Monday, June 13, 2011

It all Begins Somewhere Right?

You Graduate.

There, you're done with your post secondary Bachelor of Applied Arts Degree and now what?

Well, some people take a respectable amount of time off to recoop from all the grad show stress going away on vacations, going somewhere like the spa, or just sit at home for a few months playing video games til their eyes bleed. Others, find summer jobs as always to make ends meet, at least for now, until they find their career that suits what they graduated for. Others, I call them the lucky ones, already have a job placement for what they graduated for with their coop placements which is just a smooth transition from school to real life.

Me? Well, while I was still in school, I made sure everything was in order. I had my website done (which I changed several times over the course of 2-3 weeks btw) I had my business cards, my mailers, and even had my "professional" resume to start sending to employers. My goal was to find a job before I graduate. Oh it will take some time, but I will find something eventually wont I? Won't I?...

Well let me tell you. I didn't get a job before I graduated. It's been 2 years since I graduated, and so far I've had about 3 hopeful job opportunities that turned into flops (the oh, we decided not to hire anyone in the end, line) I was a working at a salon for a year in the meantime to make ends meet (it was good, got me a car that I could use to travel to job interviews/job placements) but have still been looking endlessly online, sending in resumes, inquiring if companies even needed a graphic designer/illustrator regardless of any job postings or not, networking my brains out, and kissing butt to try to get anything out of anyone for job leads. Still, nothing...

I do however, do freelance work in the meantime, whenever that comes along, but the money made from that seems to vanish as soon as I get it, going into OSAP or my insurance, car payments, phone bills, etc. Thus is life eh? Honestly, all I want is to just find a company where I can work a 9-5 job sitting in front of a computer drawing all day doing whatever. I'm starting to slowly lose my drive after all this hope and failure. I know I have about a billion people and their dog to compete with in this industry, some with more experience and a fancier resume than me, but from what I can see on all the job post boards is that they need such and such years of experience in the field and how am I supposed to gain thus experience if they won't give me a chance?

That's the thing. Due to the whole "economy" issue we had a lot of people in the art field lost their jobs to people who the boss thinks could do their job and then some. I call them "hybrids" they can do art as well as something else. Anyways, I think they cant afford to take a chance on a newly graduated person because they don't have the experience. Well how the heck were we supposed to get that when the only time we have is during our coop term of what like 4 months? Great, that'll impress them...

But anyways, thus ends my rant. I'll be once again still looking for a job to make ends meet, as well as my career related job today, still doing freelance and still getting my hopes up for that job that will "come if it were meant to be".

1 comment:

  1. Hey, you should try going to one of those toronto art shows or something. Who knows, maybe some one will pass by one day and say, "hey, thats awesome, need a job?". Also, i dont know if i have mentioned this before, but you could try joining the arts society of Oakville. I have a contact, I think it is all volunteer work, but you will meet alot of people and make many connections. This woman I used to work for owns a cafe in bronte, her name is Cj, and the cafe is called Cj's cafe in Bronte. Brilliant right! Anyways, she used to be on the arts board, this is her email address if you want to get in contact with her, she still knows everyone. She also posts artists "artwork of the month" on her walls to sell their pieces, and if she really likes a piece, she will buy it and have fit to size to be put in as her ceiling tiles. Awesome right!!!

    Email her, I dare you!
    cj@cjscafeinbronte.com

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