What can I expect from a degree in Graphic Design?

[morgothaod]

What programs will I learn?
How many projects will I have?
How intense will the projects be?
What are the projects like?
Will I do a lot of group presentations/projects?
Will I struggle if I can't draw?
Were your classes/the experience joyful or stressful?
How difficult is it to find work with this degree?

I'm just trying to get an idea what I'm in for...

I'm seriously considering changing my major because I have a professor from hell :mod: . He has just confirmed in my mind that I am majoring in the wrong subject.

[Jason Rainville]

What programs will I learn?
At least indesign, photoshop and illustrator. If there's any emphasis on web, probably dreamweaver, flash, fireworks.

How many projects will I have?
How the hell should anyone know, save for your prof?

How intense will the projects be?
See above

What are the projects like?
See 2 questions above

Will I do a lot of group presentations/projects?
See 3 questions above

Will I struggle if I can't draw?
I don't know what you think graphic design is, but at most it's 5% drawing, and that's usually only for creating thumbnails. Graphic design is about logos, magazine layouts, ads and products. It really has nothing to do with drawing, fantasy, comics, sci-fi etc. (unless you happen to be doing an ad for somethign like that, and chances are you wouldn't be illustrating it) Save for the foundations classes, don't expect to draw too much outside of initial concepts.

Were your classes/the experience joyful or stressful?
There was plenty of work and stress but for the most part I enjoyed myself. Again, depends on the school, course and teacher.

How difficult is it to find work with this degree?
More difficult than say, trades, transportation, business etc. but markedly easier than illustration/art.

I'm just trying to get an idea what I'm in for...
Why did you choose graphic design? What did YOU expect when going into it?

If you went in to draw, or to find a living with art, painting, comics etc.... get out of there. If you like logos, type, layouts etc, it may be for you.

[morgothaod]

Thanks, I got it confused with 3d animation lol. I'm a Marketing major and I can't stand the coursework. I hate anything related business but I feel trapped in the degree because I am so close to graduating. Oh and I also get a lot of pressure from the family. If they were all dead I would quit school now and do some soul searching because I don't know what I want to do in life. I think art though would act as my escape from reality.

[timpaatkins]

If they were all dead I would quit school now and do some soul searching because I don't know what I want to do in life.

What a horrible thing to say. Grow some balls and take a few years off.

[Tyjohn714]

I just graduated recently with a bachelors in Fine Art. A lot of the coursework I took was the same as my graphic design peers, except my degree focused more on the illustration and drawing/painting aspect. If you are really just beginning, and drawing isn't a strong point right now, from my experience, you will have a difficult time, and I can't promise how enjoyable it will be for you if art isn't something you actually love to do. I know a lot of people in my graduating class that didn't have a passion for art, who were not that great at drawing and therefore struggled through the courses, because "Art" wasn't the easy alternative they thought it would be. It is a lot of long nights working on projects, and at my school, art students were probably some of the most busy people on campus.

If you are that far into your degree my humble oppinion would be to stick it out. Of course if you think Graphic Design is going to be more fulfilling, then more power to you, and follow that.

[riceface]

i have a degree in graphic design i got nothing out of it, not one gig, one job, NOTHING

[J Wilson]

Graphic design has almost nothing to do with drawing or painting. It has little to do with "art" at all other than understanding design principles and what looks good and is effective. Like Jason said, it's mostly about logos, type, color, lay outs, etc. It's not a hard job generally to get employed as, because there is a high demand for designers. Everything from books and magazines, advertising, posters, web design, package design, and a lot more falls under the umbrella of graphic design. Almost everything you see has a graphic designer of some kind involved at some point.

However, there is also a fair amount of competition because everyone with a computer thinks they can make good graphic design. Mostly they are wrong.

I personally would change if I was unhappy. No sense in throwing more time into the other if you know you don't like it. There's a time and place to finish what you started, but there's also a time and place for cutting your losses and not throwing more time into it. It's like pouring a glass of milk, taking a big gulp and realizing it went sour. Would you finish it just because you started it, or would you toss it away and find something better?

[J Wilson]

i have a degree in graphic design i got nothing out of it, not one gig, one job, NOTHING

That can happen to any profession. It's all a matter of how much you put into it. A degree alone doesn't get you anything. It could be your area, or your portfolio, or how much time you spent looking. The truth is there is a ton of graphic design jobs out there.

[CesarNostradamus]

What can I expect from a degree in Graphic Design? EVERYTHING IN YOUR POWER

[XanaChama]

I agree with what has been said. Too much power in the actual degree in itself when it is more based on your own willpower and confidence in yourself.

