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Slashie posted:If you want to Teach you are going to have to stop Capitalizing random Words. And using sentence fragments. Fair enough. Thanks for the input though. I think I'll end up going to SAIC and getting a general BFA. I'll get that out of the way first, then decide where I should major in more specifically later.
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Feb 13, 2010 21:38
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RiceTaco posted:An unfortunate situation. Short answer is no, that's not what all studios/agencies (whatever you want to call it) are like. Sadly, though, it's what A LOT of them are like. Here are two case studies for you to look at: Me: Held a few in-house positions during college, and then stumbled upon a small studio that was looking for an intern with web experience. I fit the bill, applied, and have stayed there ever since. It's a pretty tiny studio (four full time designers, two full time contractors out of studio, and some of the creative director's old partners who will help out on projects from time to time), but its a fantastic place to work. We do or have done work for nearly every type of business/organization there is... from international nonprofits to music-industry related work to local restaurants to political lobbyists. Part of that is due to the fact that we're located in DC and thus there's just a fuckload of EVERYTHING going on in every sector here. The studio space itself is great. The people I work with are awesome. Sure there are occasional projects we have to rush though (usually the client's fault), but for the most part we work at a reasonable pace. In fact its the norm for us to spend double the hours we set aside for design to get something just perfect before we move into production. All in all, great place. My Buddy: Interned at a large ad firm during school. They were alright... worked on a lot of super big-name clients, but the work environment was just kinda blah. They didn't put a whole lot of emphasis on doing good design, which looking back wasn't all that surprising (90% of ad agencies never do, it seems). Was super business-ey -- he wore a tie to work every day. When he finished there and got out of school he was immediately hired by a firm of similar size to mine. They were new and had nearly no idea what they were doing. They paid him vast sums of money to head up their web department even though he wasn't really qualified, but whatever. They worked him to death, were generally psychotic, pushed out poo poo design just so they could move on to the next project. His bosses would quote clients ridiculous timelines for massive projects regularly. Despite the large sums of money they were paying him, he quit because he hated everything about working there, and spent some time freelancing. He later landed another full time position at another smallish firm, who, while not being psychotic, still quoted ridiculous timelines, still pushed out poo poo design, etc. He left them as well, as he was now a few years out of school, had nothing but a few freelance projects in his portfolio (everything he did at the two firms was crappy and not portfolio-worty), and he was getting worried that he'd have a hard time finding a job at a good company. I chatted with my studiomates and we decided to take him on as a full time contractor since we were super busy and needed an extra hand. So that's kind of how it goes. In any given city, probably three quarters of the firms are chop shops. It's not easy finding a good one (I was insanely lucky to slide into the position I currently have), but if you keep looking, you'll find one. For example, in DC there are probably... eh, four or so firms that I think are worthwhile. The rest are either super-mega-ultra studios that just have a branch in DC (ie. AKQA and the like), or suck rear end horribly. If you're working at a super-mega-ultra studio, you need to be prepared to put in a lot of time doing production on other people's designs before you raise up in the ranks enough to start doing some design of your own (or so say the people I know who work at places like that). My best advice is to spend a weekend looking for every single studio you can find in your city, reviewing their work, reading up on them wherever you can, and then apply at the ones you think sound good. If they're not hiring, offer to buy them a drink after work, just to chat. In-house, in my experience at least, is extremely limiting. Usually you'll only be doing one sort of design over and over and over again. Sure the job's easier and generally fairly pleasurable, but it gets boring and it doesn't force you to improve yourself. Edit: Also, when it comes time for them to cut a position or two to make their budget, guess who's the first person to go? They're not going to get rid of sales people, accountants, management, etc. They're going to get rid of their designer as they can just feelance that poo poo out if necessary. Also also, all the REALLY cool stuff that comes along will generally be farmed out to real design firms anyway. We've done some big projects recently for businesses/organizations with their own in-house people, but these businesses/organizations decided that for REAL design (if you will), they needed some REAL designers, and thus we ended up doing all the fun work, and their in-house designers were stuck being our bitches. It's a crappy situation for them for sure, but it's understandable. Keep looking, come up with a list of places you'd love to work, and apply there. Get out of the place you're at now, because unless you're getting some amazing portfolio pieces, you're wasting your time. kedo fucked around with this message at 23:26 on Feb 13, 2010 |
