here's my graphic design dilemna....... please give me the best advice from a pro's view?

Question

i'm a stay at home mom. i graduated from college with a BS in graphic design in 2003. i have experience with photoshop and illustrator. a little of quark and am proficient in microsoft office. I love photography, retouching photos, creating posters, custom invitations, creating package design, and dream about becoming an inventor. my problem is, i haven't had a job in the graphic design field due to lack of confidence, no emotional support from husband (since he requires i get at least $15/hr with pension and 401k), and it's passed the 3 year mark.

What can I do to get back in the game with a portfolio 3 years old and no illustrator. I can't afford it because my man doesn't think it's an investment.

I'm totally aware i have to start with entry level. that doesn't bother me. what is the range that i can use so i can meet in the middle with an employer. what qualifications can i use to my advantage. I would love to work from home but where do i start. I need encouragement. thanks

Answer 1

Wow! Where to start! I'm in graphic design...and I feel guilty now because I'm unhappy at work. Anyways, you need to do what will make you happy. If it's something you're passionate about, then go for it. Tell you're man...it is an investment. If you're good at it, you can find a job at a good, established company and you CAN make very good money. Do you have someone that you could maybe buy an older version of the program from-although that may not work...Adobe is pretty strict with that...updates wouldn't work-so scratch that idea. Is it something you truly can't afford or your man doesn't want to afford? Not everyone will require a portfolio...depends on the company. But most will.



Have you looked into any particular companies and what they require yet? I work for an independent beverage bottler and I did not have to have a portfolio. Partly because it was not my original starting position (been there 10yrs) and the fact that it is a trademark...so I do not have to create a whole lot from scratch. I pretty much follow their guidelines and standards and make point-of-sale out of it. But I was kinda grandfathered (as they call it) into the position I'm in. I've never been to school or taken any type of classes on it and I make decent money. The most education I got was the Illustrator tutorial. Alot of our outdoor signage is outsourced through other companies...I create, they produce. I have to collaborate with their graphic artists at times...so there are graphic artists on both ends. Have you ever considered starting out on the producing side? Given your mentioned skills and degree, I think you would advance quickly into the graphic design/artist side.



Sorry, I do not have a way with words and I tend to ramble on.



You are degreed in this. Use it to you're advantage. I wish I were degreed. It would give me far more options when searching for a different company to work for. As I already mentioned, I'm unhappy with where I work...but not what I do. That degree would give me so many more options. I wouldn't want to compete with you for a job...lol...you got the degree.



Have you tried to see if a local community college would let you use their equipment/software to put together a portfolio? -even if for a small fee-



As far as the starting from home idea...try it. Start out small. I don't really have advice on that because I've never tried. I don't have Illustrator or Photoshop on my personal computer. Either way...portfolio or work from home...you would need Illustrator and Photoshop to do it.



If nothing I have said helps...what I can do is give you encouragement. Tell your man he needs to support you on it because it is what you truly want to do. He wants you to be happy...RIGHT? Girl-you better go get that job! Set your mind to it and do it. Scrape up the money to get what's needed to update your portfolio...and do it! So what if you have to start out at the bottom. Alot of people do...then they end up running the company.



Good luck - though I don't think you need the luck! You got the skill to do it, now just set your mind to it.



Sorry, I'm not so good at typing the long messages. I feel like I'm talking to myself. If you want to talk more about it sometime or need any help or support...message me...yahoo ID is zenkitty27

Answer 2

I do metal art, but am good at doing computer graphic art. I just did a rush design for a high school graduation annoument, $320 for two hours work, just gave the customer a CD and told them to go to Copy Max or Staples to get them printed.



I own a 3.2 gig PC and an Epson 9000 series large size printer. So I can do this at my leisure and need. Maybe you can do this from home and make $50 an hour.

Answer 3

Will the college you go to will have mac/computer labs? I have a Macbook pro, which I almost never bring with me to class since we have mac labs. I would of preferred the iMac. The Macbook is by no means a bad computer, and the 17" screen is wide enough, but since I almost always leave it at home the iMac would of been the better choice. I also find it much easier to work on larger screens when working on large documents or when working on fine details . However, it is useful to be able to bring my laptop whenever I feel the need to, especially on tight deadlines when going to the printers. Anyways, I reckon it all depends on your situation and what ever you feel with help you in your studies. I know my response is a bit long, but hope this helped.

Answer 4

What I would do is go on the net and look for an illustrator and see what they think of your portfolio. In my class we were talking about profolio and CollegeEd which talks about that kind of stuff. If you need encouragement talk to your friends and family remember their always there to help you.:)



With that, Peace out and good luck!!:)