At the Creative Studio our number one goal is to prepare students as they transition from college to the work force. The work they do at the studio is important, of course, but only as a platform for them to learn real world client and project management skills that they can take with them after graduation. So whether they go on to become a graphic designer, photographer, or join a video production company, our students will be more prepared than what their academic coursework provides them.
But our metric for success has always been job placement. As in, how many of our students find a job immediately after graduation. That’s a wonderful goal, and who wouldn’t want every creative student to find a fulfilling and sustainable job the day they walk out of college? One with benefits, consistent salary, professional agency experience, access to established clients, and an office full of similarly-minded colleagues who can serve as mentors.
Freelance design and video production services as a path for graduates
But what about freelance work? Payoneer has recently come out with their 2022 Global Freelance Income Report, and the vast majority of freelancers who participated in the survey are successful designers and marketing consultants. These days, most creatives also have to be proficient in marketing, so I think the marketing freelancers are also a mix of creatives who can not only generate assets but also deploy them with strategic campaigns.
The problem with even talking about freelance futures in the university environment is there’s no way to track success rates or job placements. In fact, a student who graduates, moves back home, and takes on independent work here and there, could be considered both employed as well as unemployed. So for data collection, freelance is not as cut and dried as a genuine full time job, at least for determining alumni employment.
But realistically, a freelance or independent contractor is a perfectly suitable path for any creative student after they graduate. And actually, I would even say it has many advantages over taking a job at an agency or creative firm. As a freelancer you learn rapidly how a business works, how to manage your time, what you’re worth and what clients are willing to pay for your work, as well as pursuing a fulfilling career where you’re own boss and your level of ambition drives your ultimate success.
This isn’t just coming from assumptions. My studio colleague and I have worked together at a public television station for years before branching off into our own business. Our work as freelancers has been the most educational and fulfilling work we’ve ever done, and that experience is what gives us a unique and authentic foundation when we advise students. We haven’t been in a university for decades; we’ve been around the country producing real creative work for hundreds of clients. Still today, my colleague pursues the art of documentary storytelling through freelance video production in Oregon, while I’m focusing on corporate video production in Minneapolis. I would say it’s precisely the experience we have from our freelance businesses that makes us good mentors to students, not the years we spent battling bosses in the corporate office as internal staff.
So maybe it’s time to rethink how we see post-graduate success in terms of job placement. Maybe moving back home and taking on freelance work is actually a step toward a fulfilling and successful creative career, rather than considered an inferior path as compared to job placement at an agency or internal corporate team. Maybe we can prepare students to leap toward the freelance path, as a form of business entrepreneurship using their core skills and talents, rather than only guide them toward a classic employment path.
CATEGORIES: Creative Studio