Actually, I'm a graphic design major and a studio art major (double major). I'm a little in the position that you are, except that I understand that graphic design has more income potential than a fine artist (which requires more effort to make it happen). I also have chronic health issues so the AA in graphic design adds a little more flexibility to do take care of myself and my body. I do freelancing on the side when I need money and have some people who regularly call on me.

I am making it what I want it to be. I will probably be happier in Illustration or something Fine Art related. I have other talents, so I wouldn't be surprised if I double majored in completely different degrees and somehow made them work. I like the challenge. Only when money or health becomes an issue do I not accept the challenges. But I am not perfect. I still have a lot to figure out.

[Samuel Gray]

Very helpful and supportive comments I see here. I am glad people care to share this kind of stuff. There is always that issue with MONEY MONEY MONEY. Can you live off of it and enjoy it at the same time? I have always thought about that...

[MyOrangeHat]

Transferring to another major especially if that's what you really want to do isn't such a bad idea. Hell I quit a very good job that paid me very well as an office manager to go back to school for art!
But the smartest way to go about it depends on how close you are to graduating in your current major. Since it doesn't sound like you're actually going to transfer within your school but rather quit and find an art oriented school to enroll in. So if you're in your senior year at this point quitting before you graduate would be a waste of money. Locking those credits into a degree should keep them from expiring if you look to transfer at a later date (I didn't know this either but an advisor at my community college told me this).
Also if you want to get a job while you look for an apply to art schools the diploma will make a big difference in what type of job you can find and how much you can get paid. Plus if for whatever reason you have trouble getting into art school or loose the motivation and never get around to it, you still have a college degree. And employers DO look for that (I'm not talking art world on this one). There are certain jobs you can't even APPLY for if you don't have a college degree.

So, yes, follow your dreams. It's your life and right now you have the power and opportunity to set it up so you'll be happy. But think carefully before you act so you don't act impulsively and screw yourself over.

[CesarNostradamus]

And Kill Anyone That Stands In Your Way

[morgothaod]

I'm 8 classes away from a marketing degree. I guess I will stick it out... the material isn't bad, its just this one prof. who is making my life hell. I really dislike the group projects too. I wonder how helpful a degree in creative writing is in helping me create story lines.

[Jem'ennuie]

I'm 8 classes away from a marketing degree. I guess I will stick it out... the material isn't bad, its just this one prof. who is making my life hell. I really dislike the group projects too. I wonder how helpful a degree in creative writing is in helping me create story lines.

Degrees have started to lose some value with all the printed media and digital info (internet etc) being available now.

This is the case in a lot of areas of expertice though, not just art. You have great mathematicians who never studied maths in college etc too now.

It's not that schools have changed, they have mostly stayed the same or improved, but it's that other learning methods have cached up or sometimes even surpassed traditional learning methods.

I often compared my university teaching methods to the ones I could get from books, internet, videos. This was in regards to informatics and mathematics though, which I studied at the time. I never found that the uni offered me anything I couldn't find somewhere else, often for free. The uni I went to basically just had teachers reading from a book in front of the classroom. I might as well read the book myself then I always thought, and surprisingly that usually got me better and faster results than attending the classes.

I can't say this is true in all fields though, some fields require too much money or material to do yourself, but in most fields it's possible to be just as good if not better than someone with a degree, I think writing and arts are one of them.

[morgothaod]

Yeah if I become famous I can also just get honorary degrees lol. I think higher education is only important for doctors and lawyers.

[pitabread]

I've worked as a freelance graphics/web designer and never had any professional training. Professional training will, I think, open more doors in the industry particularly if you are looking for full time employment at an ad-agency or something.

But for most work, it comes down to how well you advertise yourself and what your own skillset is. I was able to self-train myself to a point where people wanted to pay me to do design work, so I did.

Employment-wise, freelancing is a mixed bag. On the one hand, I got to work from home, set my own hours, have a good deal of personal creativity, decorate my home office however I wanted, etc.

On the other hand, you have to be hella discliplined, be able to meet clients professionally (any customer service experience is an asset here), seek out new clients, working from home can drag after awhile... Basically, it's a mixed bag. And with no business experience going in, it can take a couple years to get your bearings. You'll make mistakes, but hopefully learn from them.

At any rate, I was able to make a survivable living off it for a few years, but ended up going back to school and retraining for a new career. Now I work in an office, put in longer hours, don't get to sleep 'til noon and work in my pajamas anymore. But on the other hand, the future payoff is magnitudes higher than anything I could have accomplished doing graphics or web stuff.