Should you break up your education to dip your toe into industry before your final year? If you were asking 21 year old me, I’d have said no fucking way. “Crack on, get your head down, the best is yet to come”. Oliver & I left education with a Foundation Degree in Graphic Design (2 years of the 3 year course) we just couldn’t wait to get out into the world and start earning.

That was 13 years ago now. Higher education in 2007 wasn’t as popular/normalised/expected as it is now. Our experiences of education weren’t great, in comparison to what universities are doing for students now.

(They also weren’t 10k a year!)

In fact our tutors actively promoted leaving the course at FD level. We were softly pushed into the big wide world, so our perspectives are skewed.

What may come of a placement year?

Here’s some possible realities that you may encounter:

1. You find a great studio, love the work there and get used to the working lifestyle. You’ll become accustomed to the change of pace, the new friends you make and the income, then it all stops & you have to go back to Uni. Now the studio could realise how much they needed that extra pair of hands & hire someone else whilst you’re studying. Or they could still need you in a year’s time. It’s a risk you should consider. Regardless of the outcome, it’s going to give you good industry insight and you’ll take away some great tips and contacts that will help with your final year.
2. You find a studio, it’s not quite what you anticipated, they work you hard, for little pay, your boss is a dick and you become disheartened towards the industry. But then you still need to go back to Uni and try to be enthused enough to pass your course.
3. You flit between a few studios, a few weeks here & there, but nothing quite sticks. You get a job in Starbucks to pay the mounting rental prices. You fall for the head Barista, Alexandro, you get pregnant & now instead of a job or a degree you have a caffeine addiction and a baby named Macchiato.

An alternative

Don’t get me wrong, at this point in your life, experience is everything. Rather than taking a full year out, make time for short placements that you fit around your Uni course. These are vital, for your real-world learning and building relationships with studios.

You’ll have to be flexible, most studios don’t have set dates each year for placements, they’re usually more reactionary. So have an open calendar and consider how best to grab their attention.

Don’t worry if you need to miss some Uni work, talk to your tutor, I’m sure they’ll understand. Have a read of this article for the best ways to approach a studio.

Opinions = Assholes

Here’s the thing. Opinions are like assholes, everyone’s got one, and most of them stink. My opinion is get on with Uni, ‘completed it mate’ and start living your life. However I’m very aware that I have a habit for rushing through life. Jumping from one experience to another, scoffing them all down like a Gremlin in a Domino’s. I’m destination focussed, and that is something I’m trying to work on.

If you are the sort of person that appreciates the journey that is life, and you’re happy to delay your career a little – for what could be an interesting year – then you should do it!

Each to their own mon amis.

→ Do I need a degree to be a designer?

→ Your tutors aren't always right

→ Is University Outdated?

→ The value of self-initiated projects