How is it that a person with 2 BA's, if he/she chooses not to teach, can't find work doing something else?

Question

Granted, the degrees are in Art and Anthropology...Even after the degrees are earned, I would still have to get a teaching certificate! What I want to do is illustration. Any clues as to where to start without "starting over"?

Answer 1

I'm a little confused. Didnt you study illustration in "art"? Don't you have a drawing portfolio? And if you do, is it good enough to impress anyone. If you arent the best around, then you arent going to get the job, right?

Have you done a lot of non-profit and charity work to get yourself in the public eye? What have you done to get free-lance jobs? What have you done to show that you are the best and can handle commercial jobs with reliability, speed and professionalism?

When I hire someone it is all about whether they can do the job I want to pay for. It is never about what they think they would like to do. The only way I can know their skill is to see their work. So you need to get your work out there.

Lots of people who studied anthropology in school - it's interesting - but I don't know anyone who majored in anthropology and wanted to be an illustrator. That was a serious mistake. So you are going to pay for it now in the extra effort it takes you to get a career going in illustration. One problem is that if you had done this in school, you could have gotten professional opinions about whether you actually had the talent to succeed in this area, and professional help in starting up your career. If you are out of school, now you dont know how to do it,or even if you have the talent to do it...

Seem to me like you are going to have to go back to school and study what you should have been doing in the first place, if you are right this time, and illustration is really what you want to spend your life doing.

If would be bad, wouldn't it, if you studied this for a couple years and then decided that you didnt want to do it. Better be sure first.

Answer 2

Doing illustration professionally does not require a degree, it requires skill, talent and drive. If you have an illustration portfolio to present, then no one will care what schooling you have. Illustration is about the art, and not about the school you went to. You just need to decide which field you want to specialize in.

Answer 3

If you want to do illustration, you need a portfolio and references. See some of your old professors or even just personal friends for references, and put together a portfolio of your best work, tailored to the kind of illustration the client or hiring company is looking for.