Hard to Find a Graphic Design Job

And What You Should Do About It

I was raised by parents who were firm believers in the education system. My dad dropped out of high school back in the late 50's because he hated it and just wanted to work and make money. That was fairly common back then, especially in the South. My mother graduated high school, but never went any further than that. They got married at 18, and my dad went from job to job. He eventually joined the army and went to Vietnam for a few years. Afterwards, he came back home and worked his way up. Sure, he was successful, making 60–80K per years, but he worked hard for it.

Why am I telling you all of this? it's to emphasize that education was always pushed in our house, because they learned the hard way. I did well in school, graduated, received my degree, and pursued my career. I was able to land an unpaid internship. Who could resist free labor? I learned a lot, but I needed a paying job. I combed newspapers and the internet looking for job after job. I was one of the better designers locally, and a super-hard worker, but a design job still eluded me.

What was I doing wrong? I had the portfolio. I had the drive and determination. I was dressed to impress during interviews, I was well-spoken, friendly, and interviews seemed to go well. However, I never received a phone call. Why? The reason is simple. The local market was over-saturated.

I live in Knoxville, TN. The town is a medium sized town, but there are 2 main college campuses here. The largest one is the University of Tennessee, and the other one is Pellissippi State Technical Community College, who has a surprisingly strong Graphic Design program. On top of that, you had designers who had been in business for years, had more experience, and connections.

So What Can You Do About it?

I eventually landed a design job. The problem is that even if you do land a design job in-house, it doesn't pay that well. After all of that trouble during the job hunt, I landed a design job at a 100–150 million dollar per year wholesale distributor. As big as they are, and as much revenue they generate, the most I could squeeze out of them was a heart dropping $13 per hour. That's it? I made more during college delivering pizzas locally, and I didn't have to work as hard. I actually had more money while I was in school than I had after I graduated.

I Was Disgusted

I am a talented designer, who is passionate about the field of design. I knew that I could never make an impact working in-house for a company that didn't care about design. I couldn't wait another few years to find a design job, only to be let down again. All of the great design jobs were taken. If one opened up, it was because someone died, retired, or had gotten fired. It would be swarmed with hundreds, even thousands of applications by local designers. I decided to do something about it.

I Ventured Out On My Own

I started my own design business. I was terrified at first. However, I'd gotten the experience I needed working in-house, had honed and refined my skills, and I was ready to actually do something I was proud of. Here's how I did it.

I Saved

The first thing I did was to build my business during nights and weekends. Any extra money I made from doing this was saved in an account to pay my bills after I fired my day job. I took vacation days to meet with clients, working on their projects at night and during the weekends.

I looked for an affordable location.

I am not here to lie to you. I am the most frugal person you'll meet. Don't get me wrong. When it comes to quality, I make quality purchases, but I don't fork out top-dollar for them. Why spend a dollar, when you can get the same thing, or something closely comparable, for a dime. Why didn't I simply work from home? I have 2 kids, 2 dogs, and a cat . All of my neighbors have barking dogs. Those nights and weekends I worked from home were rough, working from home while wearing noise cancelling headphones and blasting my favorite tunes. I needed a quiet office where I could work in peace. I searched and searched, until I found an office down the street from my house, where utilities and internet were included for $199 per month. What a steal! That included 24/7 access, access to a large conference room, and it surrounded me with a lot of other business owners.

So I had my office, and I needed furniture. I like to spread out, so I needed at least an L shaped desk. I found one on Craigslist for $75 that was in immaculate condition. You'll be surprised what you can find on their site. A lot of times, you'll come across people who are moving, and just need to get rid of some stuff, because they can't take it with them, or they don't have a place for it in their new location. I also picked up a spare for free (shown above) for concentrated writing times. I had all of the other office supplies I needed, like a decent office chair. I was ready to rock!

My 1st Customers in My New Office

Moving into the new office, I made plenty of introductions. This is definitely not the time to shy away or to be anti-social. You'll wan to do meet and greets, introduce yourself, and you'll want to pass out business cards like family members throwing rice at a wedding. I offered a little free advice up front to establish my credibility and expertise, and before I knew it, I scooped up 3 good-paying web design clients right inside of my building. That paid the bills, while I marketed and grew my business.

I am Always Open to New Opportunities

One day I received a call about someone wanting to send steady web design work to someone on a regular basis. He was a graphic designer, who specializes in branding and print design, but has clients that needed web design. He was working with a slow, unenthusiastic web designer at the time, that he couldn't even get to wear a suit to client meetings. I agreed to meet with him, and a partnership was born. Okay, maybe it didn't happen that fast, but over time we built a strong business partnership that has greatly benefited both of us. I proved myself time and time again, and we eventually partnered with a local marketing guru, who has won several awards.

Valuable Lessons

If you don't learn anything else from this, hopefully you'll at least take away these important key notes:

1. Never ever give up, under any circumstances. You never know how quickly things can turn around.
2. Always be open to new opportunities.
3. If you can't find a way, make your own path.

Think About If I'd Given Up

What if I'd given up? I am getting to work with dream clients now, who I never could have touched a year ago. What if I had turned down the possible partnership? We work so well together, and I have met 2 like-minded colleagues with the same amount of drive and determination that I have! What if I'd just stayed at my day job? I'd likely be homeless right now, because I didn't make enough to live and feed my children.

You Have to Ask Yourself One Question

But it has to be the right question. You can't ask yourself "Can I…?" of course you can. Anyone can do anything, but you have to be willing to do what it takes to get what you want. you have to be willing to make sacrifices, save money, work long hours, lose sleep, fight and claw your way up, and much more. The question should never be whether or not you can do something, it should be "How do I..?" That puts you in the right mindset to reach your goals, because you're not open to failure, you're searching for a path to success.

Hard to Find a Graphic Design Job

Source: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/why-its-so-hard-get-design-job-james-george

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