For a long while I’ve been getting my portfolio prepped to look for a new job. Being a designer, it’s a somewhat complicated process. It’s not like the average job where you can simply fire off a cover letter and resumé to an employer. Designers, working in the visual medium, have to put together a portfolio of their work to show an employer what they can do in the simplest way possible, by showing it to them. With the advent of the internet it’s become important to have a website to accompany your tangible portfolio in the design field, as it’s simplest way for them to see your work. And you have to keep your portfolio updated with your latest and greatest work. The design field is oversaturated with people, so you need to show what sets you apart from the next person. The bottom line to all this is that all this requires lots of time and effort to present yourself properly as a designer and really wow an employer. Given the fact I’ve moved out on my own and subsequently in with my girlfriend, life has become alot more complicated then it once was. I now have to balance the everyday tasks of running a house, working full time, sliding in some freelance work here and there, leaving little time to actually get a portfolio prepared. It’s been a task I’ve intended to do for over a year now and am only just getting things together to present myself.

That all being said, I’ve been getting the impression at work of late that they are expecting me to fly the coop. In the last couple of weeks a few people have mentioned adding items to my portfolio, supplying me samples and whatnot of my work. This surprised me given I try to keep anything with regards to my portfolio close to my chest and don’t ever talk about it while at work. Another person, who is a friend of my mom, made mention to my mom that she was surprised I was still working here given most people with talent here end up leaving, which I know to be true. It all gives me the impression that all signs are pointing to the door and greener pastures.

It’s kind of weird thinking of my life working here. I’ve now been here over 4 years, since January of 2002. I started out here as a co-op student, fresh out of college. I used to have long, shaggy, mod hair, back when having shaggy hair wasn’t in fashion like it is now. I was essentially still a teenager(even though I was 21 at the time), hanging out with my high school friends until all hours of the night, partying and going to concerts. At work I started working on little jobs and keep busy projects until people gauged what I could actually do. After about 6 months I started getting some design projects that didn’t entail updating existing projects. It was at the end of my first year that I got my first big project, creating a sponsored national promotion for a fast food chain, which was my first experience of being able to see my work out in the real world. From there I kept rolling and getting better at what I did. I also started doing freelance work, doing simple websites and branding for a local company. In the last 4 years I’ve grown up alot, having to shoulder responsibilities like paying off my student loan, buying a car and moving out. At the same time I worked to develop and mature my design skills. It’s pretty mind blowing thinking of how my life has changed in the last 4 years. I honestly think I’m ready to move on and find new challenges out there, it’s just a matter of being prepared for it.

[[tt:life]][[tt:design]][[tt:new job]]