During my undergrad, finding a job started nearly 6 months before I would walk across the stage and ceremoniously turn the tassel. There would be set-backs and highlights, but the job hunt turned out to be a really great learning experience.

I thought I had it all figured out during college. I was thoroughly convinced that I’d freelance or start my own business right out of school. These ideas didn’t last long after meeting with a couple of design professionals over that last Christmas break. I realized that I am only as good a designer as my portfolio shows, that no one really cares about me personally until after they have assessed that single black book. So I sought out and received feedback on my portfolio and, in the meantime, established a couple connections. I was on top of the world. Again, I thought I was ready to dive into the deep end post-graduation.

Fast forward through a couple months of my final semester—I’m attending the annual DSVC student show in Dallas. I have a new portfolio and I am bound and determined to be as outgoing as possible to secure some great connections or possible job prospects. First speed bump: on the studio tours, the question of whether a firm or agency was hiring was continuously answered with a resounding “NO.” Here I am, checking out some of the coolest shops, hoping for the best, hoping for someone to notice me, and all those hopes are dashed with that word. Nevertheless, I kept my head up.

There were plenty of speakers and workshops to occupy my time at DSVC, but I confess I don’t really listen to most of what was said. I made the mistake of directing my focus toward securing my fledgling career instead of gaining inspiration and creative fuel. Finally, the biggest part of the weekend rolled around: the coveted portfolio review. We are herded like scared cattle towards a room with a variety of creative professionals willing to look at the seniors’ work. Long lines form; people clutch their books to their chests as if trying to contain their soul. We as creatives are terrified of what people will say of our work; I might be the poster child of this fear. We all welcome criticism but most the time we are scared that it will be disliked or worst yet, completely misunderstood. After hours of waiting, my book was well-received but—unfortunately—deemed nothing special. Three critiques later, I am disappointed, humbled, and more than ready to head back to Oklahoma. I cast a wary eye at the fast-approaching day in May on the ride home.

The last semester of school basically disappeared as I was consumed with final projects, the senior capstone show, and post-graduation duties. I gained the responsibility of heading up our show. This proved to be a learning experience in many more ways that I could have imagined. The show would never have happened without the help of my classmates. They made me look like I knew what I was doing. When I was lost, they would pick up where I faltered. In retrospect, this was a prime example of how the future professional world would be like. My interminable to-do list was finished and the show went on without a hitch.

Graduation happened on a Saturday with far less fanfare than I expected. I woke up on Sunday and nothing had really changed. That day did mark the end of a chapter, a period where I thought I knew everything—I know now I couldn’t have been more wrong. Thankfully I was given the chance to return to a firm where I had previously been an intern. Eventually the internship turned into a job and that brings me to my current position. Now 6 months out, I realize the creative freedom we as students were given exists almost solely in school; clients and budgets, two of the most relevant things know, are skipped over in design school curriculum. These two subjects dictate most of what the end product becomes. Clients are the driving force behind our profession and we can only design within the money we are given. While in school, these project limitations do not exist, so I urge you take advantage of their absence, to push yourself as much as possible. Work hard and do the best work possible. Sometimes clients will inspire this, and other times they will squash it. It is up to you to surround yourself with great people—they will inspire greatness. So be yourself, don’t be afraid to put your work out there, and mostly of all, don’t lose your spark of creativity. That spark, though small comparatively, is what you will share with the world.