Field Change
I am currently working in the industry of Architecture and CAD Drafting. I hold an Associates degree in Applied Science for Architectural Technology and a Certificate for Digital Imaging. While in school, we had a variety of graphic type classes that I actually did very well in. I tend to be a more spatial, conceptual and creative thinker than a technical thinker. The problem there is in my current job...it's pretty much all technical and there is no room for change to the design side of this work because the office is so small. I am a photographer by nature and am trying to get my foot in the door with photography and graphic design where it relates to photography but I have no "formal" training in it either. It is also unfeasible for me to go back to school due to my responsibilites with my family. I have been taking pictures all of my life but have no idea how to create a resume based on "personal" experience with Photography and graphic design by way of Photoshop. How would a person market themselves for a change such as this and how in the world can one create a resume based soley on personal experience? I know that if I could just get my foot in the door of a place where I can prove my creative abilities, I know I would do well and be successful at it.
Hi, It sounds to me like you're actually in a pretty good position if you have a certificate in digital imaging and photography expereince. Are you good with photoshop? If so, there are tons of jobs out there for graphic design. You should create your own website featuring your photography and create some graphic design work --maybe for a friends' business or something. there is a big demand for graphic design within companies and as freelance. check out the freelance job board here or on freelance work exchange. One_Kris,
Experience is experience whether you gain it professionally or not. It's really just a matter of jotting down the skills and knowledge you've gained. Look into skills-based resume formats. I'm not an expert, but I believe in the visual arts industries, one thing that may hold at least equal weight to a resume, is a portfolio of your work. With having taken pictures all your life, and the ability to take and process pictures quickly in today's environment, it seems you should be able to put one together quickly. The beauty is that you can show your ability rather than just talk about it on a resume, which is more than the average job-seeker can do. I hope this was at least of some minimal help. Good luck. Thank you both for your replies. I think the portfolio is going to have to be my starting point. I have wanted to do one for a while and know that once I have one, it will only help me when it comes to getting jobs. My ultimate goal is to market myself enough that I can start my own photography business but in the meantime, I'd rather be doing something in the digital arts world than the technical world I've been stuck in for the last 4 1/2 years. I believe I'm pretty well experienced in Photoshop. I've been using it since version 6.0 which is roughly 7-8 years. I love it and I love learning new software too so I think that anywhere that offers Photoshop or a similar program...that I would do well. I guess it's a matter of getting my resume turned into a "skills based" resume. I'm going to work on it and may come back for some feedback from here before I actually post the final. Thanks again for your replies. | |
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Career Tips
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