I have a friend who now lives in California* - Venice Beach area to be exact. We were close while he lived here in the dreary upstate New York city of Schenectady. He went to school for graphic design training, graduated with flying colors and had a wildly impressive portfolio. He landed a job working for a major food retailer. He designed their weekly flyers. It was a good job. They loved him there and it definitely paid the bills and then some. But the problem was that he wasn't being challenged artistically.
He expanded his portfolio to not only show all that he had learned getting a degree in graphic arts, but to also display how wildly creative and impressive he was as an artist. He sent it everywhere that he could possibly imagine. In the end, he got a job in Las Vegas working for a casino, which turned out to be nothing more than a layover as he ultimately landed in California shortly thereafter. I was thinking about him the other day, and all that he does and all that he's accomplished, and one thing became clear. His job in the graphic design field is ultimately much cooler than mine. Here are three reasons why.
1. HE DOES WHAT HE LOVES:
Unless you're a professional athlete or successful musician, chances are pretty significant that you're doing something as a profession that you don't absolutely love. You're probably doing something that you're good at and something that pays the bills, but do you really love it? Each day he gets to exercise his creativity and work with different mediums, creating something from nothing. Now, I'm not saying that his job is easy. I'm sure that there are a great number of days when he's taxed and stressed like people in any other job, but it seems very rewarding. He's in charge of what he creates. I remember seeing a sign at a place where I once worked and I'm sure that it relates to him... "If you love your job, you'll never work another day in your life."
2. HE GETS TO GO TO COOL THINGS:
As it turns out, his employer is a major toy manufacturer, one that you've heard of and with whose creations you have probably played. He was recently put in charge of an account for a toy that was based off of a movie; it happened twice, in fact. He got the job after proving how truly gifted he was, and with lots of hard work, but his payoff was great. He was invited to the world premiere of the two movies for which he had worked on products. I hardly believed it until I saw the photos from the event... and the after-party. There he was, hobnobbing with the director and stars of the films. Now I can't guarantee that every graphic designer of any kind will have this opportunity, but I can say that it's probably more likely in this field than in accounting or bus-driving.
3. HE DRAWS AT WORK:
If I'm being honest, I can say that I draw at work too*; but the fact is, I don't get paid for it. In fact, I get yelled at for it. In his line of work, it's his entire job. He spends the day thinking of what something should look like and then creating it. He works with multiple mediums from pencils and paper to computer design software. I was doodling the other day while on the phone with a telemarketer and I realized that I was practically in bliss. I enjoy drawing and doodling so much and I imagined what it would be to actually be paid for it. It's got to be amazing. And he tells me that it is - every time we talk.
In the end, I'm not trying to sell you on anything. I'm just saying that if you have the means, and the talent, to work towards a degree at a graphic design school, then why not go for it? It's got the potential to be a rich and rewarding career. Plus you can hang out with stars... probably, well, okay, most likely not.
*Not intended to represent actual students