Karen Rodriguez

ENG 1101

Project 2: Using Your Brain

Thinking back to my childhood, when we were always ask what we wanted to be when we grew up  I always stood frozen and never  knew what to answer. Having so many different interests, I could never pin it down to one specific career. However, attending City Tech put a stop to that. As oppose to being in elementary school, in college there is a vast number of different majors to choose from in order to find the right career for you.  And, I manage to get a hold of the perfect major for me, which is Communication Design. This would be the best major for me as it provides me with the creativity, variety in work, and flexible schedule. Another major role in my choosing of this major it’s that  it combines a lot of my interesting into one. Through this essay I will first give a background of the job and explore the different career choices it could ultimately lead me too. Ultimately,  proving the reason behind this being the best major for me and perhaps you.

To get a better understanding of how earning a major in Communication Design will help me get a career as advertising art director , I will explore the major in depth and how it will help me get the job I desire. The course catalog of  New York City of Technology stated that, “[I’m] offered a broad range of foundation courses… to advance into the advertising design profession.” Through this major I will be able to gain a wide range of helpful skills that are of importance to the advertising field. By earning a degree in Communication Design, I will graduate with a strong resume that will allow me to further advance in the field. According to Megg, Philip B, a professor and author of books of graphic design. famous graphics designers, “spent… years freelancing for advertising agencies and corporation, even painting logos…[these] activities evolved into a design studio.” With this said it can be concluded that in order to advance into the field, one has to gain experience.

Now that I’ve provided you with the necessary background  knowledge concerning my major and career choice in the Communication Design field, I will introduce one of the reason for which I’m best suited for this field. One of the reasons I choose this job is it provides me with flexibility. With the broad graphic design field, you can find something that fits what you like. For example, a recognized graphic designer, David Carson, achieved a job magazine, “covering travel, fashion, music, and social life along with beach activities and surfing.” As someone who has an interest in surfing, he was able to get a job that fits his needs. This is just one the many routes one can take within this field.  As I have a lot of different interests, it is amazing that I can find a career where I can combine all of them. According to Tim Girvin, he argues that, “the basic ability to express oneself and be a good listener are the two… most powerful tools for a [graphic] designer.”Thus, the ability to be able to use your creativity to do the job plays a vital role as to why I am entering this field.

In addition of the flexibility of the Communication Design field, another major reason I’m best suited for this path would be the wide range of job opportunity I can obtained  within this field. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, as a graphic designer one can enter industries such as computer systems designs, advertising, newspaper, books, motion picture and video industries, etc. This clearly depicts the many different job fields I can encounter once I graduate. Thus, having a variety of options would be especially important for   me since at this point of my young career I’m still unsure of what I want to specialize in. Additionally, through the Bureau of Labor Statistics, I was able to learn that New York is top within “the highest concentration and job quotients for [graphic design] occupation.”  This means there are job openings for this occupation within New York. Already living and graduating from New York means I will have a vast amount of opportunity once I graduate.

There are necessary steps  you will need to fulfill in order to become a graphic designer. In an interview with Desiree Alvarez, a professor in the Communication Design major at City Tech, she talks about what you will need to do in order to become a successful graphic designer.When ask what is the advice she will give to someone who wants to choose a career in this the graphic arts she said, “Creating a good portfolio that showcase who you are as a designer is the best tip I can give you.” For any designer, be it in fashion or arts, in order to get a job, one has to present a portfolio to future employers. When Prof. Alvarez mentions this, one can see that creating a strong portfolio is key in landing the job.

While I discuss and provided you with the necessary knowledge of a career in graphic design, I hope it will peak your curiosity into perhaps becoming one yourself.  As you can see, the possibilities are endless with this major. For me, it was important to choose a career in a field that enables me to put my creativity to work. As I’m still young and my interest always fluctuates, I hope that a career in graphic arts is the right choice for me.

Work Cited

Alvarez, Desiree. Email to author. 30 Nov. 2014. TS.

Meggs, Philip B., “5 top designer’s confess: ‘Never went to art school!” Print Vol. 50 Issue 3,

2. 9p. Academic Search Complete. Web. 17 Nov. 2014.

New York City College of Technology( City Tech.) College Catalog 2014-2015. 2014. PDF.

17 Nov. 2014.

United States. Dept. of Labor: Bureau of Labor Statistics. “Graphic Designer.”

Bureau of Labor Statistics. Dept. of Labor. Web. 24 Nov. 2014.