Career Path of a Graphic Designer at a Multidisciplinary Architecture Company
Delaney's career path took an unexpected turn from a political science degree and legal career, where they "wasn't happy with what I was doing," to graphic design. After freelancing during the pandemic, their passion project blossomed into a full-time position at an architecture firm, landing the role by showcasing their portfolio and eagerness to learn.
Career Change, Freelancing, Portfolio Building, Passion Projects, Non-Traditional Career Path
Advizer Information
Name
Job Title
Company
Undergrad
Grad Programs
Majors
Industries
Job Functions
Traits
Delaney Wells
Graphic Designer
Multidisciplinary Architecture Company
California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo
N/A
Political Science, American Studies
Architecture, Construction & Design, Government & Public Sector
Creative
Disabled, Worked 20+ Hours in School, Greek Life Member, LGBTQ
Video Highlights
1. Delaney's career path highlights a successful pivot from a legal career to graphic design, demonstrating that career changes are possible and can be fulfilling.
2. She emphasizes the importance of pursuing passions and using free time for freelance work to build a portfolio, showcasing the value of side projects in career development.
3. Her experience highlights the benefit of showcasing skills and eagerness to learn, as her firm was willing to train her despite lacking formal graphic design qualifications. This demonstrates that initiative and a strong portfolio can outweigh formal credentials in some cases.
Transcript
Could you walk me through your career path, starting with your experiences in college and any internships or jobs you had before your current role?
I got my degree in political science and had internships every summer. I worked for the California State Assembly and for the Senate Majority Leader, who was the senator in my district.
Right out of college, I went full-time at a law firm where I worked as a legal secretary. Then I went on to be a paralegal for another law firm and studied for the LSATs.
This whole time, I was freelancing as a graphic designer on the side as passion projects. This was during the height of COVID, and I wasn't happy with what I was doing.
I wasn't excited to become an attorney, so I decided to make a pretty big career change and pivot to graphic design, because that's what I'd been doing in my free time and I really liked it. I've been in it ever since.
I got a job through my portfolio of freelance work. I pieced it together and said I really wanted to learn. I got really lucky that my firm was willing to train someone.
So I worked as an in-house graphic designer for an architecture firm.