If a job ad asks for a B.A but you only have an associates and

>>283936

I'm not saying I have a strong portfolio btw, I just meant hypothetical

Yeah, absolutely. No harm in it, the worst that can happen is you just don't get a call - which, if you don't apply at all, is what would happen anyway.

Also, a lot of job postings are written by HR and hiring managers who don't necessarily understand the nuances of a creative field like this. Have a strong portfolio and a good cover letter that shows you've done some research on the company and I guarantee you'll at the very least get a call, if not a direct interview.

>>283938

thats kind of what I assumed but I wasn't positive, thanks.

the only non B.A job listings I see are for entry level print or sign shops and I honestly wouldn't be opposed to working at one of those to get experience but I just didn't know if I'd be screwed in the long run without a B.A.

I never got a degree or anything of the sort and got picked up on my CV and portfolio alone.

>>283938
and similar to what this guy said, tailor your CV or cover letter to the company your applying for.

>>283936
This guy knows
>>283938
The worst they can say is "no," so just apply. You might get lucky.

>>283936
Absolutely. I'm a high school drop out but I had a decent portfolio. They've asked for a college degree and 2 years of experience. I had neither, still got the job.

>>284078

thats awesome man, good for you. I love hearing stories like that.

I dont have any personal friends who are graphic design related majors but out of all my friends the only ones who are successful are the ones who either went to trade school or community college while the other ones I know have gone to school for 4 years for business related fields and are still unable to find work in their field.

Kinda related to this. As someone in his mid 20s who's getting into Graphic Design by studying only from books and maybe online is it absolutely crazy? I have no other way of studying design.

>>283936
ABSOLUTELY.

My first /gd/ job was for a local newsprint advertisement publication and the minimum requirement was bachelors plus 3 years field experience. Well, I had an associates and ZERO years field. My portfolio wasn't big but I did have some pretty eye catching stuff from my class work as well as a few things I put together on my own just a few days before applying. Maybe that was more important than I realized, but yeah I actually made a few impressive new things JUST so I could take them to the interview. I still wasn't all that hopeful... yet, I got the job. I stayed there 2.5 years and moved on to a better one where I am now, with better pay and actually better everything in general. Lucky, maybe, but I could have nothing right now and be working at mcdonalds if I hadn't just taken the chance. If you are desirable in some way and you focus on how to make your qualities apparent in the interview, you can get that job.

>>283937
>I'm not saying I have a strong portfolio btw

I recommend making it stronger if you don't feel it is strong. /gd/ is one of the few areas I can immediately think of where your portfolio can be more important than your education for showing straight away what you are good for. Its art, and art requires talent. If you show your talent, there is no denying or questioning it. A lot of job applications must rely on experience of years in a given field, because that proves you know what you're doing, but in our case your artwork can prove that for itself. Good luck.

>>284009
Same here, no degree but the agency I work for still liked what they saw.

Apply for everything you'd be interested in, research each one, and show that you've done your research.

>>283936
Yes. Have a good reason why you didn't finish your degree.

>>284381
I've never heard of someone with an associates be asked why they didn't "finish" their degree. If you completed your associates courses and got the certificate, then you finished your associates. Anyway, no one is asking that.

>>284381

oh no I plan on finishing my associates. I'd be dumb not to, I only have to finish this semester and I get it. I just didn't want to force myself to go to school for another 2 or 3 years just to get another piece of paper when I could just dive right into the work field.

I I literally don't even care what my starting salary is either, I just want to break into this industry and be paid to design. In the meantime I've been applying to entry level positions because then I'm only required to show a handful of pieces prior to the interview so that way in the mean time I can continue to work on designing more pieces and getting my website up.

>>284461
>oh no I plan on finishing my associates

Um, you implied that you already did that. So... what the fuck?

This may seem kinda stupid but I see you all talking about a cover letter and where I live that apparently doesn't exist. Could someone please explain to me what it is for?

>>284580
Where do you live?

A cover letter is something you send along with your resume explaining why they should hire you - explain things you couldn't fit or that wouldn't normally be on a resume. Do some research on the company, show you have initiative and understand what they even do.

It's basically a pre-interview, since there's only so much you can tell about someone from a list of work histories and vague skills.

>>284587
Cover letters are irrelevant in /gd/. Even the resume is pretty much pointless apart from showing you have field experience. /gd/ is all about the portfolio. No amount of history or explanation will make your art look better. SO, portfolio it up!

>>285183
Not entirely true, you'd be surprised how many businesses are focussed on how you work as a person and how you can adapt to their methods and be productive, which you can give an indication of in cover letter and resumé. There's lots of people who have a very nice portfolio but when asked to do a 100+ page document or do 15 ads in a day following correct procedure will shit bricks and employers know this.

>>285249
>Not entirely true
Yeah, just mostly true.

>you'd be surprised
Perhaps YOU'D be surprised at how many hiring managers don't give a fuck about what you say in your pretty cover letteresume and hire based on the skill presented in your portfolio. Portfolio and interview strength. Your big scary 100+ page doc or 15 ads per day scenario ability is also not proven in a cover letter or resume, so you really have no point there. No amount of explanation of your ability is going to prove that you will produce quantity. But your portfolio will prove a prospect of quality. Employers are just people like the person they are interviewing who happened to move up a few steps. And most of the time, they are people who have no fucking clue what is going on, so the best advice remains to dazzle their fucktarded eyes while proving your strength.

>>285255
In you cover letter and resume you can say, 'I worked here where I was designing X using Y process for the the last Z period of time. I agree that you need to show solid portfolio work, but I think it should be shown also relatively to a brief and how it was achieved through concept and process. It's something that can't harm you so you may as well do it properly. The job I currently work at first went through the HR team before the creative directors, if I had half assed the cover letter and resume the creative directors maybe wouldn't even have got to see my folio.

>>283936

Absolutely. Apply for everything you want, otherwise you will never get it!
You should network, too; go to events, meetups, conferences, anything you can. The connections you make there are the most important in industries like Design and Tech.

>>283936
All of the yes. I hope you have applied by now or at least working on a baller resume, portfolio (site) and application. I think the board has spoken!

> Make your application gorgeous.
For designers of most types, cover letters and resumes are more of a chance to show off your skills focused on the position to which you are applying. If it's a graphic design / print job then use your typography chops, if it's a UX job then take them on a journey! Good design will transcend lay-audience (HR staff) and will stand out to your potential bosses. Do this and you will quickly move to the top of the pile!

>>285263
I doubt OP has the X or Y and least of all Z you are referring to, so my points stand in this situation and yours do not.

>>285271
but you said
>Cover letters are irrelevant in /gd/
is op /gd/
probably