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Feb 13, 2010 23:20
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kedo posted:Short answer is no, that's not what all studios/agencies (whatever you want to call it) are like. Sadly, though, it's what A LOT of them are like. Thanks, I really appreciate your insight on this. Yeah, I plan on leaving the place tomorrow when I get in. I can't deal with them anymore. I keep on thinking, maybe the next project or the next day would get better but it hasn't been the case. They've made a lovely first impression and I doubt it would change. Then I started to think if I was losing my edge/wussing out, but after reading your post and asking my other design friends about the places they work, pretty much come to conclusion that this place just sucks, or what you described, a chop shop. There's just too many red flags at this place. Your friend's past situations are very similar to what's going on with me especially the whole psychotic of things to get stuff done as fast as possible. After near completion of the motion graphics project. I was asked to code/animate their site in Flash. They asked me how long it would take. Trying to give myself some sort of a buffer (I don't like being rushed, I doubt anyone likes the idea of being rushed), I say 2-3 weeks since I'm not a proficient action scripter. The art director frowns and wants me to do it in one week and asked why would it take any longer because what they're asking for "looks easy." Stuff like that is just a warning of outrageous deadlines promised to clients for a quick turnaround time. Then one of the higher ups viewed my motion graphics video and wants to make a few changes. I'm thinking, now since the meat and potatoes of the project is done, these changes shouldn't take long. They basically want to re-haul the entire video in a single day. One of the art directors pretty much does the whole, look over my shoulder while I frantically trying to work as quickly as possible doing these changes as they think only takes a few clicks of a button. Then quickly get impatient and frustrated because it's taking so long. So yeah, I'm probably going to follow your advice and seek out studios in my area that actually have a strong portfolio. The place I'm at now, has a pretty poor portfolio with most of their work (print ads) for clients I have never heard of. They try to brag about having big named clients like the Hilton, or the Lakers, but they only thing they designed are loving do not distrub door knob hangers for them. My friend best described the place... "An ad agency that's trying to pretend it's an Ad Agency." RiceTaco fucked around with this message at 09:29 on Feb 15, 2010 |
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Feb 15, 2010 08:32
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Yeah, everything you said (and have now said in this post) definitely make it sound like a chop shop. Anyone that expects you to create a full flash site in 2-3 weeks is retarded. Anyone in the ENTIRE industry who says what you do "looks easy" is doubly retarded. Good luck finding a new place.  Feel free to post the places you're looking so we can all pass judgement.
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Feb 16, 2010 00:46
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I want to write. I've always loved composition and throughout my schooling have tried to take as many writing and English classes as I can, and now I'm stuck at a community college trying to figure out what I want to do with my life. I guess I should try to go for my BA in English, but "Avenue Q" has terrified me. Is it really that hard to find a job as a writer? What about journalism, reporting, author-ing (not a word, but I don't care)? Hell, if Stephanie Meyer can write a book, I can. What do I do with my life from here?
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Feb 16, 2010 19:41
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Orleans posted:I want to write. I've always loved composition and throughout my schooling have tried to take as many writing and English classes as I can, and now I'm stuck at a community college trying to figure out what I want to do with my life. Become an advertising copywriter. Please. There are so few of us who actually give a poo poo about writing and know the rules, let alone who are able to craft good, persuasive arguments for longer pieces. There are a lot of avenues within copywriting - you could write website content, traditional ads (billboards etc), direct mail (letters, mailpacks, emails...) and so on. I can't advise on how to get into the industry because it's different in America to where I am (England), but start looking into it if it sounds like something you might enjoy.
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Feb 16, 2010 20:20
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Agreed, copywriters are in huge demand. Bonus points if you can learn PR and SEO. I have yet to ever work with a copywriter who was actually good at their job, and it's always a pain in the rear end to fill that position. Literally every aspect of e-media (for lack of a better term) is saturated with need for good copywriting. Web copy, PR copy, social media copy, SEO, SMO, straight advertising, etc. x110000000 Actual journalism or long-form writing is pretty much extremely saturated, the only writers I've seen lately that have broken out doing that kind of work were also extremely clever social media PR people. I'm seeing a lot of copyrighting/pr/social media internships out there right now, try to land one and see if you like it. Then try another one, as every place is different and if you get a poo poo internship the first time around it might sour you on something that's actually a good fit.
