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Freshers week is over. Maybe you’re emerging from a haze of discounted club nights. Hopefully you’ve found a few new friends (perhaps by following Dazed’s brilliant – and occasionally unhinged – advice). Now, though, it’s time to figure out what you actually want out of the year ahead of you. You’ve chosen to study something creative, fashion, art, writing, film, music… but that doesn’t necessarily mean that you have your path all figured out. And that’s ok! Pretty much no one knows what they’re really doing, even if it feels like everyone around you has their act together.
What you can do is draw upon the experience of students that came before you. Learn from their mistakes, and free up space to make your own mistakes instead! With this in mind, we tapped into the Dazed Club community, asking recent graduates for advice. Read what we learned below.
LEARNING DOESN’T STOP AT THE UNIVERSITY GATES
Lectures, seminars and assignments are what you’re technically in school for, sure. But it’s a good time to start thinking beyond the classroom, as well. “If you have the time to go to insight days, whether virtually or in person, do try,” says Jamilat Bakare, who now works in PR with an interest in archiving. She even points out that some companies are willing to reimburse travel in order to show students – and prospective employees – what they’re all about, especially if they’re connected with schemes like Creative Access. Some universities are also willing to help out with travel bursaries. (If you’re unsure, it can’t hurt to ask.)
Maybe you’ve moved away for uni, or maybe you’re seeing your hometown in a new light. Either way, Bakare has another tip: “Get involved with things happening in your university town or city. For example, if you're interested in graphic design, why not reach out to a local business and see if you can do work experience?” Even shadowing someone in the industry you want to work in can provide a useful insight.
“Your peers will be the next generation of artists and could be the ones booking you for a job”
Savina Benz, who works in PR, parties and production, says that this approach is especially important in creative industries. “Get onto location, onto set, into the studio. You have to be where the art is being created!” And once you’re there? Don’t take it for granted. Be reliable, even if that just means replying to emails on time. “Be respectful of others’ time,” she adds. “Be kind to everyone, regardless of their experience. Your peers will be the next generation of artists and could be the ones booking you for a job.”
DON’T FEEL GUILTY FOR FOLLOWING YOUR PASSION
It can be easy to think that your choices as an undergraduate lock you into a specific career – or to feel overwhelmed if you change your mind about what you want to do halfway through your first year. “Don’t feel guilty if you’re doing an undergraduate degree in something that doesn’t obviously translate into a career path,” advises writer Artemis McMaster-Christie. Instead, try to figure out where your passions lie. “University is a great opportunity to completely fall in love with a subject, so you should be selfish and think as much as possible about the things you love on your course, rather than how you’ll make it into a hireable asset later.”
Benz adds that the degree you choose is less important than what you actually bring to the table. “The degree you have (or don’t) does not matter, but make sure to come with knowledge,” she says. “Learn the references, learn labels and their records, learn painters and their artworks. Whatever your creative interest, know the knowledge.”
NETWORKING CAN TAKE MANY SHAPES
Any creative industry can be daunting: at first, it might seem like everyone knows more than you, and on top of that everyone knows each other. As Bakare points out, though: “Networking doesn’t just mean going straight to CEOs or people in really senior positions at companies to ask for advice! It’s important to remember that people a year or two in their career can share so much insight. They’re equally important as people with big titles.”
Taking a broader view of networking, she adds that a good mentor can be a very valuable asset when you’re starting out, or still finding your feet. This could start with just sliding into someone’s DMs. Alternatively, you could meet a mentor through a dedicated programme at your university or an independent scheme (some are also run by companies such as creative agencies)... you might even find a guiding light even via Dazed Club’s Ask Club section.
“Work with your fellow students, talk to your professors, join a club, start a club!”
Networking doesn’t just mean punching above your weight, though. Meeting with your peers, discussing ideas, and supporting each other with your creative projects is also where you’ll learn some of your most valuable lessons. Fashion photographer Marcus Carrillo advises starting small and local. “Work with your fellow students, talk to your professors, join a club, start a club!” he suggests. “It’s easy to only apply for the shiny internships, but there’s so much you can learn from the people around you.”
Of course, one of the best places you can find opportunities for collaboration is Dazed Club... but we’re a little biased.
YOUR DREAM JOB MIGHT NOT BE WHAT YOU EXPECT
Lara Ludwig studied art history and now works in gallery communications, but wishes that she’d learned more about the realities of the job during her course. “I wish I’d known how much of working in the art world, at least in galleries, is relatively non-art based admin!” she says. “Packing, shipping, logistics, gallery maintenance... Only about 20 per cent of the job is talking about the art, and another 30 per cent is social media.” This isn’t exclusive to art, either – most creative jobs involve a similar mix of admin and social media tasks, because that’s ultimately where money is made.
Coming to terms with what your dream job actually looks like from the inside can also mean preparing for some disappointments. “Before I graduated university, I was very bright-eyed and excited to pitch to magazines and hopefully work at one,” says fashion, arts and culture journalist Angel Agbontaen. “But the reality as a journalism graduate is so different and disappointing.” Editors will often decline pitches or ignore them entirely, she adds, meaning the job requires a lot of resilience – something that university doesn’t necessarily teach you.
SAY YES
You might want to take this one with a pinch of salt. There are people out there who will exploit your hard work with the excuse that you’re ‘doing it for the exposure’, and offer nothing in return. That said, saying yes to creative assignments – no matter how poorly compensated – can be a good way to build up your portfolio and pave the way for future, paid opportunities. (I say this from personal experience; I probably wouldn’t have gained an internship at Dazed, as a student, without a catalogue of voluntary articles to show. And here I am years later. They can’t get rid of me.)
At the risk of sounding like a stuck record, Dazed Club is a great place to find new opportunities of all kinds, including open calls for parties and creative gigs.
“You can get burnt out, and you will need your own boundaries!”
Again, ‘say yes’ doesn’t just mean saying yes to everything. But, if you have the time and capacity, think about what benefits a free job could bring you beyond pure monetary value. Not to paint a bleak picture of the future, but you’re likely to have more time and energy in your university years than at any other time in your life.
GET TO KNOW YOURSELF
Above all, your first year at university is best spent learning more about yourself and what you want, whether that means dipping your toe in different industries via work experience, running creative experiments with your friends, or just following your nose to see where it takes you.
Coming to know yourself is the most important thing that your first year has to offer, says Benz – not only because you can set clearer intentions that way, but also to stop others from making decisions for you. “You can get burnt out, and you will need your own boundaries!” She suggests that books like The Artist’s Way can help speed the process along. “Also, journal three pages every single day, by hand. It will feel unnatural at first, but with consistency, your ideas will fill the page.”
Carrillo also suggests splitting your time between personal projects and career-focused projects, and not to worry too much about making something “bad” in the beginning. “It’s normal to flop!” he adds. “Do a mix of projects that speak to your work as an artist, and work that can get you work, and if a project doesn’t work out, that’s ok.”