Most students arrive at the idea of studying the possibilities of a career in graphic communications primarily because they loved a high school art class. They figure: “Gosh I loved art in school! Maybe I can get paid a ton while doing art!” (The ‘paid a ton’ part is unrealistic to start with btw… as is the ‘getting paid to play video games.’)
The problem is, in many high schools, art is purely an elective (there is not a stringent level art track). It is also very much about an individual communicating on their own terms, their own message, and in their own way.
When you choose a “creative” corporate career, you will draw upon much of your art training, but the overriding concern (no matter what) is effectively using your visual skills to communicate or reinforce a message … primarily a message that will also draw upon marketing strategy and established goals and objectives! This is all very “LEFT brain” stuff. But you are now the ADVOCATE for someone else's ideas and messages, using your creative and compositional know-how to do good by them or their product.
Creatives are among some of the most talented and clever people I know. They need very much to be multi-dimensional. They often have exhaustive store-houses of knowledge about quite a great number of things, and (in my opinion) are scintillating dinner-party conversationalists.
Honestly, the most successful folks I know work their asses off. They continually study things, and research is a part of the daily grind on the job.
So please… if a well-meaning counselor says to you, “Oh, you like art and aren't doing great academically? Hmm… maybe you should try graphic design!” Please, please, please reconsider. At the very least, interview someone who has done the job for a while, and see if they'll let you shadow them for a day.
I can pretty much guarantee it isn't about drawing what you want, when you want. Nor is it about getting to have fun all day and get paid. Just sayin'
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