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Feb 20, 2010 19:31
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Hi, I'm an undergrad wondering about transferring. Let's say I get into SAIC but denied from MICA, in which case I will be now spending my freshman year at SAIC. Come my second year would I be able to transfer out there and into MICA? How will that work? Both places are accredited, but would MICA still be looking at my High School GPA as heavily or would it be more so my portfolio? Ah, question answered. Most transfer Sophomore year into other colleges. They still look at your High School, years but less considerably. zaepg fucked around with this message at 15:57 on Mar 2, 2010 |
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Feb 23, 2010 02:29
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I'm currently working in editorial in higher education textbooks and I'm considering making the jump to fiction editing. I'm very drawn to creative writing and the creative side of any business and I have a few contacts, but I fear that the jump to fiction will mean (A) less money and (B) the eventual loss of my job. I work in NYC and have over four years of office experience (1 year of finance, 6 months of technical writing, 6 months of video production, 2 years of editorial). In my spare time I perform comedy and pursue illustration, filmmaking, and graphic design. I know I'm basically asking everyone to predict the future, but should I stay on track for this job in fiction, or should I consider going it alone in new media and trying to integrate all of my assorted talents/interests? The current state of the job market makes me really afraid to move or try anything different.
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Feb 24, 2010 17:40
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A while back I decided to go with the MFA in Illustration thing at Academy of Art University, SF. A few people have offered criticisms, others have voiced support for their illustration department, at least. After a few weeks, I'm inclined to agree with the latter group. It's hard work, and they keep focusing on my weaknesses, but I've already made progress thanks to them. I started with only a half-load until I got a better feel for the school, but I (and a bunch of other people like me who had the same reservations about the school) am totally committed to it from now on. The instruction is great, the other students constantly set the bar higher than what I'm used to, and there are free workshops almost every day. I just did one where it was 3 hours of nothing but 2 minute gestural drawings with a professional model. I'm really looking forward to this program 
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Feb 24, 2010 22:34
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mcsuede posted:Agreed, copywriters are in huge demand. Bonus points if you can learn PR and SEO. I have yet to ever work with a copywriter who was actually good at their job, and it's always a pain in the rear end to fill that position. Does the shortage of copywriters in the world mean I can get by with a writing degree and very little relevant experience (just making advertisements and helping with press kits for a publishing company), or would I need a relevant degree and internships and whatnot? Because it's about 6.5 grand and another year of my life to pursue the latter...
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Feb 25, 2010 15:23
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Pantothenate posted:Does the shortage of copywriters in the world mean I can get by with a writing degree and very little relevant experience (just making advertisements and helping with press kits for a publishing company), or would I need a relevant degree and internships and whatnot? Because it's about 6.5 grand and another year of my life to pursue the latter... Depends on how competitive your geographic area is. In this job market, I'd finish that education but keep your eyes open for the right opportunity. Copywriters are needed, but it's an employers market in almost all disciplines right now. Plus while you're finishing that year you can keep building up your writing portfolio, go into the market really armed a year from now / figure out if that's what you really want to be doing.* *I'm just some dude on the internet disclaimer.
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Feb 26, 2010 02:47
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Hey folks, I recently graduated design school with a major in illustration, and I have a meeting with my first client tomorrow who isn't a friend of a friend of a friend etc. As I understand it he wants me to illustrate advertising concepts for a clothing company, a sort of big one that to be honest is a wee bit intimidating to me. I am unsure of what to charge for my service or how to charge it. I'm a recent graduate so I feel my skill is high enough for me not to worry about, but I am concerned with time management or rather my efficiency at dealing with real world projects and don't think I'd feel entirely comfortable charging too high an hourly rate. Perhaps I should charge for the single completed work I produce in the end? I just need advice here, I'm worrying a bit.
