The year mark is coming up. And I am worried.

Design Discussions design employment
1

So, this coming May, it will have been a year since graduation. I have yet to find a Job, I have yet to do significant freelance. After a couple of months of looking, I found myself getting fed up. I got a job at a bookstore and maintained a sketch blog. I figured, If there are so many unemployed junior designers, what is the harm of me putting the search on hold?

As this year point comes dreadfully close, I am getting worried. I know that this recession is still in full effect, but should I be more active in the search? Is this hiatus going to cause long term career damage (in contrast to someone looking 24/7)? I catch myself thinking, will my resume’s lack of significant experience cause me to be extremely unattractive to employers when the job availability gets better?

I Love design. I just wish the sting of right now wasn’t so rough!

What is your advice?

2

I feel your pain. I got laid off at the end of April after working for 11 months after graduation. I just say keep your head up and keep applying to jobs. Keep working on improving your skills and and your portfolio. Maybe get out and do some volunteer design work. Learn new skills in your down time.

I’ve been doing freelance work since I was let go, it’s been okay but not great. I have noticed that there are more and more mid-level to senior level jobs being posted. With that in mind, the junior level jobs will follow. It may be a few months still but there will be more junior level jobs. Companies need the time to get the leadership roles in place before they bring on newer help.

Good luck on your search.

3

Thank you very much! It is tough indeed.

About the mid level Jobs, i never really thought of it that way! I guess I just need to maintain the level of determination. And, work on the CV/Sketching skills/portfolio…

4

The jobs are definitely there–Coroflot has 150+ posted just for ID right now.

Start with: what’s your pitch? What do you want potential employers to take away from your Coroflot page? What’s there that makes you an attractive candidate?

As I recall, when I graduated 15 years ago, I had several qualities I emphasized:

  • Strong interest in Universal Design, a niche but desired specialty
  • Strong Alias skills, extremely rare at the time. Today: replace it was some equally exotic yet desirable tech skill
  • Web design skills (yes, I built a folio site in 1995 that was featured right here on C77!) See “exotic but desirable tech experience” above
  • Strong graphic design skills (rare and useful at most design consultancies)
  • An internship at a major design consultancy, plus freelance work for a professor’s firm
  • Several awards including IDSA Student Merit
  • Passion & Hustle! Never missed an IDSA local or regional event, and always spent time socializing & getting to know the speakers.
  • Went to a good school, had good experience & well rooted in design-research, manufacturing methods, presentation skills
  • A strong desire to start out in design consulting vs. corporate for the variety

Alright, let’s hear it!

5

I don’t think you should get too panicked, I’m coming up on 2 years since graduation with nothing more than an internship and few months of freelance sprinkled in to show for it. I can get pretty down if i really think on it, but at the end of the day ID is my best lead on starting a legitimate and sustainable career path. Instead of taking a break I think you should use the time to become more focused. One thing about the unfriendly economy is that it certainly isn’t full of opportunities that would lead you away from design.

There are, and have been junior design positions being filled even during the worst of the uncertainty in late 2008. The way I figure it in good times the top 15% or 20% of ID grads will get absorbed into industry, but right now it seems to be maybe the top 5% or 10%. My new strategy involves looking back on my portfolio objectively(15 months of rejection can imbue you with unmatched levels of clarity if you let it) and asking “does this work unquestionably demonstrate someone who can consistently create value for others”. Since I’m ready to be honest with myself I can make the adjustments to things I had been subconsciously ignoring from as far back as my days as a student. Even though this hasn’t necessarily landed my a job yet, it certainly gave me a new lease to keep pushing, rather than giving up.

I’ve decided that looking for a job is a lot like fishing, there is only so much you can control and your mental energy is best spent focusing on that. If you spend all your time worrying about what’s going on under the water(or how potential employers view resumes with little experience) you are going to end the day hungary and frustrated. If you stick to the things you can influence, like: “where”, “when” and the “bait” you are much more apt to learn from your failures and eventually get what you are after.

