6 Reasons a Career in Graphic Design Rocks. From getting paid to be creative to the freedoms of self-employment and passive income, these are the top reasons I love my career!
This post is in collaboration with my friends at Sessions College for Professional Design (my alma mater). They are this month’s DND Partner Program sponsor. Sponsors allow me to pay my bills and still create free content for you. Win, win! 😍 This post contains sponsored links.
Be sure to scroll to the end of this post for an exclusive educational opportunity
from Sessions College for Professional Design (my alma mater design school)!
6 Reasons a Career in Graphic Design Rocks
If you’ve ever considered a creative career with the ability to work from home, then this post it for you. I’ve teamed up once again with Sessions College for Professional Design to discuss why I love my career so much.
Going back to school for the third time wasn’t a decision I took lightly. When I decide I want to do something, I research it to death to make sure it’s the best choice possible. That research landed me as a Graphic Design student at Sessions.
These are six of the reasons that going back to school was one of the best decisions ever. Getting paid to be creative is the best!
Graphic Design allows you to follow your creative passions
I don’t know about you, but I’m happiest when I’m creating. It’s no wonder studies show that creativity is linked to lower stress, higher well-being, lower depression, and even as a coping method for chronic illnesses. My readers often write to tell me how lettering helps with their various physical and mental health ailments!
While every career path involves elements of stress, I can wholeheartedly say that my job brings me joy. I miss my work when I take too many days off!
A Wide Variety of Career Path Options
What do you think of when you hear the phrase “Graphic Design”? I bet you didn’t realize how many different career paths fall under the Graphic Design field umbrella! Below I’ve listed a few of the many options you can consider.
- Logo Design
- Web Design
- Branding Design
- Marketing Design
- Social Media Graphic Design
- Creative Typography
- Art/Creative Director
As a full-time creative blogger, I do elements of nearly all of these paths, but many designers specialize in just one or two niche areas.
Two Words: Self-Employment
Working from my cozy home office in comfy yoga pants? Yes, please!
Graphic Design is one of the best-suited career paths to being self-employed.
According to estimates by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, roughly 1 in 5 graphic designers in the U.S. are self-employed.
PayScale.com reports the average salary for graphic designers is in the range of $30k-60k annually. Self-employed designers report incomes from $40k-$126k.
Don’t trust generic stats? Here’s a personal fact: I’ve been making over six-figures as a self-employed creative for three years now!
#workfromanywhere
It’s a flexible and mobile-friendly career.
This is one of the primary reasons I opted to change career paths at age 30 and go to school for graphic design. We move a lot. Every one to three years, my husband’s job has us moving again.
Just a few weeks ago, we moved from Germany to Charleston, SC. I worked on this very article from three different hotels and one transatlantic flight!
Even if you don’t move much, it’s a job in which you can efficiently work from a coffee shop, the beach, an airplane, and so on. If you can take a laptop with you, you can work on the go from pretty much anywhere in the world.
The passive income potential
Of the 6 Reasons a Career in Graphic Design Rocks, passive income is perhaps the most life-changing. During this move, I’ve been working maybe one day a week. Thanks to passive income; I’m still pulling in $10-12k a month!
Here are a few passive income streams:
- Running ads on your blog or website.
- Selling e-products via your own storefront. I sell mine via a custom branded Shopify store. This includes eBooks, online courses, and even selling digital versions of your work (fonts, clip art, templates, etc.).
- Selling e-products via a third party such as Etsy or Creative Market.
- Affiliate income. This is when you promote products you already use and love and get a cut from the company for sharing it with your readers/customers.
Here’s a chart I created to show you a break down of my income from Quarter One of this year. Look how much of it is passive income!
It’s the fun kind of challenging!
I wake up each morning excited to get to work, even on Mondays. Especially on Mondays, in fact! Every day brings a new set of challenges and opportunities in this line of work. I thrive on the freedom to get creative to accomplish my goals and grow my business.
I was 30 years old with three kids under 4 when I went back to school for the third time. It wasn’t the best timing, but I went for it anyway. Design School gave me the foundation I needed to become a creativepreneur, and I’m so thankful I invested in myself and my future.
Dawn Nicole Designs + Sessions College for Professional Design
NEW FOR FALL 2018!
In an ongoing promo with Sessions College for Professional Design, my readers can get a 5% Tuition Discount for All Vocational Programs. Just visit the promo page here and scroll down to enter your info and promo code DAWNNICOLE in the section that looks like this:
Sessions is an Online Design school that offers certificates and degree programs in the following areas:
- Graphic Design
- Web Design
- Digital Media
- Illustration
- Advertising Design
- Digital Photography
- Fine Arts
Recommended Reading
Additional articles I’ve written on going to Design School that may interest you:
- 5 Ways Graphic Design School Changed my Life
- Studying Design Online: FAQs
- True Confessions of an Accidental Entrepreneur
I hope you enjoyed this post on 6 Reasons a Career in Graphic Design Rocks. If you have any more questions for me regarding design school or running a creative business, please feel free to leave them in the comments below this post, and I’ll be more than happy to address them!
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Which of the professional certificates did you get? I’m horribly indecisive so I’d have a hard time picking!
Hi Jennifer! I did an Advanced Certificate of Graphic Design with a Branding Concentration. Typography was a class I took but not offered as a concentration at the time. I changed it part way too. I started with the intention to do Web Design as my concentration and realized I probably wouldn’t enjoy it, so I switched to branding. 🙂
Thank you! I appreciate you answering all these questions! And, I have another one. Do you think the certificate program is enough or is the full blown degree necessary? I wish I could say I have other degrees but I don’t. And, now that I’m dealing with cancer the 2nd time, I really want to find something that I actually love doing AND could be flexible and from home.
