Is it graduation time already? When that special time comes and you finally put an end to the studies that have been tiring and stressing you for years, you’ll feel the biggest relief ever. You’re right to do so—this is a tremendous success on your behalf. From this point, there’s a lot to look forward to. It’s time to say goodbye to your studies and take a more adult, career-wise approach.
That being said, you have other things to worry now than how to avoid plagiarism or deliver a project within the deadline your instructor set. Now it is time to apply for jobs, work on your skills, and find the career path that best suits you and your qualifications.
If you’ve arrived to this point, you already know everything about detecting plagiarism in student papers and creating a website in platforms online. What you might not know are the tricks I’ve learned when I was in your situation. Enjoy!
1. Decide What You Want to Do
Yes, you’ve already chosen web design and studied for it, but there are a lot of things you can do as a design graduate. Design covers some of the widest spectrums of career choices, so before you start your journey, you need to set your mind on what you want to accomplish in life.
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You already have the background and know what your options are. This is a huge plus, having studied the world of design and possibly even having done some internship in the field. Since you’ve already tested the waters in various disciplines, this decision should come easy. Maybe you already know what exactly you want to be, but if you don’t, this is the time to figure it out. The goal is to find your niche—the one thing that separates you from other graduates, the thing you love and shine in.
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2. Prep Your Portfolio
As a designer, your portfolio is the greatest tool you have. The work you’ve done before demonstrate your skills and your experience, and every employer out there will want to see it. For a web designer, the portfolio is as important as the resume and qualifications, maybe even more.
There’s no rule as to how you should show off your work, which means that you can pick and choose how to display your products. It can be challenging to figure out which of your projects are the best, so you might want to ask someone for advice and some input.
The important thing here is not to steal someone else’s ideas. It’s important to find exciting ideas or strong debate topics to create a high quality portfolio. You already know how damaging plagiarism can be from your academic days. You maybe even know a college student expelled for plagiarism, so at this point, you should be aware that your work must be original. So, take your time and organize your portfolio before you start applying for anything.
3. Make Your Website/Blog
You’ve already picked a career in the world of technology, so you’re well aware of its impact and importance in our lives. However, there’s one thing you can’t afford to miss—a blog or a website. To really get yourself out there and find clients and employers, you need to make your blog or your website.
As an advice, I suggest that you publish your portfolio on the website, but also update it with some blog posts and e-books that demonstrate your qualifications and expertise. To do this, you might want to find a free plagiarism checker for students, or a service that will write and edit your posts like research paper service from experts or something similar.
4. Find the Balance
When it comes to web design, there’s one balance you need to find as soon as possible—content and design. One cannot succeed without the others, so make sure to learn about content as much as possible.
Your studies never end in the career of web design. Try to keep in touch with all the latest trends and changes in the industry, as well as the latest SEO strategies that would give your web design a chance to be seen.
5. Do Some Side Jobs
You’ve just graduated, so it’s no surprise that your portfolio will be a bit sparse. This is something that happens to most students. While you were studying, you could hardly find the time to craft excellent projects for the portfolio. But now, you have all the time and means at your disposal.
Take some side projects. Freelance work can provide you with two great things at this point—projects to use for your portfolio and some cash while you land a job.
The Bottom Line
If you want to succeed as a web designer, you need to get out of your comfort zone. Once you graduate, the time comes for you to impress employers and beat the competition. To do this, you need the tips I shared with you above.
Author’s Bio
Ray Campbell is a graphic designer for a company based in New York. He also does freelance work and writes e-book guides for people who study the field. You can find his work on many sites online, as well as his blogs.