6

Wow Cg, you set the bar pretty high there. A couple of those traits are probably much more difficult now (more competition). It is a shame, but I am afraid that I cant really afford the IDSA events any longer, and the internship just never happened. From the sounds of it, it seems that i am SOL. I certainly hope that this isn’t the case! I feel that I have so much to offer the ID community, I have the skills, but I was thrust upon the field at the wrong place and the wrong time. I love working in Alias, what kind of exotic skill would you imagine? I am confident with my graphic design ability. Unfortunately I wasn’t # one student in my department, so I didn’t get the student Merit. Should I consider myself lost because I didn’t attain these top positions???



M, I think I like your words of wisdom a lot better. They are definitely more hopeful and I can use them to my advantage. OK, so I must keep up with the skill development. That is a given from your statement. Thank you very much for the advice. I will look at my portfolio much more objectively, and be sure to turn my abilities into an asset.

7

What have you been doing since then? What do you plan on doing? I am still in school and worried about not getting a job because of the market. Right now I have a few things going making me money with design, business, and communications. I have a job with a friend who sells realestate; I pitch his apartments on commission. I have some friends who are filed “gamblers” on their IRS forms. They give me solid investment advice (stocks and sports wagering can actually be very similar or at the very least you find people who know both equally well commonly). I am experimenting with handmade jewelry selling it locally through vendors I know and even got some in the Art Institute a while back. You see, there are plenty of ways to make money or have a career. You just have to get out and be bold. Forget the economy now; just go big!
GL

8

Fair enough! At the moment, I am applying to local Graphic Design Jobs (I am in Washington DC), Developing my Cad portfolio (My favorite aspect of the design process), Running a sketch blog, and … Drumroll… Working at a book store. Not exactly the glamorous lifestyle I had dreamed of, but I am staying sharp for the big game.

9

I am not sure how you feel about it but maybe grad school might be an option for you if it is not too expensive?
I turned a consultancy job down to go to grad school and I am not regretting it at all.

It would be a chance for you to really develop your unique selling point and become a better thinker within design. It is not just about sketching and CAD. These skills mean little to an employer if there is not a great deal of innovative and theoretical thinking behind them. Grad school (if it’s a good one) will force you to really dig deep into your designs and philosophy.

10

If thats the case have you tried getting a CAD jockey position? Even though its pretty saturated with desperate and experienced people right now, there are a lot more opportunities than ID. You could even type up a CAD resume and take it in to the local engineering recruiting/staffing offices and let them find the work for you.

11

[quote=“M”]

If thats the case have you tried getting a CAD jockey position? Even though its pretty saturated with desperate and experienced people right now, there are a lot more opportunities than ID. You could even type up a CAD resume and take it in to the local engineering recruiting/staffing offices and let them find the work for you.
[/quote]

Right away, the last line in that post is completely the reason you are both not working in ID. Letting anyone do/find the work for you is the wrong attitude.

And yes, there have been several articles in fast company and business week about how even after 10-15 years, people that graduated during a recession and didn’t get on that first rung of the ladder, had their careers irrecoverably damaged, making around 2.5 to 3% less than people having graduated later at the same point in their careers. So that’s out there, if you do find an ID job after a year or two, you will never, statistically speaking, do as well as someone who graduated at a better time.

But since there is no way to change the day you were born or go back and graduate at a different time, you better quit whining and start working towards some goals. Take some continuing education classes, learn some new skill sets, for instance, graphic design is very similiar in process, and has some very useful skills in ID.

Seem harsh? It took me a year to find a job in ID, before it I was a drafter/detailer at a company that built huge cranes. I actually learned quite a bit about visual communication, and working with engineers while I was there. My job as an ID ended up using some of that drafting stuff, when it turned out none of the architects there knew how to communicate manufactured part designs to the vendors.

Yeah its tough out there, actually I was laid off last month too, but you don’t see me sitting at home waiting for things to get better. In fact, I want you to disregard all this and stay home, that way the hiring manager will call me all the sooner.

12

And yes, there have been several articles in fast company and business week about how even after 10-15 years, people that graduated during a recession and didn’t get on that first rung of the ladder, had their careers irrecoverably damaged, making around 2.5 to 3% less than people having graduated later at the same point in their careers. So that’s out there, if you do find an ID job after a year or two, you will never, statistically speaking, do as well as someone who graduated at a better time.

