Are you a grephic designer? Is it hard being one? How long do you have to go to college for?

Graphic design is very competitive. There are many good jobs out there and three times as many crappy jobs and the competition for all of them is tough. You have to be smart, and you have to be good, and you have to develop a strong portfolio if you want to be considered for the best professional opportunities.

Your best preparation is a four year degree, BFA (Bachelor of Fine Art) in Graphic Design or Visual Communications. Just like there is a wide range of jobs, there is also a wide range in academic programs and going to a great school is not going to cost you any more than going to a poor one. Many university programs are top notch, many art schools are not, so keep that in mind.

It is hard? Some people might say so, but that’s part of the challenge of it. Graphic design is visual problem solving. You have to be smart enough to understand what your client needs, what the audience will understand and respond to, and how to visually portray that in a way that is clear and precise and hopefully unique and appropriate. That isn’t easy but it is fun.

Designer salaries have a tremendous range too. They are somewhat responsive to the cost of living, so positions in a smaller community may pay less than in a major city. Seems like most good design graduates are starting between $35 thousand and low forties. There’s no limit at the top end if you prove yourself to be a capable designer.

Go to www.aiga.org and look up information about design education and preparing for design careers. That’s the American professional design organization. There are others around the world that are similar.