Comments on: Why My Art Degree Makes Me a Kickass Addition to Your Team

By: Sarahplusone

Sarahplusone — Fri, 07 May 2010 10:07:09 +0000

Brilliant.

By: PH

PH — Tue, 23 Mar 2010 19:06:41 +0000

The photo is great, and the essay too.

I have always admired people who go for art and related degrees, because I have been told countless times that it is very difficult to procure employment. Since I’m from a background that highly encourages medicine, engineering, and finance as “sensible” career paths regardless of personal preferences, I have respect for those who decide to take a risk/do something they like.

By: fred dintenfass

fred dintenfass — Mon, 15 Mar 2010 23:03:17 +0000

Steve: Deliberate and intentional nails it. Glad to see you’ve taken your skills and interests and taken it in a direction that is financially and mentally rewarding. Rock on.

By: fred dintenfass

fred dintenfass — Mon, 15 Mar 2010 23:01:56 +0000

Jeff,

Many thanks for reading and advising. Much appreciated. Glad to hear you’ve benefited from your training and are making things happen. I am actually still employed at the moment but always thinking about the next step and how what got me here can help me take things further. I will definitely try to get this out there further as I think there are many of us trying to convince people our education makes us useful assets.

By: Steve

Steve — Mon, 15 Mar 2010 12:58:26 +0000

Great essay, on a topic close to my heart. I got my BA in Studio Art, then hit tech school to learn to be a machinist (because you still get to make things, and machinists get paid more than waiters), then a job as a programmer, now I’m a Project Manager. I still highlight my degree in art on my resume: “The most important thing that an art major teaches you is to consider everything about what you are making – every feature must be deliberate and intentional.” (As an aside, for a long time I had a domain with only a few words up, “Ceci n’est pas un website.”) Good luck to you!

By: Jeff Macco

Jeff Macco — Sun, 14 Mar 2010 20:29:32 +0000

Hi Fred,

I was referred to this article by John Murn, a friend I met in college while getting a degree in graphic design. I have taken a different route than design, but still use many of the things you write of above. I have a very entrepreneurial mindset and use the “thinking outside the box” metaphor like this: I tend to straddle my legs over the top of the box so I can see what’s happening both inside and outside the box. I’m really good at connecting resources from outside the box to needs that exist in the inside of the box to create win-win-win opportunities.

Best of luck finding a job, this was a powerful read.

I love getting unsolicited advice, and I’m sure you’re the same (wtf, right?) – I’d encourage you to tighten up the story a bit and submit it to every journalist, design publiciation, gallery, etc that you know because I’m confident many decision makers (hiring folks) will fully pick up what you’re laying down. It might help them better understand why they do what they do and how they do it. This clarity might be the key to finding employment in the field that you want. You could even test out a number of different titles to see which one gets the most responses. “Every ask yourself why you wake up in the morning?” “Ever wonder why you’re drawn to everything?”

Or, it might not work one bit and be a complete “waste” of time, but in the meantime, might give you something to do. Or, you might think I’m a complete fool for wasting my time writing you. Regardless, now you know…

Jeff

By: j murner

j murner — Sun, 14 Mar 2010 18:04:19 +0000

if i only had a job to give…