I disagree here. I think becoming a successful designer is all about passion and drive. The more drive you have the harder you work. The more passion you have the more you put yourself in situations to network and learn. Carton is correct that you need to get off your ass and make it happen. I know these are harsh words, but trust me I have been there. I was laid off in 2003 and worked freelance job after freelance job doing everything from one off sketches to CAD work, to graphics from a local hardware store. Oh and I also was a cook and a waiter. I was determined to make it happen and after doing that for almost a year it finally worked out. Hold your head high and you will succeed. Having the attitude that you are going to be behind the eight ball forever will get you nowhere.

13

Umm where do you get “both”? He never said anything to reinforce my suggestion. And where did anyone say that they are using other people to search for work for them in the field of industrial design?

Thats how recruiting firms work by the way. They are contacted by firms who don’t go public with their staffing needs to fill positions, usually contract and contract to hire. There are many entry level CAD jobs filled in this manner. So yes, someone else making a commission as a recruiter “finds” the work for you. It’s not the only way to find a job, but it is something else he maybe hadn’t considered yet, another ‘line in the water’ if you will.

And why so chippy? The guy was discouraged, sounds like you are too. Launching into hysterical fits of righteous indignation on the internet isn’t going to help anyone.

14

[quote=“M”]

Umm where do you get “both”? He never said anything to reinforce my suggestion. And where did anyone say that they are using other people to search for work for them in the field of industrial design?

Thats how recruiting firms work by the way. They are contacted by firms who don’t go public with their staffing needs to fill positions, usually contract and contract to hire. There are many entry level CAD jobs filled in this manner. So yes, someone else making a commission as a recruiter “finds” the work for you. It’s not the only way to find a job, but it is something else he maybe hadn’t considered yet, another ‘line in the water’ if you will.

And why so chippy? The guy was discouraged, sounds like you are too. Launching into hysterical fits of righteous indignation on the internet isn’t going to help anyone.
[/quote]

That’s close to how recruiters work, much of the time they troll for open positions and look for applicants, while also contacting the hiring company offering their services. The point is you are the only one who can make “it” happen for you, in any field.

Lots of people are discouraged, but telling you the truth about taking responsibility for your own career is not hysterical.

The bit about your career being damaged from the start is touched upon in this article, and there are many others lately that go into more depth

The Disposable Worker
http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/10_03/b4163032935448.htm

The era of the disposable worker has big implications both for employees and employers. For workers, research shows that chronic unemployment and underemployment cause lasting damage: Older people who lose jobs are often forced into premature retirement, while the careers of younger people are stunted by their early detachment from the working world. Even 15 years out of school, people who graduated from college in a recession earn 2.5% less than if they had graduated in more prosperous times, research has shown.

But you cannot control that, so don’t worry about the 2.5% and do what you enjoy, the operative word being do. You can check out the http://www.actionmethod.com http://www.focusbuilder.comand http://www.teuxdeux.com for some free-ish tools to get work done. the99percent.com is also all about getting work done.

AND I love the phrase “righteous indignation” too, I’m totally going to use that next time someone actually tries to act shocked about something’s unfairness for the benefit of public adoration. Did you make that up or did it come from somewhere?

15

Your straw man argument sure comes off hysterical. Not only are you trying to argue a point no one ever refuted, you are calling out the effort of someone you know absolutely nothing about, and thats just plain tactless. Now I’m sorry you got laid off, I’m sorry for everyone who’s been thrown out in the rain. I really am; however, I sincerely doubt being the ‘last bully standing’ is going to be the way forward. The merits of hard work and responsibility are always valid points to make, just not at the expense of trying to belittle your peers.

16

It’s a shame you want to focus on what you are perceiving as bullying or lack of tact and not on the message, regardless of what you think about me, the truth is the same. The attitude of letting someone else do any work for you is the wrong one.

Keep ranting about what a jerk I am, who cares.

