Leading To My Dream Job
I have dealt with a lot of opportunities in my life, many were challenging, however, they helped me get to where I am now. I know we should love our parents no matter what, but in all honestly my mother was one of the biggest struggles in my life. Ever since I was born, there were challenges. I was born six months premature weighing 1.8 pounds, I had a lot of drugs in my system from my mother abusing drugs while pregnant with me. There were many other accidents that were caused by her not being a responsible caregiver, but it all lead to my father fighting in court with her to take full custody of me.
At age five, I switched around multiple schools. It was difficult to make friends, however, I just focused on the parts I liked which were field trips and crafts. Since I was living mostly with my mother at the time, I never got educated properly at an early age. So when the doctor said I wasn’t ready for kindergarten, my dad took over and pushed my mother to put me in Pre-K. Then finally in 2006, we moved to Middletown and I switched from Moody Elementary School to Lawerence Elementary School. In Lawerence, I met a lot of friends who to this day I am still very close with.
I never took art classes seriously as a kid since they mostly focused on realism, which was not my art style. In 2012, I began to start making art as a hobby. I enjoyed watching Youtube videos of people drawing and taught myself to draw. In 8th grade, I was going through a lot mentally and healthwise. I lost interest in a lot of things, but I always carried my sketchbook everywhere. When I started high school at Middletown High, I took a pottery class, which is where I found of love for pottery. The majority of my friends grew apart while they joined clubs, I just stayed with my hobbies and gained more skills.
In 2015 I met my favorite teacher, Mrs. Ormai before she got divorced. She taught English and would let me stay in her room during lunch period because I could not stand being in the cafeteria. In 2017, I found a passion for animation. I researched the behind-the-scenes process of animation for the Disney movie Nemo. I loved finding out they had to learn to scuba dive and do research on fish studying their movements. Mrs. Ormai helped me a lot during my high school days, she was like an older sister to me. She helped me look for colleges and advised me to do graphic design. Since then my love for art grew, however, my mental health was declining during my senior year and unfortunately, I didn’t have the confidence to apply to any art schools. Which lead me to start at Middlesex Community College and then transferred to Central Connecticut State University.
Graphic design has a big impact on our daily lives, especially businesses. Graphic designers design signs, billboards, posters, logos, and even social media campaigns which in this day in age is pretty important for businesses to keep up to date with society and the upcoming trends. Graphic designers can use a variety of media in their design like illustration, photography, typography, identity, and even motion graphics or animation. In a job search process, it is important to add certification programs in resumes to provide an advantage compared to the competition, since the field is very competitive. In my resume, I have two certifications in social media marketing and content marketing.
Based on my research graphic designers' job outlook is projected on growing to three percent from 2021 to 2031 which is slower than average. However, about nearly 25,000 openings for graphic designers are projected each year. Most from the result of replacing workers who transfer to different occupations or retire. It’s not required for graphic designers to get a college degree, however, it is recommended. Usually, the most important information companies need during the job search is the portfolio, which is basically either a book or a website to show the best projects.
One of my favorite designers, Jeannine Mari, is a video and motion graphics specialist at Disney. She works closely with leaders throughout the company to create amazing branding, motion graphics, marketing, presentation, and social media designs for presentations and events. I enjoyed her work not only in Disney, but also when she worked at Mythical Entertainment, which is the company for Good Mythical Morning on Youtube. Just like her, I want to work in motion graphic design and social media.
In April I interviewed Joey Berchard, a software engineer at Disney. Even though he is not in the same field as me, it was still beneficial to interview someone who works at Disney. During our interview, he mentioned how he never thought about working at Disney because he thought they were just based in Florida or California. He realized Disney owns ESPN and the headquarters are in Bristol, CT. Also, I asked what it was like to work at Disney and he mentioned how it is exciting but challenging. Everyone is passionate about what they do and is very talented. He mentioned how it’s fun to work for a company where the product and services you work on impact a large portion of the population. Then finally I asked him what advice he would give to someone who wants to work at Disney. Berchard said, “Most employees here are hardworking and highly motivated to accomplish things. It is important to care about your work and to feel invested in projects. It’s also important to be willing to learn new things to improve your skill set.” As a designer, I also try to learn new skills and keep up with trends, which is important for any media of graphic design.
In the future, I want to work somewhere where I will be happy and express myself. I will first have my own art studio. I will decorate it in my colorful and artsy style. Many parts of my studio will have DIY elements that I learned from my dad with painted walls, fluffy couches, and funky handmade décor. My art studio will have an office area to communicate with clients about their graphic design needs. It will have a desk area where I will create designs for work and personal use. In that room, there will be a section with couches where my clients, family, or friends can sit. I will have my computer and iPad on my desk with a few decorations like my Grogu wax melt and my Groot Funko pop bobblehead. My studio will also be a store where I sell my art and handmade jewelry. I can see myself still working on my own Instagram and Youtube channel showing off my brand. In addition to owning my own studio, I will be working on motion graphics and social media content with the graphics team at Disney. I can see myself working at home or in my studio and being on Zoom calls discussing the projects for future movies, tv shows, and games. I will be building motion graphics for Disney's social media.
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