past five years (M*A*S*H fought twelve years in a three year war, I went to school five years for a two-year degree. So sue me.) But anywho, in my continuing quest to get my life back on track [edit.. my life was never on track, I just need it to vaguely appear to be on some sort of track], I need to decide where to go from here. I am getting health insurance from work that will become effective January first of next year. Which means that I no longer will be required to be a full time student in order to keep my insurance under my parents. This will also mean I won't have to listen to them anymore unless I need money. This is a goal. I'm moving out of my grandparents house in May, for many reasons, but the 9 months of living free will have helped me secure myself financially.
But back to the degree. Many are trying to convince me that a two-year art degree wont mean much in the way of real work. I'm beginning to agree, except that to establish any kind of art career for myself would have to remain in the area of a second job, as I need my regular day job to live. I've known this for a while now, but have finished the art degree mainly out of spite for my father.
So, if I continue my education, I need to focus on classes that would get me that grail of grails, The Real Job. The only requirement anyone has of me is that I get a Real Job, which I agree I should probably do. But what kind of Real Jobs are there out there I could do? Computers obviously. Looking at my post count would tell you that right away.
What kind of computer jobs do you guys think are out there for me? I ask because I'm at the point in my career at WholeFoods where I could realistically have the option of moving up into a position, maybe in IS or TECH or maybe in Graphics or even in Management. And my art degree would be helpful if i moved somewhere towards web design, but everyone tells me that isnt really hot since all the dotcom crashes. What kind of training do I need for a Real Job dealing with Computers? suggestions?
Posted by Vogon Poet (Member # 393) on :
Well, for a start, what counts in the IT industry is experience. Of course, I'm speaking from a support/projects viewpoint, I suppose if you plan to be a programmer you need to have the know-how.
Posted by Balaam Xumucane (Member # 419) on :
Hi Mike, I don't know much about IT. I do know a bit about Graphic Design, though. That's what I do. I'm freelance. I work at home. It pays really well. There really is still plenty of work out there. I'm in San Francisco and there are supposedly Flash Developers out there pan-handling. I don't think it's quite that bad, I think things have just quieted down a bit. You probably have a computer right now. You may even have some software. Given those two things, you can make yourself a decent living in Graphic Design. Depending on how solid you are on the programs you might want to take some classes to firm that up. You have to be solid on the tools, know them backwards and forwards and know what you are talking about. Mostly what you'd need to get into this sort of work will be a solid portfolio. I've been to the Captain's Table. It's obvious you have some eye for design. You've probably done some other pieces for school. These can go into a portfolio. You may have friends or family who need or want pages. You can take on some of these and think of them like practice. Don't break your ass, but push yourself to get better at it. A small site can go together in a jiffy and the more you do the easier it gets. Maybe you have a couple that you put some serious time and effeort into and are really proud of. Do enough of them and bang, you've got a portfolio and references available upon request.
People looking for print designers want to hear three things: Adobe Photoshop (this is like the high school diploma of all the GD disciplines), Adobe Illustrator (although Freehand is becoming more popular), and Quark XPress. Print design can be difficult, expensive and time-consuming. It can also be extremely rewarding. Understanding color theory and the printing process go a long way. I've found that having a firm background in print will only help your design skills when it comes to the more dynamic media.
If you want to focus in web design they want to hear all kinds of crazy things these days, but the basic sentence they really like to hear is: "I start out in (Dreamweaver / GoLive / ImageReady), but then I go in and tweak the HTML by hand." You'll need to be proficient in Photoshop, HTML, have some understanding of Javascript (not necessarily Java), and some familiarity with CGI, PERL, ASP whathaveyou. The really hot ticket right now is Flash. Flash kicks ass and everyone wants it. The sneaky thing is that it's really fucking easy and since it's so hot people will pay a lot for it (my rate for Flash design is $80/hr and that's going up soon).
The other thing I spend a lot of time and earn most of my money doing is actually technical illustration. This is like halfway between CAD and Graphic design. You'd be surprised how many people need this skill. Intellectual Property Law Offices are a good bet. They always need this kind of drawing for patents. It's steady work. It's easy and it pays well. See if there is a draftsman in your area who is willing to take you in as an apprentice. I currently have three apprentices and it's a sweet deal: They get to learn how to use the tools quickly and effectively while building their portfolios, I don't have to waste my time rendering graphs, and everyone gets paid well.
I should mention that as of today I still don't have even an AA for any sort of Graphic Design, Web Design, Interactive Multimedia or anything. Word of mouth, and a strong portfolio. That's all you'd need. Having the degree will lend you legitimacy if your portfolio is light, and will impress other academics. More than anything else, though, they are going to have to see what you have done. Feel free to PM me if you have any questions...
-bX
[ March 07, 2002, 02:23: Message edited by: Balaam Xumucane ]
Posted by Ultra von Magnus (Member # 239) on :
The world needs more Motorcycle daredevils. A thought, perhaps.
Just.
Posted by Michael_T (Member # 144) on :
You can always do what I do; be a computer consultant for idiots who have no idea how to use a Personal Computer or Mac. It's amazing how many clients I have who can't figure out that the CD-rom drive is not a cupholder still. Hey, at least I'm charging $18 an hour.
Posted by Grokca (Member # 722) on :
quote:The world needs more Motorcycle daredevils. A thought, perhaps.
And the US has the highest daredevil to doctor ratio in the world.
Posted by Sol System (Member # 30) on :