To Carltiki, the message is you need to do the footwork and not give up, it sounds like you need to work harder from what you said in your first post. But definitely don’t give up. Sure things are going against you, but that will always be the case.

17

I’ve been reading along with this for awhile, and while Carton’s posts might be a bit jagged, he makes several good points.

Package ID packaged it much more nicely, but pretty much says the same thing. When the rocks were thrown at Package, he took them and built a house. It’s not easy, it hurts, but it also works.

I read cg’s post several times over while going back to this thread

The biggest take away I read in his post is to have an identity, know who you are as a designer. What he lays out is the foundation fro what makes Chris, well Chris. And if I had the opportunity to select a collaborator with his specialties, even though we don’t always agree, I’d probably call him first. He has shaped his career and his person with intent.

Someone suggested going back to grad school. To that I will quote Liam Neeson from Batman begins “Training is nothing, will is everything” … truer words have rarely been spoken.

18

That “grad school” someone was me…
If “will” was everything, we could skip the educational system all together. Just desperately wanting to be come a designer does make you a designer but not a successful one.
I know, we hate the word because it is so hard to grasp and measure, but talent is vital to succeed in the business. I have met many young students, both in the culinary field where I hail from and in the design field, who had the commitment but not the talent. Most of them are doing something different now.
Just like an athlete, you can push your body but even with a lot of determination you can only get so far.

What grad school can do for you is to find and cultivate what makes you special as a designer. Strengthen the ability of design thinking. Something that is very hard to do by yourself without faculty and peers to talk to.

19

I disagree. Talent is nothing. It is about skill and your aptitude and willingness to learn those skills. Faculty can help, as can individually identified mentors and peer groups. Those that you perceive to have talent really just have more experience finding those mentors and peers and combining it with of being self critical and experimenting with what they are picking up around them. If you don’t have this, grad school won’t do anything, if you do grad school can be an awesome choice, as can building your own grad school of experience.

Those determined folks you talked about who were determined but unskilled; they couldn’t have been that determined. If they were they would have improved their skill sets. You can’t just get out and keep applying for jobs, you have to improve.

When I got out it took me six months to find steady work. I set up a little studio area in my parents basement and worked 8-12 hours a day, writing briefs, doing projects, redoing all of my school projects. When I did get a freelance project or two, I worked o sight as much as possible, asked as many questions as possible, I’d bring my portfolio and see if I could by a designer or two a beer and show them my work to get critical input so I could redo projects… this was pre-core77 boards and before a lot of designers had email so it was a lot harder than it is now, but this is the kind of will I’m talking about. Not just hitting your head against a brick wall, the will to step out and try something.

20

Well stated. And yes I have built a pretty nice house. I had a similar experience to Yo. When I got out of school it too took me six months to find a job. I called all the local firms in NJ and NYC and asked if I could just come in a have one of their designers review my portfolio. I was not asking for a job, but more asking for advice and for critique. This too was pre-core days, but I found that those one on ones really meant a lot. They allowed me to get an honest critique, broke down some barriers and build relationships that I still have today.

The point is, that if you sit around feeling sorry for yourself then you will not get anything done. And I know you probably read this think “What does he know, he has a job?”. Well I think people forget that we have gone through hard times like this before and guess what , we will probably go through them again. By putting yourself out there and being hungry it keeps you fresh and shows that you have drive. I would much rather hire someone that has medium skills and is willing to work their ass off to accomplish a goal, than hire the guy that does hot sketches and thinks he knows everything.

Edit:

This is no different than any other career. The harder you work, the greater your chances are to succeed. When I say this I am also referring to the fact that you need to open your mind to what ID is. I think all of us when we graduate want to work for that firm that does hot products and has a big name, but the bottom line is there are so many of those jobs. When times are tough we really have to do things that we do not think are as desirable. (I know I am going to get flack for this) Like I mentioned before, I took what ever jobs I could (freelance) to keep my skills up and keep a check coming in. A lot of these jobs ended up being graphic based. I did not know it at the time, but because of that it shaped my career into being in packaging and branding. I guess what I am saying is do not be afraid to take on work that may not be what you or your peers view as “real” ID. Those other parts of the design world will still help you in the long run.