Entry-Level Positions For Aspiring Creative Directors
Entry-level roles like "junior copywriter," "junior designer," or "junior artist" provide a traditional path into the creative field, allowing one to "hone skills as a creative person and as a storyteller," despite potentially "crazy hours" and little initial recognition. Jarred's own unconventional journey highlights that alternative routes exist, but a more traditional entry point may be less arduous.
Entry-Level Positions, Creative Skills, Career Path, Resilience, Storytelling
Advizer Information
Name
Job Title
Company
Undergrad
Grad Programs
Majors
Industries
Job Functions
Traits
Jarred Raissen
Creative Director
EY
The University of Michigan, Ross School of Business - 2015
N/A
Business Management & Admin
Consulting & Related Professional Services
Communication and Marketing
First Generation College Student
Video Highlights
1. Entry-level positions like Junior Copywriter, Junior Designer, Junior Art Director, or Junior Artist are good starting points for aspiring creative directors.
2. These roles help develop creative and storytelling skills, though they can be demanding and may not offer immediate recognition.
3. While a traditional path exists, there are also non-traditional routes to becoming a Creative Director, as demonstrated by Jarred’s career journey.
Transcript
What entry-level positions are there in this field that an undergraduate college student might consider pursuing?
There's often no clear path to becoming a creative director. Many early roles involve being a junior copywriter, junior designer, junior art director, or junior artist. These positions are typically found within agencies, consulting companies, or in-house brand teams.
In these roles, you're put through the wringer to develop and hone your skills as a creative person, a storyteller, an artist, or whatever you want to call your creative skillset. These roles can be intense, exciting, and brutal, but they are part of the process.
They help you learn and identify if the path you're on is right for you. Do you want to continue honing that skillset? The best way to figure this out is to take those early roles. You'll work crazy hours and may not see the fruit of your labor or receive recognition.
But if you can persevere, those roles are the path to getting there. I wish I had one of those roles early in my career. I was never a junior copywriter and can't even draw, so art director, artist, or graphic designer were never options for me.
I took a very non-traditional path, and I don't regret it. However, it was likely harder for me than it needs to be for you if you enter the industry through a more traditional path, which definitely exists.
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