Studying online instead of College

Rory McNicholas

Hello,
I'm not sure if this is the right category, but I'm in the Leaving Cert Cycle now and I don't know where else to put this.

I'm looking to get in contact with anyone who has studied online after the Leaving Cert, instead of going to College.

Basically I'm going to go into graphic design after Secondary School. I've done 2 weeks of work experience with 2 different companies and I do a lot in my spare time at home. A lot of graphic designers I've spoken to either didn't get a 3rd level qualification or have told me you don't necessarily need one; experience with graphic design, the software used and a portfolio are more important.

So I'm looking at spending 1-2 years using lynda.com and doing their 300+ graphic design tutorials, from home.

Could anyone put me in contact to someone who has done something similar?

Cheers.

jrmb

I've done correspondence courses in the past. They can be a source of interesting new skills but it's very difficult to get the actual certification. You need a lot of discipline to succeed at these courses and you probably can't expect to be in the same league as people who meet a teacher on a regular basis. The staff won't know you personally and won't be able to give you a reference for the time you've spent. You also need to bear in mind that they're run for profit and tend not to care about your progress.

I don't know where you are but have you considered IADT, NCAD or Ballyfermot? You're likely to meet other people in the same boat there. I appreciate that graphic design is different to most subjects but you could be at a huge disadvantage if you don't have a degree in something.

Fad

An actual degree mighn't necessarily teach you everything you need to know for the working world, but it does show that you have ability to start something and stick at it which is often desirable!

Also, graphic design isn't just learning to use software, I'm sure really in depth illustrator/whatever experience is great but a lot of design courses are less to do with the software and more about making stuff.

I dunno, the design scene in Ireland is incredibly competitive atm, I think you'd just be hindering yourself by electing to spend two years working on tutorials.

(Note: I have worked in a design job, I have not done a design course. Getting work w/out a degree is certainly possible, just not necessarily optimal)

pathway33

This free online 8 week course starts 21st October with University of Pennsylvania via Coursera

https://www.coursera.org/course/design

You'll get a statement of completion at the end or a verified one via Signature Track for a fee.

These MOOCs are supposed to be the future so there may be more design courses coming on stream next year. There's probably others there now.