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Feb 26, 2010 04:00
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Ask him what the budget is. This is important, even an approximate figure. You could charge hourly, but with your time management not too hot, best to charge a flat fee. Find out how much you will need to do (get this sorted out fast), you should be able to figure out how much you need from how long it will take, i.e. from there how much you need to live on, at a basic level. Be really confident though, you know more about this will work than the guy you're talking to, just explain how long it will take to produce things. Be really honest and really specific. (unless you have something unused that fits perfectly and it will take you five minutes to fix up, then be less honest) RobertKerans fucked around with this message at 17:40 on Feb 26, 2010 |
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Feb 26, 2010 17:36
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I know this isn't exactly career advice question, but I don't think it deserves its own thread and this is the closest to a quick Q & A thread in CC, and also a lot of you have good experience and hopefully insight to match. So I'm working on a zine, and putting way too much thought into it, and now as I'm nearly done I'm wondering about copyright. It's a tiny little photocopied zine that nobody will ever see, so this is all hot air, but I'm wondering about the idea. I mean, I don't want to potentially get taken advantage of, and it's easy to just add a little copyright symbol. But I'm also a dumb hippie and don't give a poo poo about money (with this project anyway) and the zine will be free, so maybe it doesn't matter? I'm a big proponent of open source, free everything, but something like a creative commons for this project seems too specific for something so trivial. I'm waffling about either regular copyright or nothing at all, but I'm very curious to see what you guys think, especially if you've done any zines or similar things yourselves.
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Feb 26, 2010 22:08
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Jerry Steve Dave posted:I know this isn't exactly career advice question, but I don't think it deserves its own thread and this is the closest to a quick Q & A thread in CC, and also a lot of you have good experience and hopefully insight to match. 1. It doesn't matter. 2. Correct me if I'm wrong, but once you MAKE something I believe it just is copyrighted. The symbol is sort of a reminder. It also affords benefits, but unless you have the money to be hiring a lawyer and pursuing a claim anyway, then what's the point? http://www.templetons.com/brad/copymyths.html
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Feb 26, 2010 22:54
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RobertKerans posted:Ask him what the budget is. This is important, even an approximate figure. Thanks very much! I'll try to remember all these things when I meet him in a few hours.
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Feb 26, 2010 23:13
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Orleans posted:Hell, if Stephanie Meyer can write a book, I can. What do I do with my life from here? I thought the point was to write a good book.  You're basically me, and I was coming here to ask the same advice you did. Good to see you asked it first. Second question: Throughout life I've done as almost everyone does. "I want to be a doctor!" "No, I want to be a vetrinarian!" "No, I want to be a zookeeper!" and so on and so forth. The only thing that's stuck with me through it all is writing. There is absolutely nothing in the world that I enjoy more than settling down at the computer and typing up a short story or the beginnings of a novella. My question to all of you: How difficult it is for an unknown to get an agent on a manuscript? I'm well aware that the market is constantly flooded with the general type that I enjoy writing the most, fantasy, but I can't really choose what I naturally like to do. I expect an uphill struggle to get anything published. I'd just like to know if I'm looking at mountain, or a ninety degree incline that's nigh impossible to scale.
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Feb 28, 2010 10:10
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Fluffy Bunnies posted:My question to all of you: How difficult it is for an unknown to get an agent on a manuscript? I'm well aware that the market is constantly flooded with the general type that I enjoy writing the most, fantasy, but I can't really choose what I naturally like to do. There is absolutely no way to answer that without knowing you and your work. So much is dependent on the quality of your writing, its relationship with the market (Similar to stuff out there? Too similar or just similar enough? What's hotter right now, wizards or warlocks? etc. etc. etc.), your business skills, and your drive. If you really want to do this you need to educate yourself on the market, which means doing a lot more than just googling a list of fantasy magazines. Which fantasy publishers do the most work with your type of stories? Do you know what type of story you write, from a marketing standpoint? Who edits those houses? Which agents work with your type of fantasy? Which agents are taking new clients? A few hard things you're going to need to go forward: There is absolutely no market for novellas whatsoever. The few that are published every decade are either by established writers, or so exceptional a publisher decided to take a risk and see if they could create a market for just that one book. Also, short fiction markets are drying up left and right. It's depressing but think about it - how many fiction magazines do you buy a month? How much short fiction do you read for fun (i.e. not part a writer's due diligence)? Pretty much the only people who read standalone (not published in an anthology) short fiction now are students and aspiring writers. That means it'll never completely go away, but the money is vanishing. More short fiction magazines retreat to web publishing every day. So long story short you're going to need to write a novel. Two, actually, because your first one won't be salable. Not a judgment against you, it just won't. Writers who realize that and don't waste their time shopping their first novel are writers who have the energy to treat their second novel right. So write something, and in your second draft, narrow it down to a particular part of the market, paying attention to conventions of the subgenre and typical pagecount. If you really want to be a professional writer, there's going to be a lot of work that feels nothing like creativity. I'm sure you understand that intellectually, but it doesn't really hit you until you sit down to cut a few thousand words out of your already-polished-within-an-inch-of-its-life novel because the publisher wants to save on paper.
