I am tired of fixing my portfolio (2years)… I’m tired of getting told “you don’t have enough experience but you have talent  if they gave me a chance I would have more experience…but I don’t have enough experience to get a design jobs…I’m tired of that paradox…I’m tired that design firm are taking no risk …they only hire people with 3 to 7 years experience only…what about me? Take a risk and give me chance… I guess I love design but I hate not working in my field…
I give up…
Don’t give up dude. If you give up they win. Why don’t you post a link to your portfolio or show some pictures for advice. Maybe you have been focusing on the wrong thing. Are you doing side projects to show that you are continually learning and improving? Networking is very important in this industry so in order to get ahead you must know people who know people. Start going to events and talking with people in the industry. If you give up you will have wasted all that energy and effort. What have you been doing to your portfolio?
Where are you working now? Perhaps you could work somewhere more related to ID. Where you could learn a tool that could be beneifitial to your design skill set. Just a thought.
maybe I’m just having a bad year…I think I’m just going to start over my porfolio my resume everything…oh well…
The EXACT same thing I’ve heard for the past TWO years. Most of the firms I have interviewed with have hired guys with 3-5 years experience.
NOW, the kicker. I’ve had two interviews, the past two weeks, and those two firms hired, one intern, and the other a “part time junior designer”, who admittedly had less talent than I did, but was willing to work on a part time basis and for peanuts.
Should I take a GIANT cut in pay to gain that experience? Should I give up my consistant pay check and benefits and work part time, just to gain that 3-5 years?
…No thanks, I’ll continue to freelance. Especially if (as I read in another post) 27k is good salary for a junior designer in Chicago. I can freelance less than 20 hours per week and make 27k.
Edit
Have you gotten portfolio feedback here?