<p>One of my assignments for my personal development class requires me to have an informational interview with someone in my field of study. I'm getting into graphic design, so i just need answers to some basic questions. </p>
<p>Name and job title of person interviewed:
Qualifications for job:
How did this person break into this field?
What is the job market like?
What are starting salaries?
What are advancement opportunities?
What did you think of the working environment?
What is a day on this job really like?
What do you like about your job? Dislike?
How do you stay current in your knowledge?
What kind of experience or training is required?
What are employers looking for? (Skills, education, experience)
Are there related fields I might want to look into if few jobs are available in my primary career goal?</p>
<p>Some of these are very specific to geographic location, such as the job market and starting salaries. You should look for those answers in the town/city you’d like to live in after college.</p>
<p>I worked as a graphic designer for a small marketing company briefly before changing course, but one thing I’d suggest is to also be very comfortable in web design programs, coding, and social media. Too many designers focus only on print design and although those jobs are out there it is always good to have a breadth of skills. It makes you more valuable to an employer, which can increase job security and employment options.</p>
<p>Related fields would be psychology and consumer behavior/marketing, and also copy writing lessons (although I haven’t seen many schools with actual courses on this; for some it’s just a section in another course, others might have one day workshops. You can also just buy a good book on it.). You want to be highly effective in your verbal and written communication, in addition to your artistic talents. A great design can be a total flop if you don’t understand how your target audience will react to it. </p>
<p>So in short, I’ve seen many young artists focus solely on their abilities to draw and make technically “good” designs (proper spacing, good use of color and fonts) - but there is so much more to it than that. Be well-rounded in your education.</p>
<p>Thank you very much! I ended up interviewing my college’s graphic design professor for the more specific questions. But thank you for your advice, i will keep all those in mind :)</p>