Plan B.

So I gave myself until May to find a job otherwise I'd go back to school for a Master's and to refine my portfolio. As far as I can tell, my job search isn't going anywhere and that's because I don't have any work experience. The Disney College Program was supposed to be my solution for that but seeing as I didn't get accepted the second time... Well... Now I'm stuck. Moral of the story: take the opportunities when they are given to you. My dad's concern is that if I took a semester off to work in Orlando that I wouldn't finish school. Well, that's rather insulting because I felt like I was stubborn enough to finish what I have to. I mean, I finished school a semester early for goodness sake! Had I taken that offer the first time, I could've been in the Disney PROFESSIONAL Internship program now. Those internships are reserved for alumni of the College Program. I want to be a graphic design intern for Disney. But darn. I guess I can't. The other internships that I want require me to be in school (which makes me unqualified as well).

I know that I'm sounding pretty whiny, but if an opportunity that big passes you by of course you're going to be sad/upset/frustrated. There's a career fair at UTD the Thursday after I get back from my big spring break trip to Orlando (har har). That's probably going to be my last chance at maybe landing a job. Otherwise it's back into part-time work at maybe Studio Movie Grill (oh no)! Then it's taking the GRE and applying for the Master's program at UTA. Why UTA? Because UNT doesn't have a Master's program for design where I can refine my portfolio. UTD? Of course they don't have anything. I tried looking at the ATEC and EMAC stuff, but it's nowhere close to what I want in my portfolio. I know that UTD is working on actually adding a graphic design degree but it's too little, too late. That only leaves UTA. Knowing my parents, they'd probably make me commute. Ugh. Well, at least one of the benefits of going back to school is that I would be eligible to take up internships that I want to participate in. And my dad said that he doesn't care if I don't finish and get my Master's because "at least [I] have my four-year college." Pffft. Okay, Dad. Ah well. That's my plan B.

You know what would be awesome, though? What if my Team 7 trip lands me a job at Disney? I mean, we're recording vlogs at Disney World. If someone saw that and thought that that kind of thing would be great promotional material and contacted me about it, then my life would just fall together with a huge stroke of luck. Not likely. But it's fun to dream. Anyways, back to cleaning my room.

Team 7 Vlog - Episode 2

So we played our first corec IM basketball game today and this is what happened...

Recorded with a Canon G15.

Dreading Graduation: Trying to Find a Graphic Designer Job in Dallas

I have about a month left until graduation and December 8th is becoming more of a date that I dread rather than something that I'm looking forward to. I only turned in my order for graduation announcements 2 days ago and it takes about 2-4 weeks to be finished so I don't know if those will finish on time. My cap and gown haven't come in yet so I can't do photos with those til later. My parents keep bugging me about what I want to do to celebrate my graduation. "Do you want a party?" At this point, I don't know. I'm not much of a party person. Gahhh. On top of all that, I still haven't heard back from Reynolds and Reynolds. I think they dropped me as an option. Now it's back to job searching. Dohhh. Or I can just stick with Studio Movie Grill until forever and ever. YEAH RIGHT. I'm getting a degree for a reason and it's not to work as a server forever. I guess whenever I have time I can go back to applying for more jobs. Hopefully I can find a place close to home so that I don't have to worry about paying for housing and leaving my friends and family behind. But I keep falling behind on homework and stuff because of work and thieu nhi. Grrr. I need better time management skills. I hate stressing about these things.

ACTUALLY, what if I tried to apply as a graphic designer for Studio Movie Grill? I could design the menus and promotions and stuff... Maybe being a server could serve as a start towards that road. Dohhh. I wished that the Richards Group would contact me back. That design internship from Disney based in Dallas isn't available anymore either. Fossil and the Dallas Mavericks rejected me, too. Could someone just plop a graphic design job opportunity in Dallas in front of me? That would be awesome.

Anywho, that photo was from my graduation photoshoot with Tien. Click the link below to check out the less flattering photos:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/hungrytien/archives/date-taken/2012/11/01/

IF you are indeed interested in potentially hiring me for a graphic design job, click the link below to check out my portfolio:
http://www.ae221.co.nr/

A flower that blooms in adversity is the most rare and beautiful of all...

