“Design” can cover a broad range of academic pursiuts, from graphics to product, even to product management and beyond. UX/UI designers, front-end programmers, you could say that many examples like this have their roots in a design basis.
While you no doubt have areas of interest and have pursued them diligently, sometimes, to stand out in an ever-growing market where more people than ever have higher education backgrounds, it can take a little more to supplement your value and achieve the job you’re most looking forward to.
Supplementing your design degree is also a great way to make sure you’re more rounded, that your skills are more applicable, or at the very least, that you can better converse with other departments and make them more aware of your needs.
With that in mind, you may wish to consider some of the following advice to help you along. There are multiple choices out there after all, and having the right, gentle suggestions can help you come to a decision. Let’s get started:
Consider Additional Diplomas
A deeper specialization in a chosen area could be considered a worthwhile addition to a design degree, which would be quite helpful in certain career paths. For example, a graduate diploma in financial technology online would allow a designer to be better prepared for work within the fintech industry, allowing them to get in at the start of a great startup.
The value of this extra qualification could be recognized by recruiters, and so a candidate’s profile is more easily distinguished among the rest of the applicants. An employer might notice that a candidate’s understanding of a niche area, such as a business-related field, means less on-the-job training would be needed, and they may pick you as a result.
Take On Freelance Work
It would be quite beneficial for design graduates to take on freelance projects, even small ones, to begin building a portfolio of work for clients. That type of experience is seen as valuable because real-world challenges have been met and honed before application.
Moreover, a graduate’s capacity to manage client expectations, deadlines, and project scope is shown clearly through their freelance history. It could be suggested that a variety of small projects would also show adaptability and the capacity to apply design principles across different sectors where they’re needed. For that reason, a freelance side gig could be worthwhile, or at least as you look for work.
Embed In An Outsourced Team
We’d suggest you consider opportunities to join an outsourced design team, perhaps in a part-time or internship structure, as it’s a great way to gain professional experience quickly. You’ll find exposure to a varied range of international projects and work cultures could be achieved in this setting, which is quite desirable for many employers for many reasons, not only because you had the ability to place on a task by task basis, but that you’ve been in multiple commercial environments too. That suggest you’ll fit snugly into theirs on a more permanent basis.
With this advice, you’ll be certain to supplement your design degree with the best of intentions.
