assignment 1
Response to first class
Attending todays first class I felt excited as next semester I will be graduating and this class, Topics in Graphic Design goes over all potential topics that I wondered about. I am looking forward to learning how to portray myself as a strong candidate for job offers. Going over how to sell ourselves in this industry will be something valuable for everyone in the class. If you are a strong designer but do not know how to go about finding a job or things like setting up your portfolio, you will not be able to land a job. I hope this class will guide me toward finding my first job as a graphic designer.
As I organized my project files from work I have done in previous semesters, I looked through them. I could not help but see things differently. Things that I worked on previously that had looked finished and perfect to me, now seem that they could be improved. I feel that my eye has gotten better at pinpointing mistakes or adding more to the design to make it stronger. All the classes that we have taken have built us up to this point and this class is pretty much a culmination of all the work we have put in.
I found it very helpful to hear Professor Trofimova’s work experiences during the class. It was great to see that once you graduate with a certain major, you can still branch out to other job types. I feel that this is a huge concern for everyone in college. The fear of investing time and money towards a degree and having to stick to it forever is a frightening commitment. However, we can branch out to related jobs and in my opinion our major is necessary in the job market. I liked hearing about Prof.Trofimova’s various jobs and how she received training when she did not know much about web design. I was able to relate to what she said about second guessing herself when starting new jobs and thinking that she might not be able to do it. It feels comforting knowing that we are not the only ones afraid and everyone goes through that.
This course is a writing intensive which is a bit intimidating for me since I feel I am not as strong as I would like to be in writing. I have taken a few writing intensive courses and I think that they are very important since we are faced with expressing ourselves clearly in our essay assignments. After taking the writing intensive classes I have noticed my thinking and writing abilities improve. This is a very valuable skill to develop because we need to be able to communicate effectively not only in our lives, but especially in our field.
For this class we will have to attend a networking event mandatory for the midterm. I, myself am more of an introvert and find networking events extremely awkward. However, these opportunities are given to us by the school and are for us to take. We are given opportunities and at times we are too scared to take them or need a little push. It is a shame to be a great designer with a strong portfolio if you cannot network. This will drastically reduce your opportunities. By having to attend the midterm networking assignment I feel excited, but nervous at the same time. I know most of us have it in us to do well and find opportunities. Overall, I am looking forward to learning the most I can from this class.
