[Coops]

Originally Posted by twentysixtwelve

You may have all the talent in the world, but I wouldnt work with you if you were a complete to**er.

So having a degree stops you from being a tosser? I don't think so.

[twentysixtwelve]

Originally Posted by Coops

So having a degree stops you from being a tosser? I don't think so.

lol... not what i meant. all i meant is talent isnt everything, regardless of whether you have a degree or not.

[rsalazar]

It reflects on your commitment to acomplish. But nothing beats a great portfolio.

[Heka1]

I have a bachelor's degree in media arts and animation which looks nice to the clients but the designers portfolio tells all.

[Alexanda]

I have a gcse design and communication

[BatteryLow]

I'm a Creative Director and interviewing graphic designers right now. I could really care less about their degree as long as their portfolio could hold it's own. If the person can show excellent designs, then screw the degree.

I'm also currently finishing my BFoA degree right now just so that I can have a degree under my belt. But I've been in the industry for so long that I haven't learned anything new in school at all. In fact there has been several times where I taught the teacher something new based solely off my experiences.

But when it comes down to it. A degree is good to have. If you are interviewing with people who are as talented as you, then whoever has the most formal schooling would probably win the position.

[Oomlaute]

Another 21 year old brat speaking up, don't kill me just cause another youngin' is a twat

A degree really depends on how you've gone about getting it. There are a lot of people out there, pertaining to every field - not just design, who just go to college and do exactly what the curriculum tells them they have to do to graduate. They don't bother doing anything extra. And a lot of times, at least in the states, they go for whatever they think will make them the most money - not what they're interested in or what they think will make them happy.

I think if attained correctly, a degree can really be useful & possibly even on the same level as a lot of talent would be to a potential employer. Personally, I have natural talent in several areas but I wouldn't call myself fantastic at any of them. I find my desire to constantly be learning new things and my willingness to be taught those things that catches the attention of employers. For me, that's displayed in my transcript and by extension my degree.

I have the problem of having too many areas of interest. The degree I'm currently working on is a BFA in Graphic Design. I am, however, taking courses beyond the curriculum guidelines to enrich my life - therefore, making the most of my time and money spent at the university. I take classes in photography, dance, business, & will be taking more language classes than I need to graduate (currently German heh). I've begun contemplating my uni's interdisciplinary program where you create your own degree. This is extremely beneficial for determined individuals like myself because you get a degree customized and therefore completely relevant to what you want.

But then the problem arises... If I have a degree on my resume that just says "Multidisciplinary Design" - how many employers are going to be utterly confused by that?

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So, a degree & your time in college can be extremely beneficial. It's an experience and opportunity that, if you have the chance, you should always opt for. Combine that with natural talent & a killer portfolio and shoot for the stars! [yeah that sounds gay..]


On a side note, a lot of universities encourage and help their students put together a portfolio - which unfortunately after looking at a lot of them... some people desperately need help doing.


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P.S. Apologies if I've completely rambled... I really shouldn't post while trying to take notes on the Holy Roman Empire should I?

[print.Action]

that does happen all-too-often, i see it here, they just do their projects, their work doesn't get better, and they don't learn anything from it, I wish the profs would call them out on it, I have spent well over 25 hours a week for the past year(minus summer) JUST focusing on typography and color theory, because after becoming really good friends with one of my professors with an amazing portfolio, he has instilled upon me that typo and color theory make or break the design. But he doesn't call the students out that make bad decisions on these two crux aspects, and they never get better.

It is heartbreaking to the professors to see students leave history of modern design class early, skim the homework, get a C on the test, and barely pass the class, and then still put out crappy designs.

I have found the stance I want to take on this subject now, here it is. You don't need a degree, but I do.(yes, very deep I know).

YOU don't need a degree(it helps but thats not the point right now) However, I DO need a degree, because I'm using my time in college for a lot of independent study(most of my classes now) and research, in conjunction with my professor who "took me under his wing" you could call it. So now I guess I could call it a really long internship that I pay for, and pays me back with a degree.

[n21design]

Looking back when i was 18 now im 23, going to Fullsail and getting a 2 year associate of science degree in digital media for 32k was a waste of time and money. I made one fatal mistake pursing fullsail when i decided at 18 to go to fullsail and that is trusting my parents. First off the digital media degree back then was only a few years old and still had a lot of academic maturing to do. Second the cost was a ridiculous amount i think it was over 32 for 1 year and 6 months. I couldn't afford it and neither could my parents so now im stuck with a loan for the next 10 years at $250/month. After a year of graduating I landed some decent corporate jobs. Overall around 3.5 years experience but no agency work which is what i really wanted to get into. All the agencies in particular Crispin & Porter turned me down because they said my work looked to corporate....well DUH i work at a corporate company.

If i could it all over again. I would go to a traditional university and purse computer science. Im a lego nerd at heart and always enjoyed taking apart computers and installing OSs over and over again so its safe to say the more technical route was what i should have done. I mean don't get me wrong i enjoy designing just as much but my minds sways more to the analytical than the creative. I would have done one thing very different and that is have more patience and consider the economic factors such as school debt and the university's academic degree history. If its less than 5 years i wouldn't trust it.

