Well, it’s that time of year again. The time when high school
seniors, some overachieving juniors as well, begin to finally see their
educational journey for the upcoming fall be just right around the
corner. By now probably close to a billion, if not more, college
applications have been completed and processed by admission boards for
this group of young individuals looking to expand their minds by
pursuing higher education. At first glance this seems like a great
scenario, having young people putting care and consideration into their
future is what everyone loves to see. However, what if these graduating
students are making the wrong choice about their educational journeys?
It is the predetermined notion put into many school children as early as their time in daycare that going to a university is the only guarantee at having a promising future, rarely discussing the reasons one should actually want to go to school. For those graduating with hopes of joining the creative workforce, this is a very difficult position to be in. On one side you see the route placed in front of you with the importance of continuing your education at a university, on the other side you see all these great resources (blogs, books, tutorials, videos, etc.) and learning opportunities online for free that can take you just as far in your career as going to a university.
This clearly puts a young creative in quite the difficult decision making predicament. Making the decision to pursue either route definitely has advantages that the other doesn’t, but there are also disadvantages as well. So that is why in this article there will be a breakdown of the positives and negatives of pursing either route. In doing so, helping all those graduating young minds, or those interested in continuing their education, make a properly informed decision.
*Image Credit: OZinOH
Okay, by now everyone has heard almost every possible benefit of going to a university to pursue a degree after their high school years. So don’t expect to get that in this article, instead we are going to discuss the unconventional advantages of going to university and how that relates to improving your work as a designer.
How can this help me? Well, the main rule in being a designer is to create art that is appealing to those that are going to be viewing it. So a designer is somewhat an artist for the people, an artist who tries to predict what it is their audience will like and to capture it in their design. However, this could become quite the difficult task if that said designer never interacted with a wide range of people. The university route allows this person to gain a better cultural understanding of the world, and the different people in it. This in such, allows for better designs.
How can this help me? Being a freelancer is a hard journey to embark on, especially when you are fresh out of college without any corporate world experience. There is a large portion of the freelance community that is struggling right now to find regular work, and any successful freelancer is not without stories of going through years of times like this. This positive of taking the university route gives you a good start on building a client base, and establishing yourself in the online and local communities if you do good work.
How can this help me? Besides the underlying message above, not going to a design centered school allows you to major in something else outside of design. There are so many complimentary areas of study out there that every blog talks about how you can incorporate them into your designs to improve them, why not go to school for one? This will only work if you have the drive and determination to not only get what you can from the non design related degree you are earning, but if you also find the time to push your creative skills along the way. Design schools also cost A LOT, and those loans your likely going to need take a long time to pay back.
*Image Credit: Montecal
Now this is not a choice that everyone can take and become successful. Quite often you’ll see many people in the creative field who overestimate their skill level and think that going the university route is a waste of their time, and end up giving up and choosing another field of work. Don’t feel troubled though. This may be the harder of the two to navigate, but it also provides advantages that the safer university route does not.
How can this help me? Well besides the obvious benefit of being able to tailor your own learning journey, which probably will be miles ahead of the slowly adapting one of a university, it is actually what you’re going to have to do throughout your creative career. It is always easy to separate those at the top of their field, from those at the bottom. This is so because the only real difference is that those at the top are ALWAYS LEARNING. In any creative field, it is important to remember that the learning never stops because everything is always advancing and there is always room for improvement.
How can this help me? When your young it is hard to realize this, but you have nothing but time on your side. That is a luxury that can not be wasted, it needs to be completely taken advantage of. So one idea failed, then the next, and the next five after that did, it’s not the end of the world. In failing, a person finds the most practical lessons. Take a look at the late legend that is Steve Jobs, did he create Apple on his first try?
How can this help me? Learning lessons about life, and the world around oneself, this way is truly tough on a young mind. There are many different ways things can go wrong, sometimes ways in which an escape route is not to be found. However if one can properly navigate their way, there is an endless amount of possibilities that await.
Okay, it is clear that both routes have their ups and downs. That is okay because this is life, and in life there is no such thing as a sure-fire road to success. A person needs to experience their downs, just as much as their highs before they understand the true meaning of the word success. That is something many young people were never taught, or honestly payed attention to. So in closing, let’s take a look at a few tips for each route.
It is the predetermined notion put into many school children as early as their time in daycare that going to a university is the only guarantee at having a promising future, rarely discussing the reasons one should actually want to go to school. For those graduating with hopes of joining the creative workforce, this is a very difficult position to be in. On one side you see the route placed in front of you with the importance of continuing your education at a university, on the other side you see all these great resources (blogs, books, tutorials, videos, etc.) and learning opportunities online for free that can take you just as far in your career as going to a university.
This clearly puts a young creative in quite the difficult decision making predicament. Making the decision to pursue either route definitely has advantages that the other doesn’t, but there are also disadvantages as well. So that is why in this article there will be a breakdown of the positives and negatives of pursing either route. In doing so, helping all those graduating young minds, or those interested in continuing their education, make a properly informed decision.
The University Route
*Image Credit: OZinOH
Okay, by now everyone has heard almost every possible benefit of going to a university to pursue a degree after their high school years. So don’t expect to get that in this article, instead we are going to discuss the unconventional advantages of going to university and how that relates to improving your work as a designer.