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Feb 28, 2010 17:05
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I feel as though I lack the talent necessary to meet the requirements set for me by the agent I have been talking to. I suppose it's pretty common to doubt one's skills, but this seems different, like not being able to keep up when I played hockey against the varsity team as a freshman. It's been a few years since I took any sort of class, but I have been looking at some online courses (who knows, maybe a couple months of writing essays about Jane Austin will help?) and there's just so many to choose from. Does someone know of any reputable online fiction courses I could do as a refresher? I AM DESPERATE TO BE GRADED! edit: Just gave this more thought. Perhaps it isn't my talent I doubt, but my mental dexterity? Just having a lot of doubt is all, and school is always the answer, haha! DannoMack fucked around with this message at 17:58 on Feb 28, 2010 |
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Feb 28, 2010 17:54
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Slashie posted:I'm sure you understand that intellectually, but it doesn't really hit you until you sit down to cut a few thousand words out of your already-polished-within-an-inch-of-its-life novel because the publisher wants to save on paper. Ah, shame on me. I knew about the novel bit, though I really do appreciate you saying it as well in case I wasn't clear about it. It was a poor example. I've written a few pieces that are novel length for practice, but I've come across nothing I feel would be marketable. This last bit is what's going to kill me. As you said I know it intellectually, but as soon as they tell me I have to cut something I feel is important I'll be pouting. I have a friend who's done editting before, so I've gotten that sort of feedback before-just not professionally. On the other hand, I don't think it even registered that there's specific types of fantasy. Now that you said that, obviously there are.  No idea how I didn't think of that before. Most of your first paragraph is where I start to get lost. I'm not quite certain where I fit, and I'd imagine most writers aren't. I've attempted to educate myself on the market before simply to get my feet wet, but I felt as if I were drowning after just a few hours of research. I really appreciate the help, Slashie. Thank you for responding.
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Feb 28, 2010 21:56
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Slashie posted:So long story short you're going to need to write a novel. Two, actually, because your first one won't be salable. Not a judgment against you, it just won't. Writers who realize that and don't waste their time shopping their first novel are writers who have the energy to treat their second novel right. Think you could go a bit more into this? I'm almost finished with my first novel and, while I hope it's salable, it's nothing I'm banking on or even relying on (though it'd be nice to sell it). Do you mean that I just shouldn't try to shop it and get feedback at all? I already have plans for a second novel (and third, and fourth), but I've been postponing the actual writing of them because, well, I want to finish the first one.
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Mar 1, 2010 10:58
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Impper posted:Think you could go a bit more into this? I'm almost finished with my first novel and, while I hope it's salable, it's nothing I'm banking on or even relying on (though it'd be nice to sell it). I can't say nobody's ever sold their first novel, because of course they have. But in general, a first novel is seriously flawed, and writers usually benefit more from chalking it up to experience and moving on to the next thing than trying to polish that one up and shop it around. I think people shy away from doing that because it makes them feel like their first novel is worthless, but of course it isn't. Practice never is. People can write short stories all day long and still not be prepared to write a novel. They only way to learn the structure and pacing for something of that length is to do it. But it's still a first try. Finish your first, get feedback on it, but unless every objective reader you hand it to raves about how exceptional it is, bite the bullet and move on. Don't abandon it before it's finished, because you need to get a feel for the final stages of the novel-writing process, revisions and polishing and ruthless cutting and things like that, but when you can reasonably say "Yes, this is a finished novel," shelve it and write another one. If you love it and you're a success you can always shop it around after you've gotten a later novel published, but chances are you won't want to.