Hi Jennifer! I’m so sorry to hear of your cancer battle and I’m pulling for you! I so admire you going after your goals amidst adversity. It shows such amazing character. What level you go for depends on your current, education, budget and overall goals. Since I already had two full degrees and planned to work freelance, the certificate was right for me. I’d encourage you to discuss your unique situation with the lovely people at Sessions to determine what is best for you! 🙂
Hi Dawn! (: I want to sign up for the August promo at Sessions, but the link says No results found. ) : I don’t know what to do now!!!!
Hi Jill! Oops, you’re totally right. I just emailed them to let them know and have them get it fixed ASAP. I expect it will be fixed later today. But if a chat window pops up on their site (it does for me), you can also just type in there and say that you’re interested in learning more about the promo they’re running with Dawn Nicole Designs this month! 🙂 When I first enrolled with them, I started talking with Kimberly via the chatbox and she’s the one I currently work with there. They’re super helpful!
Hi! What I click on Apply Now it takes me to a page saying page not found. Is there another way to apply and get the discount? Thanks!
Hi Nikki! Oops, you’re totally right. I just emailed them to let them know and have them get it fixed ASAP. I expect it will be fixed later today. But if a chat window pops up on their site (it does for me), you can also just type in there and say that you’re interested in learning more about the promo they’re running with Dawn Nicole Designs this month! 🙂 When I first enrolled with them, I started talking with Kimberly via the chatbox and she’s the one I currently work with there. They’re super helpful!
Hey there!
I’m a milspouse too (Navy)! I’ve been seriously considering going back to school (also the 3rd time for me) for something creative…I’m thankful you’ve shared your experience with Sessions College and will definitely explore this option further .
My question right now is, what laptop would you recommend for graphic design, letterjng, etc? Mine has died and in shopping for a new one/ researching what’s out there, I’m finding there are a lot of options!
Thanks!
Hi Lisa! I’ve been a Mac girl for years now. I currently have a 13″ Macbook Pro with Touch Bar. I ordered mine via the Exchange on base. 🙂 I love it so much. The touch bar is awesome! With running the big design programs like Adobe Illustrator and Photoshop, you want something that is speedy and can handle all the programs. This is a great article on choosing a laptop as a Graphic Designer: https://inkbotdesign.com/best-laptop-graphic-design/.
I currently work from home in the health industry and have made the decision to go back to school to do something that makes me happy and that I love. I enjoy doodling and lettering, and art in general so deciding what I wanted to do was a no-brainer. I started researching graphic design and have seen a lot of different institutes that offer these programs. How long did (or does) it take to get a certificate/diploma?
I have a bachelor degree in Nursing and want out of the healthcare industry as soon as possible. It’s difficult finding a decent, non health related job that pays even half of what I’m currently making. I know it will take time to get started with my own graphic design business (in addition to school) and will continue in my current position so I can pay down debt. How long did it take you to start making decent money? What experience did you need to start your own graphic design company?
I’m very happy I asked onto your website through Pinterest. Your graphics caught my eye! Your work is beautiful! Any advice you can give this aspiring artist is most greatly appreciated.
Hi Nisee, I did an entire e-course this year on how I blog full time as a creative business. It’s totally free and you can find it over on my second blog right here: https://dawnnicole.co/bloggingcourse/. I think the course lessons will address all of the questions you asked! 🙂 xo
Thank you so much, Dawn Nicole! (: I am SUPER excited about this special offer!!!!!
Hi Dawn,
I actually have a graphic design degree, I graduated YEARS AGO (about 20 years ago) and in recent years I’ve re-awakened my creative side with various projects for family. I have an fairly intense full-time job (Elementary Computer Teacher), would you suggest going back to school for graphic design, as a refresher for skills, even with an intense full-time job? This seems like something I’d like to do but with a 3-hour commute and teaching all day, I’m wavering on whether I truly have the time to dedicate to this. I kind of wish you had posted this article las year since I’ve been on a year long sabbatical and will be returning to work in a few weeks.
Hi Pietro! That’s a tough one. On one hand, you already have a degree and one the other, a lot has changed over the years. I think what you ultimately decide to do depends on your current education, budget, and overall goals. Since I already had two full degrees and planned to work freelance, the certificate was right for me. It didn’t require as much of a time commitment either (I had three kids under four at the time), so perhaps that would be ideal for you also. I’d encourage you to discuss your unique situation with the helpful people at Sessions to determine what is best for you! 🙂
What is the advantage between a certificate versus a degree?
Hi Betsy! It depends on your current, education, budget and overall goals. Since I already had two full degrees and planned to work freelance, the certificate was right for me. I’d encourage you to discuss your unique situation with the lovely people at Sessions to determine what is best for you! 🙂
Dawn….thank you for sharing your wonderful “success” story! I have been a crafty, creative person since my teens! I did not finish college, but after traveling the world as a Flight Attendant—I settled down and raised a family! I have an “empty nest” now, and would LOVE to make a career change! I’ve had an Etsy Shoppe for over 4 years, have a wonderful customer following in my town selling my home decor items—-, but would love to earn a certificate in the Graphic Arts field! I wonder how long the special price of $500 deposit / payment plan is going to be available?
Hi Sharron! The special price will last through the end of August. 🙂 If you have any questions, let me know and I’ll be happy to help!
Hi Dawn, I can only surmise that you were artistic with quite a high level of skill most of your life even before you went for your certificate?
Hi Karen! I’ve always been a creative person but I had zero experience with the design programs that I learned in school and now work in daily! They are a big part of the reason I chose a more formal education path. 🙂
Hi Dawn Is there any chance they will offer another special on their programs? I am very much interested. Thank you
Hi Jeanne! They’ve extended it through the middle of this month for us! 🙂
Thank you so much!