Junior - Middleweight
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- TOMMYxGUNN
Hey all,
I've been a junior designer now for 4 years now, 1.5 inhouse and 1 in a small agency and 1.5 in a large agency (where I am now). I also do a fair bit of freelancing for some respectable clients outside of work, producing websites, brochures and branding etc. Thing is, I don't think I'm a junior anymore.
Is there some sort of timeline to this?!? Don't think there is. Anyone else feel the same? Anyone dealing with a junior in the same position? etc etc, blah-dy blah.
Cheers ears.
- liveforever0
you r now officially tea maker :)
- Mau0
I still donĀ“t get this whole jnr/senior thing.
depends on your quality.. or am I wrong?
- yes and no
experience counts for alot as wellliveforever - yeah but I guess its not the main thingMau
- yes and no
- TOMMYxGUNN0
That's what I thought. But experience comes into it surely
- blog0
do you just want more accountability and more responsibility?
if so then ask for more money and show that you can handle the above.
- scribbler0
4 years????? blimey. I would say 18 months - 2 years to step up to mid-weight. 3-5 years as a mid-weight then up to senior.
Depends if you changed displicnes inbetween then I guess it would be longer.
To answer Mau, yes it depends on quality but it's also just about gaining experience to understand what and what isn't possible, feasible etc, gaining experience in meeting clients, presenting, art directing etc
- wow in my industry it takes 10-15 years minimum to become a senior level... 2-5 years?! insaneblog
- < Seems a bit low to me, especially if your at a good company, which I am.TOMMYxGUNN
- Prostitution?kuttyranks
- TOMMYxGUNN0
Thing is, where I am at the moment, everyone does the same amount of work. There are no set divisions between juniors and seniors apart from some of the decision making.
- have u tried sleeping with the director ?liveforever
- if theres no distinction then it shouldn't matter unless you have a problem with pay level.shitehawke
- Just want a bit of recognition, that's all.TOMMYxGUNN
- you might not work in that kind of studio though. my mate works in a place and everyone has the title 'senior designer'shitehawke
- even if they're a junior, or an artworker. Its a way of charging a set rate to clients.shitehawke
- shitehawke0
I think it all depends on how much work you do at what level. my second job out of college I was hired as a junior with about 1.5 years experience but was bumped up to mid-weight after a few months. I was working on concepts and big jobs because I kept asking to work on them and also did it in my spare time. I'm not saying I was a fucking shit-hot designer, I was just asking for chances, and gained experience pretty fast.
It just depends, both on yourself and the company you work for, as to how you progress.
- TOMMYxGUNN0
I'm going to speak to the boss soon, if you don't ask, you don't get eh?
- do you sit near him? play a little footsyhitsuji
- Not bad...TOMMYxGUNN
- mistermik0
just call yourself an art director.
- TOMMYxGUNN0
I suppose if Rybo can call himself an Art Director...
- hahahaha, but no, seriously.
He can't.Nairn - Rockstar Designer? Is that the right term?TOMMYxGUNN
- das is der KORREKTEN.Nairn
- hahahaha, but no, seriously.
- coolhipNgroovy0
TOMMYxGUNN just recently I realised that I am in the same predicament, I thought I was working hard, gaining experience and I thought that no one in the studio saw me as 'the junior', until Monday when the Boss was moaning about people spending too much time making tea rounds, he pointed at me and said 'get the junior to do it'
Nice :/
- Sounds like a bit of a prick actually.shitehawke
- 4 years in the industry, won a couple of competitions for him and he makes daft comments like that, sends me straight to the job websites that does...coolhipNgroovy
- ...job websites.coolhipNgroovy
- TOMMYxGUNN0
Ooooooh that's got to hurt. They're not like that at my place (yet). How long you been a junior?
- spot130
- lol, thanks for the valuable advice!coolhipNgroovy
- seriously though, if you don't tell your boss what you want, they'll pay you as little as possible.spot13
- coolhipNgroovy0
Nearly 4 years, 1st company just over a year, 2nd company 1.5 year and this company 2 years in May.
Have you got any juniors below you?
- fodcj0
Half the time I feel they just don't promote as then they don't have to raise your salary... from my experience both go hand-in-hand.
- TOMMYxGUNN0
That's pretty much the same as me. There are two other juniors. One came straight out of college and has been here for 2.5 yrs (1year longer than me), the other came straight out of college and has been here for 6 months. One of them said to me the other day they don't see me as a junior, which was nice to hear!
Think spot13's got it right. I see myself as a graphic designer, not a junior graphic designer. And also, they're not going to rush to promote you are they, when they can get the same for less.
- Not_Just_Another0
I think the whole Junior/Mid/Senior thing is a bit misleading. If you excel at what you do and begin to warrant taking on additional responsibility you'll soon start creeping up the ladder as it were. Just bear in mind that the more money you expect or get paid, the more responsibility will sit on your shoulders.
The last place I worked at we didn't have job titles in the typical sense, it was more a definition of what you did, so that could be Artworker, Creative, Interactive Designer, Producer etc... that way the only way people could judge your talent was by the work you produced, not by your job title.
- Nice idea. What did you put on your CV/Resume though when you left?fodcj
- I left as an 'Interactive Designer'. I think it's important to be honest with the kind of work you do. Otherwise people may get the impression that you're pigeon-holing yourself even before you've started.Not_Just_Another
- impression that you're pigeon-holing yourself even before you've started.Not_Just_Another
- coolhipNgroovy0
I see myself as a designer too, the harsh comment on Monday made me realise what the Boss actually thinks of me. Which cheeses me right off, he doesn't work with us in the studio so I should take any notice of his comments, he's jsut getting narky because of the credit crunch. Nit picking about making tea rounds? Come on!
I have not juniors below me, which is probably why I'm always lumped into the junior category.
So, er... any jobs going at your place TommyxGunn????!
- Things are rocky here too! Lost all the freelancers, and a few seniors have left that arn't to be replacedTOMMYxGUNN
- joeth0
Sounds like you should be past the junior level. Aside from salary and responsibility, losing the Junior in your title does a lot for your dignity and getting the respect you deserve.
Talk to your boss. Ask for a promotion. Even if they say no to a raise, see if you can lose the Jnr.
- spot130
Fist step, find a way to show your boss your value. Learn something that nobody else in the company knows much about and demonstrate it. Second, show that you have options, be confident and get yourself exposure with a good portfolio and network exposure (join industry groups). Finally, don't be shy and ask to move up, ask to meet with your boss to discuss your future with the company, keep it positive (no ultimatums) and find out where your boss sees you in the company over the next year - five years. Find out what skills you could expand on to get there faster.
- In the current climate, that's some great advice. Always try to be as useful as possible.Not_Just_Another