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Mar 1, 2010 21:24
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So I'll be going to art school in a few months, but I haven't 100% narrowed down where I'll be going. I'd really like to go to school on the West coast, so some of the schools I'm considering are: University of Washington School of Art in Seattle, WA (looks like they have a pretty good design department) Art Institute of Seattle Art institute of San Francisco Academy of Art University in San Francisco So basically I'd like to live in Seattle or San Francisco. I know location isn't necessarily the most important thing to worry about when choosing a school, but it's important to me. What is the general opinion of the various Art Institutes? I've seen some stuff online that say they suck, and some that say they are decent. I'd like to study Industrial Design. Any comments or suggestions?
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Mar 2, 2010 23:14
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DannoMack posted:It's been a few years since I took any sort of class, but I have been looking at some online courses (who knows, maybe a couple months of writing essays about Jane Austin will help?) and there's just so many to choose from. Does someone know of any reputable online fiction courses I could do as a refresher? I AM DESPERATE TO BE GRADED! I tell you what--you write up three papers on Jane Austen, Shakespeare, and Wilford Brimley, wrap it around $500 cash, mail it to me, and I'll send back a certificate telling you that you you're a good writer. Hell, toss in another $65 and I'll even frame it for you. The best ways to improve as a writer is to have your work critiqued by people who know what they're doing and by paying attention to how others are critiqued. The only benefit of doing this through a school, as far as the progression of your own talent goes, is that you're (supposed to be) guaranteed to have at least one person in the room who is drat good at it. I'd venture to argue that this forum is as good a resource as any--we have a good number of marvellously skilled editors (some of whom are pretty drat active). Posting and critiquing short stories here is a great way to develop your chops, and browsing others' threads and seeing others' mistakes can work just as well. If you do decide to take an online course, do some research on the both the course and the instructor. Scrutinize the curriculum, and try to gauge whether or not it's the Internet equivalent to someone selling writing certificates out the back of his trunk. That said, I've got a question of my own: I've started looking into freelance work, and I came upon a site called iFreelance.com. Basically a $9 monthly membership to put your name in there, with some sort of a bidding system--it seems rife with liars (either that or people who are masters of 6 styles of writing and 4 pieces of publication software are working for $12/hr these days), and my Google-Fu has come up with scant few lukewarm reviews. I just want to build up my portfolio 'til I can lock myself into a proper job, and  isn't exactly a Nigerian Prince-grade risk, but it would still be a tremendous waste of time if I throw my hat in and it turns out being bunk. Has anyone had experience with them?
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Mar 3, 2010 07:48
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I wouldn't do it. It sounds like it attracts amateurs and scammers, and the perception of your talent will suffer by association. The best way to build up a freelance portfolio in the beginning is to do free work for people you know personally. Who do you know who has a website, or edits a newsletter, or has a small business to advertise? Write copy for them for free, and then show it to somebody who pays. Working for pennies and competing against, like, high school kids and the third world is just going to be pointless frustration, especially since I can't imagine a reputable client going to a service like that. Copy isn't generally something you go to the rock-bottom lowest bidder for. If you want to spend some money to get your name out there, MediaBistro's a pricier but better way to go. I know people who actually hire freelancers out of there, for starters.