My acceptance card from last year.

Sooo those who know me know that I was really looking forward to doing the Disney College Program. It was part of my career plan since forever. I got accepted last year so I assumed that I'd be able to nail the job again. Nope. I bombed my phone interview so badly on Sunday that they didn't have to take 2 weeks to make a decision. They took less than 24 hours. Ouch.

Why would I want to take part in the Disney College Program? I mean, it's only an opportunity to work in one of the Disney parks on an hourly wage. That's because the Disney name has that much value to it. On top of that, based on what I've read, if you start at the bottom of the pyramid you can work your way up to higher internships and eventually corporate positions. Disney does have a graphic design program. On top of that, the Disney College Program is a "magical" experience. It's a great way to make connections. Plus, it's a good idea to get out and be independent if you haven't had a chance to (like me). I've lived at home with my parents for my entire life.

Some of you are probably wondering why I didn't take the opportunity last year. There's really one reason: my parents. My dad was concerned that if I took a break from school to go work that I wouldn't come back and get my degree. I guess that is a somewhat legit fear although I'm not sure about the percentage of people who take a break from school and don't finish their degree. I'm actually really regretting not taking the opportunity last year. I know that I'm determined enough to finish everything that's necessary in life including finishing my degree.

So what's the plan now? I'm just trying to build up some kind of work experience. This is an area I'm seriously lacking in. Tomorrow (or more like later today) I'm heading to the UTD Career Fair to see if I can land any good internships.

Billboard by The Richards Group

I tried to apply for an art director internship at The Richards Group. If you don't know, The Richards Group is basically the largest marketing firm in Dallas. They have worked with several huge clients including Chick-fil-a, The Home Depot, and Zales. They have quite an impressive portfolio and it would be awesome to work for them one day. My friend Shirley is actually interning there right now and based on what she's said it's a great place to work.

Maybe I'm being really ambitious in the way that I approach things. Ambition is what killed Caesar but without ambition you have no goals and accomplish nothing. Here's to being ambitious and hopefully landing a job before my parents can nag me about being a good-for-nothing artist.

For more about the Disney College Program, click the link below:
http://cp.disneycareers.com/en/default/

For more about The Richards Group, click the link below:
http://richards.com/index.html

Another "Shocking" List of Worst College Majors for Your Career

Read the full article here.

     Honestly, I'm not shocked by anything that showed up on this list. Any kind of art degree is going to be considered "bad." I guess the world isn't so interested in developing a fine culture anymore. It's all about business, science, and technology. Just human advancement through the discovery of things in the world, not the discovery of the mind's potential.
     The high unemployment rate for art majors isn't completely shocking either. I would expect as much in such a highly competitive field. And on top of that, some people go and get an art degree despite the fact that he or she might not actually be built to become a good artist. Not that I'm hating on everyone who wants to be an artist. I'm just saying that you should definitely explore more into fields that you might be more well-suited for. I guess that's why UNT has such a competitive communication design program. 300+ students could be lined up to try and get into the program and at the end of 4 years, only about 50 kids would end up with a communication design degree because their portfolios got accepted. This kind of competition scared me so much that I transferred to UTD. A cowardly move? Maybe. I didn't want to waste 2 years of my college career studying art only to be rejected. I guess I should clump myself in with the other people who might end up being ill-fit for the art world.
     Actually, I don't regret my decision to transfer to UTD. Why? Because it's much easier to get a minor at UTD than it is at UNT. My major may be graphic design, but I made sure to have a backup plan in case I can't immediately find a job as a designer. My backup comes in the form of a marketing minor. Business is a pretty stable industry right now compared to art. If becoming an artist fails, at least I have enough knowledge to take my skills to the business world. If I do end up as a designer, my marketing knowledge will actually benefit me as well, especially if I'm going to be doing ad design.
     I guess what I'm trying to say is that you art majors shouldn't give up hope just yet! You can still be an artist. Just make sure you have a backup so that you don't end up in the unemployment numbers.