Does anyone regret going to portfolio school?
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Hi All
I have 18 years of experience , out of which 9 years I worked in Manufacturing industry in Quality and Planning area, then I shifted my career to SAP Functional in Manufacturing domain and in IT industry now for last 8+yrs. In between I have done executive MBA from IIM Kozhikode.Am I eligible to work in consulting in Bain India and Bain any other country?
BUMP: what 3-4 schools did people apply to R1?
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I went to VCU and it was one of the best career decisions I ever made, but I wish I could be where I am today without the debt
eh, you could have. don't blame them.
No regrets whatsoever about going to the Creative Circus. I made many good connections and better yet, many good friends. What I do regret was not finding it til I was 27 (didn’t even know what an art director was til then) and married with a kid - and having to work close to full time in a bar (Moe’s & Joe’s for those that know the ATL) Obviously nothing against my family, but to do it right, you have to be able to commit nearly every waking moment of your time for two years. Ideally no job and no dependents if possible.
Honestly, my biggest regret in going to the circus was not having a job while I was in ATL. It was such a dumb, irresponsible financial decision and I’m still in debt because of it. Overall I think it was too high a price to have this career
I wish I hadn’t gone to college & gone to ad school earlier to save money
Wow, I knew nothing about an Ad School/Portfolio School. I started out as a web designer in 2002, so, maybe that’s why I have never heard of them. From the looks at the comments it seems pretty normal and valuable for building connections. That would have been great for me because I sucked at networking due to fear/shyness .
Every job I’ve ever gotten was through someone I met at Miami Ad School. But it’s expensive and (in my opinion) not well run. Like someone else said, get what you can out of it as fast as possible and then get out
Same. It taught me and pushed me where I needed to be, but it is way too expensive.
I wished I would have went to VCU
VCU was a great choice for me, but we’re definitely all very aware that it can’t fix personalities 😂
It’s like 75% good eggs, 25% headaches
Wish I went to VCU Brandcenter. Had to work my way to better and better agencies, could have done that much faster with the right connections / help.
This is what I did.
I studied Graphic Design in undergrad and had offers for 32k in MullenLowe’s print production department.
After two years at Brandcenter my opening offers were 70k and with W+K, Google Creative Lab, BBH, 72andSunny, D5, and Nike. It doesn’t even compare the type of connections you get and the opportunities. It basically subsidized my starting salary.
One of the best decisions I ever made! I’m about to graduate from Miami Ad School and I’ve made countless connections through the school, as well as had many internships too.
I wish I could have Groundhog Day at the Creative Circus 4ever
I wouldn’t say I regret it, but I wish I had gone to a better portfolio school. I ended up at Chicago Portfolio and we all know what that was like this last year. Hasn’t gotten any better with the new director either
I got what I needed and got out. Would never recommend it to anyone though
I wish I went to ad school
Went to BYUs undergrad program and just accepted my first job after finishing my internship. If your undergrad prepared you enough then don’t go to portfolio school. But if you don’t feel good about your book then you should hit portfolio school
Sup copywriter 1 :) Do you miss Pat? Cause I do. But I DON'T miss Jeff.
The decision to go to a portfolio school is a good one if you can afford it and go to the right one. I started Job Propulsion Lab for those who don’t have that option. We have protégés now working at the best places in advertising so it’s possible to do it without two years of portfolio school (our program is 3 to 6 months). The key is having pros who are where you want to be mentoring you. Having a network is important too. If you’re set on portfolio school check out who is doing well in the student competitions at the best pro shows. Otherwise try a pro coach program like JPL
The next step into the dream job part of the process. JPL has three stages. First is your career assessment that helps you identify exactly who should be targeting as an employer and what it takes to land that job. Second, the project development that teaches the skills needed in an on the job atmosphere and results in portfolio samples. The third stage is the job hunt. Training in putting together a portfolio site that markets you to your target and displays your work appropriately, training in job application that will get you in the door and interview training that gets you the job offer.
Best decision I ever made, changed my life forever
No. And I went to Chicago Portfolio, which I’ll be first (Second? Third? Fifteenth?) to acknowledge has much room for improvement— though there were plenty of talented instructors there in my time. I tried getting jobs in the industry before portfolio school and struggled miserably to even get interviews. I worked hard and got a decent book out of school (even at CPS). Though it took me a few months, I did get a job offer with my CPS book. Something I couldn’t say after many more months of trying prior to CPS. No matter where you go, put in the damn work. I know plenty of “creatives” who paid the tuition fees and still don’t have full-time , secure jobs (after years of being out of school) because they didn’t have the curiosity/passion and didn’t put in the effort.
YES. This is exactly what I tell people about CPS. It's completely about putting in the work.
Nope! Best decision for me! but I do think it's not for everyone. happy to chat more about it if you want.
Went to MAS and while I consider myself pretty successful in my career now, I'd probably go to VCU if I could do it all over again.
MAS still got me where I am though and all of my jobs I've gotten through MAS connections one way or another.
That’s super helpful, thanks!
Denver Ad School is getting a ton of buzz, you should check them out. Seems like more and more people are finding the big programs to be a waste of time and money, so a program like Denver Ad is really poised to provide a fresh new option in the marketplace. Plus they’ve got an experienced team behind it and their branding is fucking awesome.
Can also look into makeadswithme .com if you want to find a partner to build a book with
I don’t regret it. I needed it more the network and less for the portfolio. If you already have contacts in the industry, save your money.
If i did it again I’d try to scrape a book together in undergrad. Still paying that shit off 6 years later. But I also met my wife on my quarter away soooooooo