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Mar 3, 2010 09:23
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Panto: Here are my experiences doing freelance copywriting. Constant Content for real web copywriting that you can sell and that pays depending on quality. I've sold a lot of 3-600 word articles for anywhere from 25 to 45 dollars each. I don't put any of those pieces in any sort of portfolio because I have stuff from "real" clients that I'm more willing to show people, but if you can knock out 10-20 articles a day you can make some real money. Textbroker for reliable, 1.5 penny a word copywriting. Not much to say here--the articles require rock bottom quality but if you can write intelligent-sounding gibberish for 500 words at a time you can make 20-30 dollars an hour. I don't use this company any more because I can make a lot more freelancing (and I have a real job...kind of discourages you from killing yourself for 20 bucks an hour). I also picked up a lot of real clients here who've paid me 30-40 bucks for a 500 word article, so it's not too bad if you're in desperate need of a client base and you can write. Demand Studios is good if you can follow stringent editorial guidelines and you want to write mindless content. $15 per 300-400 word article. I can make 60-90 dollars an hour on a good day, but doing so kills any motivation I have to write for real (or do anything else for that matter--it's annoying and draining work). I'd only recommend freelancing if you really need the money. The money's not bad but it gets old very fast, and I'm a person who can bullshit all day with relatively little problem. Get a real copywriting job for an advertising agency. That's what I'd do...I wouldn't trade my current job to do this, but my friend who does copywriting says the work isn't too bad. e: Of all of these, textbroker is the best for finding clients. As you can imagine, the talent-pool of people willing to work for 1.5 cents a word (.7 or 1.0 if your grammar is bad) is pretty shallow, and the people who buy content on there will generally fall in love with you if you can string together a proper sentence. Impper fucked around with this message at 23:11 on Mar 3, 2010 |
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Mar 3, 2010 23:08
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Impper posted:Panto: Here are my experiences doing freelance copywriting. I'm killing myself for that much right now with my 'real job', and cranking out intelligent garbage doesn't consistently expose me to H1N1 and C. Diff. I've noticed that many of the legitimate-sounding people on iFreelance charge 30-50/hr, which is kind of surprising considering the fact that entry-level at a Canadian publishing house doesn't pay anywhere near that, and I'm giddy about a job mopping up once-was-people for just over 20. quote:I'd only recommend freelancing if you really need the money. The money's not bad but it gets old very fast, and I'm a person who can bullshit all day with relatively little problem. Well, the thing is, I haven't been able to find a proper job yet, and I wanted to do some freelancing to build up my portfolio--or at least to be able to say "I've done relevant stuff for people and gotten paid". Is counting freelancing on a resume as relevant work experience for editing/copywriting gigs somewhat akin to putting "I taught my buddy how to fart America the Beautiful" as relevant work experience for a teaching gig? quote:e: Of all of these, textbroker is the best for finding clients. As you can imagine, the talent-pool of people willing to work for 1.5 cents a word (.7 or 1.0 if your grammar is bad) is pretty shallow, and the people who buy content on there will generally fall in love with you if you can string together a proper sentence. Well than, their in luck! I am an excel ant word man person who has had much experience in. Seriously, though, thanks for the input. I would love to be able to work relevant jobs while I fire out resumes (or its out-of-work and more-experienced-than-me victims to die of old age)--I'm starting to get a little displeased with the idea of being stuck in a constant loop of working my poo poo job 3-4 days a week and spending the rest of my time sending job applications into the void.
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Mar 4, 2010 06:26
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I think whether freelance writing will "count" on your resume depends entirely on your employer. When I was interviewing for my current job they spent five minutes asking me about my freelance writing and what sort of stuff I wrote, so I'd like to think freelancing got me my current job. On my resume it says I've written thousands of freelance articles and have dozens of regular clients, which is certainly true. I think a potential employer wants to know that you're reliable and that you can produce. Having a good portfolio will show them you can produce. Having regular clients shows that you have at least a minimum level of reliability.
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Mar 4, 2010 21:13
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How do people feel about creative leave-behinds? I'm looking to break into a copywriting position at a larger ad agency and have heard a variety of opinions. I realize attempting to be too clever can backfire, like making a resume out of a jigsaw puzzle or something. But should it have to fit in a standard envelope, or is a smarter route to separate yourself with something larger that people want to hang on to or share with coworkers? I read an interesting idea of getting McDonalds delivered to the office, then scribbling on a napkin in the bag "Please hire me so I don't have to eat at McD's anymore!" It could come off incredibly lame, but who doesn't like a free burger? Then again, I've also heard that people get inundated with this poo poo, so don't waste your resources and pimp your portfolio. Thoughts? Yeehaw McKickass fucked around with this message at 07:10 on Mar 8, 2010 |
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Mar 8, 2010 07:06
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Yeehaw McKickass posted:How do people feel about creative leave-behinds? I'm looking to break into a copywriting position at a larger ad agency and have heard a variety of opinions. The key is to be cool, original and not desperate. The McDonald's thing has been done, and if you're looking for a creative job, it's not ideal to be derivative before you've even started. So try and think of something that you haven't read about anywhere - your competition will have read the same things. If you're sending something in the post, a so-called "lumpy mailer" is often a good idea. That means along with your CV/begging letter, include an object that makes the envelope a bit lumpy. That intrigues people to open it. Obviously it should make sense, don't just chuck something random in there. Also, if I were you, I wouldn't send stuff to the HR person or the Creative Director. They have no time and giant piles of similar stuff. Try and send it to someone a lot more junior - it'll be novel and exciting for them, they'll actually spend time reading it, they'll sympathise because they were in your position not so long ago, and crucially, if it's good, they'll take it to the CD. I can't stress enough how much more impact it makes when a trusted staff member brings something to show the CD than when it arrives in the giant post-pile. Finally, this should go without saying but make sure the writing throughout whatever you send is top-notch. It doesn't need to be punny or clever, it just needs to be well-crafted and easy to read.
