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Getting a job in graphic design isn’t easy. Having the right skills is important. James Allwright, head of design for a specialist provider notes, “You need to be committed, definitely committed, because if you’re not committed you won’t get a job, because the industry is so competitive.” But what’s the best way in? And how important are formal qualifications?
Graphic Designer Courses: the Importance of Formal Qualifications
Formal qualifications are important, if not necessarily essential. What a qualification does, is give entrants an edge. Richard Wesson, publications manager in the public sector says, “It opens doors. Applicants are up against numbers, so any disadvantage can count against them. A degree or equivalent is probably one of the most important criteria for someone who’s starting out.”
Allwright agrees. “Some form of qualification is very important, and it’s not necessarily because you can’t be a designer without going to college. For me, going to college was having the creative freedom to find myself. If you go straight into a job then you’re expected to do work for clients straight away before you know who you are, or what you do. That’s why qualifications are so well regarded in the industry – because they show that you’ve had that time, and the creative freedom.”