Throughout this journey of transitioning into Graphic Design/Marketing Creative I come across many design related posts, articles, imagery, etc. that aim to inspire people like me who are trying to land jobs in a role that they are most passionate about (because despite the desperation of getting ‘any job to pay the bills’ during this pandemic, ultimately we strive to be in a position that truly makes us happy). Most recently, I came across an article in the Invision blog titled You Should Hire More Jr. Designers, written by Anthony Armendariz of Funsize.
I'd say that's a pretty straightforward sounding title... but oddly, too straightforward. So with that along with my initial reaction of 'Hey, that's me!,' I had to read it. His points as to why the article's namesake were clearly laid out:
• It should relieve workload pressure off of Sr. Designers, therefore allowing Sr.'s to focus more on the work they are best at
• It's a company's workforce insurance in the sense that if a Sr. Designer decides to leave there is a Jr. level Designer in place that knows the ins and outs of your company's process/clientele/product and will be able to pick up the load until another Sr. Designer is hired.
• It will save your company money by slightly lowering the experience threshold/experience-to-pay rate ratio (I believe this may be the driving force for all the reasons when running a business).
Makes sense to me. 'But Mark, that sounds like great points in the perspective of the business owner. What is so intriguing to you?' Thanks for asking, self. As Anthony elaborates further, it's a shout out to Jr. level Designers who are willing to take on broader day-to-day roles to gain experience (ultimately, gain seniority/expertise) and provide refreshing perspectives since they haven't been entrenched as long in the same environment as their Sr. level counterparts. I love this because when you look at it in this sense, it becomes the win-win campaign for both the Jr. level Designer's existence and the company's business goals.
Expanding on the above, my favorite excerpt in this article is when he says:
Decision-makers building design teams should also be on the lookout for career switchers. Just because someone is a junior designer doesn’t mean they’re not resourceful and professional. Funsize has had great results hiring former architects, marketers, screen printers, and more. They bring diverse perspectives and new ways to approach problems that can be extremely useful to your team.
I'm glad he specifically mentioned "career switchers." When I first read that, I actually felt like he was writing this specifically to the hiring managers who I had either contacted or sent my application to while Bcc'ing me silently gesturing, "I got your back." But indeed, this is more powerful because what I am going through is what many of the workforce is experiencing as well throughout 2020, reevaluating their professional track due to COVID-19. And through this, many of us may have to step back a bit from whatever seniority level we were and become Jr. level Designers or ____... and that's okay, as highlighted above. Let's just hope a 42 year old former Footwear Designer with past Business experience (Operations, Customer Service, Planning, etc.) as myself will always have a fair shot to compete with fresh-out-of-college designers, and possibly even a better shot considering the transferable professional skills that would be of value. #antiageism
Tangent: I was inspired so much by this article (and, following career advisors' advice on networking with the people you want to work with or who you believe can help you with your professional aspirations) that I looked further into who the author was and his company. Turns out he/his company also has a podcast called The Hustle, in which he and his coworkers talk with other design leaders about the "evolution of the craft of design" and the nuances around creating impactful teams and product. What I think makes it most appealing is that he'll get personal with the interviewees with questions like 'What did you want to be when you were growing up' or talking about how raising a family has affected perspective.
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