Emily Garcia

How did you pick your career? Did you know all along?

Choosing a career path is a personal journey everyone goes through- whether you are going straight to college after high school or want to explore life on your own a bit more independently before figuring out exactly what you want to do next. Some people know right away, while others may take a bit more time to discover their path, and that is all perfectly okay! For my own path and journey thus far, I have always been an artistic individual. I loved drawing and painting growing up, and always kept sketchbooks when I knew that I wanted to advance my skills and take it more seriously. Once I entered high school, not only did I see my skills progress more thanks to taking drawing/painting classes and participating in art contests, but that was also when I first discovered graphic design into my junior year. I immediately started experimenting with Adobe Illustrator and Photoshop, and fell in love with it. I tend to be a fast-paced learner, so I learned about each software relatively quickly. Around that time was when my family started questioning me about college (we've all been there). I knew I wanted to do something with design. But back then, particularly my mom more than my dad, she was more hesitant and didn't like my career choice of being a designer mainly due to the pay as well as employment opportunities for the future. This lasted throughout community college where she continued to question my choice of being a designer through limited classes in design to meet my requirements. I hit a lot of dead ends while researching various careers that I would see myself doing other than design, but for me there wasn't anything else that I would enjoy for myself on the long run- even if I would have to work extra harder to be more comfortable with where I want to be at. I knew I was talented and skilled enough with what I have learned on my own as well as through previous art/design classes, so I still decided to stick with Design. Soon enough, I received my Associates in Design and transferred to the university that I have graduated from recently. This was when I flourished my skills and knowledge on my own as a student and learner. Being able to take more design classes, meeting my colleagues, and taking advice from professors who are designers themselves helped me tremendously throughout my time at the university. It made me discover more career paths that relies on design that not a lot of people may think- Marketing, Web Design, UX/UI, Animation, anything! And they're all good career paths that pay you relatively well. For my degree in particular, I was able to branch into experimenting with different design classes that made me explore in depth about each of these fields and gaining the experience through incorporating these projects into my portfolio. Thus it leads to where I am today. My success thus far has been a bumpy one for sure. But I don't regret the choices I've made for myself. It only takes one person to see your potential, and that is you. Try to reflect on your successes and what inspires you the most. A great career path will find you after you've gained valuable skills that you will be able to leverage. Even if you've picked before, that is perfectly okay to choose wrong the first time. When you're doing classes of that particular field of study and you start to have second thoughts at the idea of doing that for the rest of your life, then you will know exactly where you would rather be at that moment. It's all about growth.