Money Matters: Break the Career Mold

Wendy from Hopkinsville, Kentucky asks:

I obtained my B.A. in Visual Communications about five years ago, but so far I have been unable to obtain a position as a graphic designer due to lack of job experience. I have also been taking care of my three year old son, so I gave up job searching until now. Since I think my son is ready for daycare, I would like to start looking for a graphic design position again, but part of me feels discouraged. Am I headed in the right direction for my career?

Psychic Anya Dawn ext. 9179 Responds:

Finding a job in Visual Communications makes sense if there is sense to be made out of it. Like the nursery rhyme about the egg that fell off a wall; once a change of plan occurs, we can no longer put ourselves back in the shell again. This is not a loss, but a gain, because you did not want to directly pursue a graphic design career.

Honor your achievements that brought you to your present point. Our life is smooth at times, and unclear at others. Dropping what you thought you “should” do and pursuing a completely different avenue will shift your perspective. The process of our life is usually best arrived at through random undertakings complied together over time.

The size of your task is discouraging you. This keeps you at the starting gate and never has you running on the track. Transition yourself by volunteering a few hours a week to a nonprofit organization, school, company, church or to self-employed people locally. In addition, seek part-time freelance work through the Internet. A smaller step when ventured, gives satisfaction and gets you in the race.

Is passion a path? Redefining passion means pursuing what naturally happened in your life. Don’t try to put yourself into a mold that doesn’t fit, or may not exist in your vicinity. Your degree will be “weaved” into whatever route you choose. Much of what you found satisfying does not go under the heading of a graphic designer.

Picking up the pieces to assemble a better egg: rewarding futures are built upon many irregular pieces fastened together. You resisted a graphic design career because that was only part of your equation. All that lay behind you will someday become part of your future. Your upcoming job may only utilize a few of the experiences that make up the ingredient list of you.

There are many needs for your varied skills. You have firsthand knowledge of the learning process from infancy to preschool age, as well as helping a child learn. You are also able to utilize a computer as a tool to express visual impact, and creatively instruct others about information in their environment.

All of your prior knowledge and abilities will allow you to come up with new blended skills. You can creatively think of ways for adults and children to learn on the computer. Or you may incorporate visual problem solving to allow others to overcome disabilities (e.g., a slower learning style, inattentiveness, inability to integrate incoming information). By introducing enhanced communication processes, you will find ways to allow children and adults to learn faster and see how to do things better.

Your degree in Visual Communications is growing in demand via the noticeable increase in electronic communication usage. You also have another advantage: by having witnessed your small child conquer tremendous abilities in order to function as a human. Start now in one small but great way to connect some of your talents into a career.

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