Now that I am graduating and heading into the world of employment, some research into potential jobs and career development would be very valuable. When I started this course I had very little idea of what field I'd like to specialise in, but over the the last 3 years my focus has narrowed significantly. After the first year, I started to lean slightly towards video work after the speech project but it wasn't until the second year animation project that I became more certain about a path in film/motion graphics. Over the third year I had the chance to do 2 projects that involved film work and motion graphics, furthering my interest and drive into the specialism.
After doing some research into the job and career path, I found some general expectations and requirements of employees. The vast majority of companies will require a Bachelors Degree and a strong, consistent portfolio, 2 things I think I will hopefully leave this course with. The field is also expected to grow around 6% over the next 10 years, making career prospects very hopeful.
Film work is something I'd also like to potentially get into as a career. As well as having a degree and a good portfolio, the standard career progression also involves starting as a runner while you get used to the environment of the industry. While I have been studying, I have been working as a freelance video production assistant so feel I like I have built up enough experience that starting as a runner won't be necessary.
The final option I would consider would be starting as a junior creative in a design agency, or in the design team of a larger agency. Over last summer I was lucky enough to have the opportunity to work for several months on a design team as part of a technology PR company as a junior creative designer. I really enjoyed working in a wide variety of fields during my time there and I think a job like that could easily allow me to shift between specialisms very easily. After talking to a few people on the job, there some good career pathways available through a job like that, leading to something like a creative strategist or creative director. Creative strategist is something I would like to aim for in the long run as working with the overall strategy and roll-out of campaigns is something that really interests me.