Advice for designers setting out for the working world

To all recent design graduates, and those that are about to graduate, buy some boots. The shit gets pretty deep.

While there is no educational program in the world that can prepare you for the culture and inherit politics that await you in the marketing and design world, there are some consistencies that we as designers (or any professional) will certainly face. From getting a job, to losing a job, or having a job that's just awful, to eventually being laid off, you will very likely experience at least one, if not all of these:

1. All I can find are jobs that require at least one (two, three, etc.) year(s) of experience.

How do you deal with it?

Well, you kind of have to come to terms with the fact that some companies simply do not want to hire graduates. It sounds like discrimination but it's just one way a private company protects itself from having to deal with your "adjustment." You may fare well, you may find it agonizing (which might be wholly the employer's fault).

The fact is you may have to settle on a less glamorous position. It will likely be with a small company, perhaps as the sole designer. It may be an absolutely thankless, mundane job. If it's in your field, or at least close though, do all you can with it. Just keep your head up, and when the chance comes to jump to something better, take it.

2. People I've graduated with begin earning more.

How do you deal with it?

This will happen for a lot of reasons. Sometimes, it all actually does boil down to what your employer can afford to pay. If you work for a small company, and a fellow graduate got a job at a larger one, he may end up getting a raise before you or that's larger or whatever. Large companies often have a protocol they follow pretty strictly when it comes to performance reviews and pay increases. They also probably have the money for it.

The key thing is that if you feel you should be making more, you will have to ask for it. In the worst case scenario, you will find yourself at a company that doesn't bring up the subject of a raise, and you never get up the nerve to ask. Don't wait around and allow anyone to take advantage of you. If you're confident in your work, ask for the raise. If you can't come to an agreement, you may want to look for something else.

3. Some dude (or chick) just doesn't like me.

How do you deal with it?

This happens from time to time. People take up some personal issue with you and it makes you uncomfortable, and it isn't conducive to the work. If they're senior to you, they may have faced a lot of abuse in their time in the field and you'll just have to earn some trust. Other times, they are just out-and-out threatened by you and what you are capable of doing. They will try to silence you or get rid of you altogether. This business is wrought with ego.

If you find yourself in a situation like this, your best bet is to play nice. Kill them with kindness (without kissing their ass or anything). Hopefully, they are just slow to warm up to people, and the relationship will improve. If it does not, keep playing nice. Working together requires you to leave your personal issues with people behind to meet your colleagues half-way. If you can demonstrate to your superiors that you do, and have brought only positivity to the table and this so-and-so continues to undermine you, then hopefully, that will be what gets noticed and the right thing will be done to rectify the situation.

4. I know what the right thing to do is, but no one will listen to me.

How do you deal with it?

You just deal. The advertising industry relies heavily on titles. "I'm the Senior Vice President of Executive Management Integration." Really? They have that? Huh? Wonder what that pays...

Like in #3, sometimes you just have to keep pluggin' along, doing the right thing, and wait it out. Voice your opinion. Don't cram it down anyone's throat though. You might find that you share your thoughts, it's shot down, and then later someone else implements what you said and takes credit for it. That's ego for ya. It happens. But don't be disillusioned. You have your whole life for that! Just stay optimistic. Someone will eventually notice you're on the ball.

5. My boss plays favorites and my only motivation for working is out of fear.

How do you deal with it?

Almost every designer I've met has had a story like this. The boss seems to play favorites. You'll think he or she is mad at you because they refrain from speaking with you or giving you work. One day you're golden, the next week your not, and back and forth and you're never sure why. People seem to band together against each other. There are cliques. The topic of "firing" or "losing people" is all the boss can do to increase productivity.

This is a toxic work environment. They are out there and you have to watch for them. Part of allowing ego to control motivation requires you to behave childishly, and people who are old enough to know better are just as likely to behave in this manner - even your boss or superiors.

Don't let anyone break your spirit or manipulate you into thinking you don't know how to do your job. Look around online to see if your situation seems to match that of a narcissistic workplace. If so, lay low, do as your told, and in your free time, do everything you can to find a better job.

6. I just got laid off.

How do you deal with it?

That's awful. It will happen. When it does, even if it's personal, don't take it personally. Keep the sunny attitude as best you can. Avoid bridge-burning. You may want to get some things off your chest by telling someone off or worse. Your best bet is to write it down. Write it like an email you might send but don't. It will help you process it. Remember that in your field, as with any, it's a small world. If you can humbly, and honorably walk away from a job with a smile, you've passed the first test. I mean, you're not dead. It's not the worst that can happen.

The second test, of course, is finding a new job. If you've worked there long enough, you may qualify for unemployment compensation and that will help to keep you on your feet. Take the time to find a new way to present yourself. You have more experience now and your portfolio should be revised accordingly. Learn some new software. Stay in it. Focus on what you'd like to do next and how you can best present to your new boss that you are well-qualified to do just that.

Hopefully, it won't be long until you find something. If you passed the first test, try tapping into people at your last job. They know you! They might also know of the perfect few places for you to start and can put in the good word. Get yourself out there on all the online job boards. Headhunters use those religiously. If need be, broaden your job search beyond the city in which you live. You want to be where the work is. The key is to stay positive.