THE JOB OF A LIFETIMEAND

HOW TO GET THERE

My JourneyBy:Hafeeza Mughal

Access Bridges

Access Bridges was the first website I used to begin my research. There, I took and assessment to evaluate my interests and skills. At the end of the test, a list of jobs appeared. Those jobs were selected based on the similarities of the skills required for the job and the skills I have.

Access Bridges

During this first stage I initially chose film critic. I thought being a film critic would be fun and easy. But as I stated to read the job description and the jobs a film does, I changed my mind.

I changed the job to artist director/ advertising manager. An artistic director develops and advertising campaign for a product, or design a handout for that product.

Access Bridges

The education required to be an artistic director is:

1. Advertising and marketing degree.2. Personal technical experience. The median salary is $94,720. One of the duties an artistic director performs

is:1. Formulate plans to extend business with

account. Directory publishers are the common

employers of artistic directors. The job outlook for an artistic is decreasing.

Career One Stop

As I dug deeper, trying to get as much information as possible, I read about many jobs. Service jobs, legal jobs, and constructional jobs but none of them seemed to truly fit my interests and skill pallet. I wondered if I would ever find one.

CAREER ONE STOP

SINCE I WASN’T GOING TO BE A FILM CRITIC I DECIDED TO

BE AN ADVERTISING MANAGER. AN ADVERTISING

MANAGER DIRECTS AND DEVELOPS AN ADVERTISING

CAMPAIGN FOR A PRODUCT OR DESIGNS A HANDOUT FOR

THAT PRODUCT.

THE MEDIAN SALARY WAS $92,900 AND THE JOB

OUTLOOK WAS INCREASING. IT INCREASED BY 13%

AND COUNTING, PLUS THERE WERE ALREADY 1,620

JOB OPENINGS IN THE NORTH EAST.

CAREER ONE STOP

I THOUGHT EASY ENOUGH. IT REQUIRES CREATIVITY

AND SMART MARKETING MANEUVERS.

MARKETING!?

I KNEW THIS JOB WASN’T GOING TO WORK. I HAVE

NO KNOWLEDGE OF MARKETING AND ADVERTISING.

I WOULD RATHER CHOOSE A JOB THAT I’M

INTERESTED IN THAN ONE I KNOW NOTHING ABOUT.

I LOOKED ON THE LEFT HAND SIDE OF THE SCREEN

AND SAW ART DIRECTOR AS A SIMILAR JOB. BINGO!

Occupational Outlook Handbook

I continued research on what an Art Director’s jobs are. Here’s what I found:

1. Supervise design staff2. Present designs to clients for approval3. Determine which photos and/or art to use Art Directors are responsible for the visual style and

images in magazines, newspapers, product packaging, and more.They create the overall design and direct others who develop artwork.

Occupational Outlook Handbook

I also read about the education and the training needed to be an Art Director.

Many Art Directors start out as graphic, industrial or set designers or in a another art occupation, such as fine arts or photographer. They gain the appropriate education for that occupation, usually earning a Bachelor’s degree of Arts or a Bachelor’s of Fine Art.

Occupational Outlook Handbook

The education usually required for an art director is, at least, an Associate’s Degrees in Fine Arts. Also, many Art Directors begin as graphic designers or photographers.

Some common work environments for art directors are newspapers, magazines, and public relations.

An art director’s average salary is from $80,000 to $90,000.

The job outlook for art directors is a 9% increase.

College Board

Next, I searched for colleges that would help someone become an Art Director. I found the American Academy of Art in Chicago, Illinois. This 4 year college offers bachelors and master’s degrees. To be an Art Director you need, at least, and Associate’s degree. Attending this college would make anyone very suitable to be an art director.