You Learn a lot from Interacting with People
It doesn’t matter what type of person you are, how smart you are, or how many books on a subject you read. The most important learning tool, and often disregarded, known to the world is simply interacting and bonding with people different from yourself. This allows for experiences and culture to be exchanged, which brings about a better global understanding of the world around you.How can this help me? Well, the main rule in being a designer is to create art that is appealing to those that are going to be viewing it. So a designer is somewhat an artist for the people, an artist who tries to predict what it is their audience will like and to capture it in their design. However, this could become quite the difficult task if that said designer never interacted with a wide range of people. The university route allows this person to gain a better cultural understanding of the world, and the different people in it. This in such, allows for better designs.
It is a Great Place to Start Freelancing
In the university setting, there are always jobs popping up for talented creatives to take advantage of. There is always a party, seminar, club activity, professor, other student businesses, fundraiser, or anything you could think of, that could use the services of a young creative trying to make some money. This is also where the age-old practice of networking proves to be most powerful.How can this help me? Being a freelancer is a hard journey to embark on, especially when you are fresh out of college without any corporate world experience. There is a large portion of the freelance community that is struggling right now to find regular work, and any successful freelancer is not without stories of going through years of times like this. This positive of taking the university route gives you a good start on building a client base, and establishing yourself in the online and local communities if you do good work.
You don’t Automatically have to go to Design School
Okay the above mentioned reason is a great one to consider, but it doesn’t work best at a design/art school. Design schools are a great way to engage and interact with interesting people with all different kinds of artistic focuses, but that doesn’t leave much opportunity outside of school typically until after graduation. Taking the advantage of the fact that there are not as many skilled creatives will be a better opportunity, if you have the talent and the strong desire within yourself to put the appropriate amount of time into your craft.How can this help me? Besides the underlying message above, not going to a design centered school allows you to major in something else outside of design. There are so many complimentary areas of study out there that every blog talks about how you can incorporate them into your designs to improve them, why not go to school for one? This will only work if you have the drive and determination to not only get what you can from the non design related degree you are earning, but if you also find the time to push your creative skills along the way. Design schools also cost A LOT, and those loans your likely going to need take a long time to pay back.
The Self Guided Route
*Image Credit: Montecal
Now this is not a choice that everyone can take and become successful. Quite often you’ll see many people in the creative field who overestimate their skill level and think that going the university route is a waste of their time, and end up giving up and choosing another field of work. Don’t feel troubled though. This may be the harder of the two to navigate, but it also provides advantages that the safer university route does not.
You can Craft Your Own Learning Journey
In a university learning environment, the bulk of what you will learn is determined by your professors and the school’s administrative board. For some people who don’t necessarily know what exactly they should be focused on to get the best results in their career, this is great. However for those on the opposite end, this is like torture. Going the self guided route allows one to pick the different areas of study they feel will have the best impact on their future career goals.How can this help me? Well besides the obvious benefit of being able to tailor your own learning journey, which probably will be miles ahead of the slowly adapting one of a university, it is actually what you’re going to have to do throughout your creative career. It is always easy to separate those at the top of their field, from those at the bottom. This is so because the only real difference is that those at the top are ALWAYS LEARNING. In any creative field, it is important to remember that the learning never stops because everything is always advancing and there is always room for improvement.
It is Okay to Fail
When you’re young, it is truly rare to find something that you are good at and can become successful at in a professional environment. That is why youth is the adventure of discovery, and should be viewed as such by all. This is a time when it is perfect to start something, and then a few months or so later watch it become a complete and utter failure. So you think you have what it takes to become a successful creative right out of high school, why not go for it?How can this help me? When your young it is hard to realize this, but you have nothing but time on your side. That is a luxury that can not be wasted, it needs to be completely taken advantage of. So one idea failed, then the next, and the next five after that did, it’s not the end of the world. In failing, a person finds the most practical lessons. Take a look at the late legend that is Steve Jobs, did he create Apple on his first try?
Learn REAL Life Lessons
The one thing any university will never be able to teach its students are the real lessons of life. For many college students, they are living in a bubble provided by the university they are attending. Of course while on the inside of the bubble one will never really know, in fact college students within this bubble will even begin to think that they are actually learning the same life lessons they would if they weren’t in school. That is far from the truth. For students in university, the real learning of the difficulties and challenges of life don’t start until after graduation. For those on the self guided route, everyday is a lesson being taught to them in the classroom of the world.How can this help me? Learning lessons about life, and the world around oneself, this way is truly tough on a young mind. There are many different ways things can go wrong, sometimes ways in which an escape route is not to be found. However if one can properly navigate their way, there is an endless amount of possibilities that await.
Conclusion
Okay, it is clear that both routes have their ups and downs. That is okay because this is life, and in life there is no such thing as a sure-fire road to success. A person needs to experience their downs, just as much as their highs before they understand the true meaning of the word success. That is something many young people were never taught, or honestly payed attention to. So in closing, let’s take a look at a few tips for each route.
University Route
- You don’t have to finish university right away, if you feel you have learned enough take time off to start your career. You can always go back.
- Take advantage of every opportunity and resource you have. That one professor looking for you to design their professor site, could be the one to kick-start your freelancing business.
- Don’t settle for what is being taught in class to be enough, go out and challenge yourself.
Self Guided Route
- Don’t think that going to school later on is not an option, there is always time to further your formal education.
- Continuously learn something new every day through a book, blog article, or just experiencing something. Whether career related or not.
- Understand that this is the harder route of the two, and will bring more failures. However when you do succeed, there won’t be a better feeling.
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