[Limbo]

You're 23 - plenty of time to change roles - why not go into computers if thats' what your good at / enjoy?

I'm 30 and have changed careers more than a few times, just this year I moved from one discipline to another.

[pgo]

Some call them traditional universities, I call them real universities.

Those 2 year colleges - Fullsail, DeVry, ITT Tech, Art Institutes International, whatever - are all sub-par and don't give you a well-rounded education. Anything less than a bachelor's degree is a joke. I've never seen any evidence to the contrary.

Of course, the only degree that would benefit someone in web development is computer science. This is an industry that has virtually no university presence because anyone who knows what they're doing is working in the industry.

That said, graphic/visual designers should definitely get four year degrees at a reputable university/art school. Everyone else should get a degree anyway. Spending 4 years getting a real education is invaluable experience.

If I were hiring, those holding bachelor's degrees or higher would have the advantage - regardless of the field of study they pursued.

Maybe it's just because I come from an academic family, though...we tend to value education. Some people are happy to be dumb in most things and proficient in one. These people - the "i don't need to learn this to be an XYZ" crowd - shouldn't even bother going to a university. They're too intellectually lazy to do anything worthwhile in one, anyway.

That doesn't go for the rare breed of genuinely intellectually curious and motivated people who are dedicated enough to educate themselves.

[n21design]

Originally Posted by Limbo

You're 23 - plenty of time to change roles - why not go into computers if thats' what your good at / enjoy?

I'm 30 and have changed careers more than a few times, just this year I moved from one discipline to another.

Im totally with you on that and it is why after almost one year working in peru ive had enough time to really think about those things. im moving back to the us in december and pursing a computer science degree.

[Hinkle]

Im 23 aswell, and i dont have a degree. about 3 years ago i started out as a webdesigner in a small company who focused primarily on coding instead of good design ( i learned php there ). Then after a year moved on just by showing my personal work to a design agency, worked there for 1.5 years and then got fed up with the fact that i was bringing in clients but wasnt getting any commision... so i decided to "steal" my clients and start my own business... my old boss couldnt miss me and offered me half of the company, i refused ( as i knew their financial status :p ) and he still passes me a lot of work. Have been doing fine for about half a year now and i can only see improvement ahead... so imo, you don't need a degree.

btw none of the 2 companies i worked for even asked for my degree, they just hired me based on my portfolio.

[n21design]

Originally Posted by Hinkle

btw none of the 2 companies i worked for even asked for my degree, they just hired me based on my portfolio.

I have to agree with Hinkle on this. Neither of the two major companies that hired me asked for my degree. At alienware while i was 1 year in i was randomly chatting with my boss about classes and he didnt even know i had a degree.

Hinkle, i am curios though, how did you step into an ad agency with only php knowledge? ive been to design agencies before and they care more about design skill than programming. Since programming is something that can usually be outsourced.

[Hinkle]

Hmm you got me wrong, what i meant was i stepped into the first company knowing basic to average html/css and flash, and having a very small design portfolio. They were more focused on coding there so the lack of a graphic portfolio didnt really matter... they were working with another guy who didnt want to learn php, and i did. So i was brought in to replace him, started studying php and after about 6 months or so got really tired of not being able to take my time to be creative in the design department... all we did was code new modules into our cms, and when some1 ordered one, we had about half an hour to whip up a layout... in my free time i was playing around a lot learning 3d modeling and advanced flash and expanded my portfolio just enough to make it into the second design agency.

[invmatt]

I went down the self taught route instead of uni (did a 2 year college course just to show I'm committed etc) and from my experience potential employers prefer to see some evidence rather than a slip of paper saying you can do it.

[mgpwr]

Originally Posted by dixon

Same here, I have no degree, I quit college last year and only work part time, I dont know weather to apply for a university course or just go out and find a full time job!

well WEATHER you should apply for univeristy, or WEATHER you should apply for a part-time english course is debatable.

[Dusteh]

haha.

What happens when you haven't got talent or a degree? Apart from posting in 'showcase' that is...

[natenation]

I think a degree is important because it gives your customers / future employers confidence that yes, you have some kind of regulated instruction. It proves that you have a well rounded knowledge base instead of being the kick ass master of say flash, and not knowing anything about coding a HTML page.

This said I don't think a degree is as important as your personal drive and determination. The degree is really just a step into the pond of what you're going to need to learn.

Nate Johnson
Comics - Illustration - Web Design

[Paddy]

I have never had a formal design education and I know degree holders who know less about everything design related than I do, and I don't claim to know a lot.

From the point of view of an agency, it is much better to have one person who is absolutely brilliant at only one discipline, than to have 5 guys who are all okay at everything.

Of course, if you're brilliant at everything, that's even better, but these people are few and far between.

A degree can be beneficial in that it may introduce you to certain aspects of the industry that you otherwise wouldn't have encountered, or been able to do. That is the reason to do a degree, it will rarely help you get hired if your portfolio hasn't already done the trick.

Programmers tend to benefit more from studying as they often pick up efficient work habits and standard ways of working from doing a course.