Good Creative Careers For Young People To Consider
Introduction
Are you able to solve problems in many different ways? Do you have a passion for storytelling? If your answer is yes to such questions, then it’s definitely time to make a splash in the creative industry. In August, a half dozen expert panelists joined us to inform job seekers on four paths in the creative realm: UX Design, Advertising, Gaming, and Social Media. Since 2022, The Job Forum has introduced specialized workshops for the high school and college/early career crowd. Keep reading and you’ll certainly obtain some awareness of this newer growing job category.
Importance of Developing + Showcasing Portfolio of Work
Whether you’re kick-starting your work journey or shifting into the creative arena, showcasing a portfolio is a crucial step! First and foremost, you don’t have to possess a bachelor degree in writing, digital art or design. There’s a good chance a hiring manager is skimming your resume so why not boost your chances of getting noticed with a well-curated portfolio. Projects, whether ranging from personal blog content on hiking or an internship (American Marketing Association) driving a business’s website visits, helped show my personality during my pivot from a customer quality assurance associate to a social media coordinator. During interviews for my current job, I tailored data-driven aspects of these projects to simulate how I could improve their content pipeline. Analytics and reporting in a creative career monitor user behavior which tell a story about engagement.
In Demand Hard and Soft Skills
Some good-to-have hard skills for a creative professional to have start with technical proficiency in design softwares such as Photoshop, InDesign, and Canva. Mastery of these tools combine artistic abilities and aesthetic judgment because most creative departments have a brand guideline hires will adhere to. Going back to the data theme in our ever-evolving digital world, certificates or training in Google Analytics will come in handy. Linkedin, Coursera, and Google have several options for beginners to dabble in. And finally, being industry savvy by researching pertinent will allow you to be a player as a newly-minted creative. Many of the panelists agreed that cultivating empathy is a soft skill that will elevate your craft. When you have empathy, you are able not only to understand the consumer’s motivation but also put yourself in their shoes. I’d like to add in adaptability as another soft skill because the nature of trends change quite regularly. It’s important to change strategy through experimentation after having a sense of the call to action. As a social media expert, certain posts are going to stick with your audience while others not so much. This isn’t a blemish on your record but an opportunity to try out other approaches, especially with content capturing recurring events.
Making the Pivot into Creative
A move into the creative field is possible for anybody willing to think outside of the box. When you’re early in your career or looking for change, it’s so healthy to remember the beauty in learning from scratch. Ultimately, we are all sponges to our surroundings and have been gifted transferable skills that will be appreciated by the right community. Celebrating 72 years this year as the San Francisco Bay Area’s longest running job search career service, we hope to be of assistance for you!
