<p>So, I went to an elite women's college and I will probably be graduating with honors this coming spring. This has been an excellent education: I've become a much better writer, thinker, and manager of my time. All that good liberal arts stuff.</p>
<p>Like all new grads (soon to be grads), I have no idea what to do with my life. I know I like to learn a lot, that I like to do research, and that I love to engross myself in literary or philosophical analysis. I like to write humor essays and poetry.</p>
<p>I also dabble in a number of the arts, and I'm pretty decent at sketching (particularly figure drawing and cartooning) and working with Photoshop. Growing up though, my dad wouldn't allow me to take art classes in high school, and by the time I realized where I was headed I found myself at a college without a strong arts program and halfway through my college career "doing what I was supposed to be doing", that is, taking "practical" courses.</p>
<p>Now I'm in my last year of college, and I've finally woken up and realized I need to stand up for my interests: I need a job that allows a lot of creative thinking, I'd prefer to work in a studio environment, and I'd prefer to work in an environment that varies between solo creative work and group creative work. Regardless of whether I pursue an arts related career or some other kind of career, the freedoms to freewheel, create, and work collaboratively are essential. If I were to go into an arts career, though, I think I'd be interested in animation, story telling, something along those lines.</p>
<p>But I have almost no design experience, and I've had little formal art training. I mean, on the few occasions I have had classes or brushed with art teachers, the professors (college and high school) were impressed with my figure drawing ability, and generally had the opinion that if I had some training, I could be really good. (A lot of my teachers in HS bristled that my dad wouldn't let me take art courses.) Without these classes, though, I think I'm lacking training in art composition and some basic cues in graphic design. Unfortunately, it will not be possible to take an art course this fall or this spring, because my schedule is already pretty set in stone. I have taken no art courses over the course of my academic career. (Well, I did try to take a half credit course on top of my ridiculous schedule, and I was unable to finish that. 4.5 credits is a lot at my college.)</p>
<p>I am already planning on taking a year off. If I wanted to apply to design school, I know I need a portfolio. What would you suggest I do with that year off? Is it possible to apprentice yourself to someone? What's the best way to build a strong application? Is this a realistic pursuit? Keep in mind that I will have student loans coming due that year unless I go back to school; if I don't go back to school, I'm going to need to find a job. (To that end, I've already started applying to many.)</p>
<p>Thanks for any advice, I really appreciate it!</p>
Good Luck!</p>