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Mar 8, 2010 10:32
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Yeehaw McKickass posted:How do people feel about creative leave-behinds? I'm looking to break into a copywriting position at a larger ad agency and have heard a variety of opinions. Speaking as a former producer, please don't do this. All it did was annoy my assistant, and I requested that anybody who pulled that amateur-level stunt was immediately removed from our files (audition files, in this case). People who hire creatives are interested in the quality of your work and nothing else.
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Mar 8, 2010 16:10
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marshmallard posted:Do it. Slashie posted:Don't do it. Nice. Well, I really can see both sides here. On one hand, it does come off desperate in a sense that your work can't do the talking for you. Then again, it really depends on the temperature of the staff I suppose. If I have the privilege of going in, I'll hand them something funny/clever that exemplifies my skills or portfolio. That way, you're there to pass it over and make sure they get it. Or maybe that makes no sense at all, but hey.
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Mar 8, 2010 19:28
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Yeehaw McKickass posted:Nice. Well, I really can see both sides here. On one hand, it does come off desperate in a sense that your work can't do the talking for you. Then again, it really depends on the temperature of the staff I suppose. Wait, I thought you were saying you're thinking of sending something through the post/by courier/by hand to get your foot in the door for a meeting/placement? If so then you pretty much have to do it. If you mean you want something to leave with them at the end of an interview, just a little portfolio booklet or something is fine, you don't need to go over the top because you've already impressed them in the interview.
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Mar 8, 2010 20:11
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Slashie posted:Speaking as a former producer, please don't do this. All it did was annoy my assistant, and I requested that anybody who pulled that amateur-level stunt was immediately removed from our files (audition files, in this case). People who hire creatives are interested in the quality of your work and nothing else. I agree with you completely but I just have to say your grumpy persona is hilarious to me. You're who I aspire to be.
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Mar 8, 2010 20:59
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Impper posted:I agree with you completely but I just have to say your grumpy persona is hilarious to me. You're who I aspire to be. Stick with me, kid, and you'll go far. (Ashes cigar)
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Mar 8, 2010 21:34
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I'm going in for my pretty much dream job tomorrow and I really want to impress. The job is doing pr type stuff, web content/press releases etc. The problem is that I don't have any kind of experience of this stuff on a professional level. I can use photoshop, indesign, write my own blog, know how seo etc works, so I had been thinking about mocking up some stuff today to show them. However, the rub is I know it will be far from professional, I am not a designer, I'm just the person that copy pastes what the designer did into fwd fwd emails, but that is all that dream job will mostly entail. This would just be to show that I literally know how to open the files and press print. Should I do it? Or will obviously non-professional quality be off-putting?
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Mar 10, 2010 12:43
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My High School requires that I go on an unpaid internship for a month. Do any of you guys know of any good graphic design companies around Philadelphia?
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Mar 10, 2010 20:10
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This may be a stupid question, but is there any difference, in terms of quality, between SCAD and SCAD-Atlanta? I just got accepted to SCAD-Atlanta for visual effects and it seemed that my acceptance was too easy.
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Mar 12, 2010 04:54
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FERN GULLY FAN posted:This may be a stupid question, but is there any difference, in terms of quality, between SCAD and SCAD-Atlanta? I just got accepted to SCAD-Atlanta for visual effects and it seemed that my acceptance was too easy. There happens to be a thread in GBS right now which has quite a bit of SCAD chat scattered throughout it. I'm positive your question is answered in anecdotal form, though I can't remember exactly what was said. It's the Awful and bizarre art by people you know thread. Sorry I don't have the motivation to pick out the individual posts, but if anything, I think you'll at least be entertained while fishing for your answer.
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Mar 12, 2010 10:44
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