Self Evaluation & Analysis
Do a SWOT (Strength, Weakness, Opportunity, Threats) analysis of yourself and of your portfolio (10-15 pieces of your choice)
Self SWOT
Strength :
- Friendly
- Calm
- Open minded for other people opinions or critiques
- Like to learn more
- Pretty good organization skills
Weakness :
- Easily distracted
- Clumsy
- Not confident enough
- Not comfortable speaking in public
- Not persistent
Opportunity :
- People are looking for fresh graduate designer
- People are looking for designer who are open minded
- People are looking for designer who are friendly
- People are looking for designer who want to learn more and more
Threats :
- Designers have to be good when communicating with clients
- Dependent with hardware and software
- Designers have to be willing to defend their ideas
- People have subjective opinion
Portfolio SWOT
Strength :
- Color contrast
- Do a lot of research based
- Good materials
- Unique
Weakness :
- Lacking of details
- Typography choice
- Lacking of exploration and experimentation
- The concepts are not really strong
Opportunity :
- People are looking for a designer who deep-research before starts
- People are looking for a designer who knows about the materials
Threats :
- Better concepts
- A lot of competitors
- People have subjective tastes
Based on your SWOT of self and portfolio, propose 3 career directions and state the reasons ( Examples of career direction: educational, employment, work experience, business start-up, freelance, part-time, apprenticeship, new direction, gap year ).
3 career directions
1. Employment :
I want to work in a big graphic design company or branding agency. Because I still want to learn a lot of things from the professionals and I will also learn how to face real projects and clients. In addition, I want to make a wider connections and make good friends with my collagues and clients.
2. Freelance :
I may want to be a freelance designer and to contribute for magazines or pre/wedding photography agency as a photographer , because I want to do variety type of work in design industry. It will help me to learn how to manage my own working time and being more responsible. I will to learn how to selling my idea and defend it. I also want to earn more besides of regular paycheck.
3. Business start-up :
After I can handle or manage my work well and get enough experience. I want to start my own studio and other businesses , such as cafe , stationery shop or boutique. Because I want to be a successful and independent person. And I don’t want to waste the knowledge that I’ve learned in school.
Write down your career dreams/aspirations (Examples of career dreams/aspirations: creative, managerial, team working, autonomy personal ethics (causes, environmental, ecological, charitable, education, short term, long term).
My career plan after graduating college is to get employed. Because I want to learn more from the professional people. After I can handle my work at the company well, I may want to be a freelance designer and to contribute for magazines or pre/wedding photography agency as a photographer , because I want to do variety type of work in design industry gain more experience. When I have a lot of connection, I want to start my own studio and other businesses , such as cafe , stationery shop or boutique.
Create a career plan based upon targeted research and critical self-evaluation.
Career Plan Content
a) Description of your career direction and your goals
My career plan after graduating college is to get employed. Because I want to learn more from the professionals. After I can handle my work at the company well, I want to start freelancing because I want to have a variety of work and gain more experience. When I have a lot of connection, I want to start my own business and studio with my friends.
b) Skills and experience you have in order to achieve your career plan
The skills and experience that I need for a job is techical skills , such as working on my layout, composition, and hierarchy skill , etc. In addition, I also need to learn about printing , materials thing , communication and responsibility.
c) Your advantages or strength over your competitors that can be used to achieve your career plan
Do an intership before get a real job. Also to be part of any design group or project. The opportunity is to mak us known, meet professionals , clients, and make connections.
d) Strategies for self-promotion to achieve your career plan
Through social media, such as updating blog, put portfolio at behancē or instagram , linkedin , online portfolio , brochure , business card, pen , pin and other merchandise that can be distribute to people.
e) Day-to-day basis management in achieving your career plan
I will study more and more, meet a lot of people, make connections with printing house, paper production, design agency or studios by asking for their review of my portfolio , keep in track with the trends in design industry by follow up recent trends.
f) Equipment necessary to achieve your career plan
Sketch book, art supply, materials, laptop, scanner, wacom, printer, camera slr and softwares , such as Adobe illustrator, Photoshop, Indesign, Flash, Muse cc, and Dreamweaver , etc.
g) Your career concluding statement
I want to be successful by achieve my career dream to start my own studio and bussiness, being productive, but happy doing what I love as well.
