Graphic Artist
(Female, Age 33) from Marceline, MO
This is a REAL-LIFE job profile written by a Female aged 33 who works as a Graphic Artist in Marceline, MO. We have removed all names and personal information in order to protect privacy. This professional kindly spent a bit of their time to complete one of our job profile surveys so that prospective job seekers like you could read their insights. Please excuse any punctuation or grammatical errors in this profile.
At a Glance
Current Job
Basic data on your current job
| Job Title | Graphic Artist |
|---|---|
| Salary | $18,000 |
| Other Compensation | None Set |
| Hours/Week | 40 |
| Company Size | (not answered) |
| Location | Marceline, MO |
| Years Experience | 8 years |
Career Ratings
Opinions on your CAREER overall (i.e. not just your current job)
| Years in Career | 0 |
|---|---|
| Education | (not answered) |
| Income Rating | 0 / 10 |
| Interest Rating | 0 / 10 |
| Work-Life Rating | 0 / 10 |
| Fulfilment Rating | 0 / 10 |
Current job Q&A
Describe the type of organization you work for.
The company I work for is made up of many different plants that produce different products. Some plants produce rings (class, Superbowl, sports, etc.), paper products/awards, graduation caps & gowns, etc. My plant produces yearbooks. I believe there are about 3000 employees across the country. It is based in Indianapolis, IN.
Describe your job role and responsibilities.
I work on yearbook covers and endsheets. Usually, I take a design sent to us by the school and create it on the computer, by either drawing or graphically creating it in Photoshop, Illustrator or InDesign. I also take standard covers created by our company and individualize them by the specs given by the school.
Please list an additional benefits (beyond compensation) that you receive.
Health insurance, life insurance, 401K, ESOP (employee owned stock)
Do you feel you are under/over or well/fairly compensated at your current position?
I am pretty well compensated for the area I live in and our benefits are pretty good.
Does your job entail you working with others on a daily basis? Is this something you like/dislike about your job? Please explain.
Yes, I have people around me in my own department and in another department. I enjoy working with some of the people around me and dislike others, especially when they do not seem to know how to do their own job.
Do you work collaboratively with supervisors/managers?
Yes
Do you work collaboratively with your co-workers?
Yes
Describe your work location (e.g., office, home, theatre, in the field) and what you like/dislike about working in it.
Please rate each of the following aspects of your current job on a scale of 1-10 (10 being the highest/best):
Income: 1
Benefits: 4
Hours: 5
Co-Workers: 3
Supervisors: 7
Job Title: 8
Level of Responsibility: 6
The Actual Work: 2
A day in the life of…
Please describe a typical workday for you in your current job:
| 5am to 6am | |
| 6am to 7am | |
| 7am to 8am | N/A |
| 8am to 9am | 8:00 – 8:15 spent turning on my computer, bringing up my time sheet (where I fill in the job I am working on, how long it took and what type of job it is), and pulling up the job I am working on currently. It is a standard cover. I spent the rest of this hour creating the cover using the specs given to me by the school. I have to type the title, spine copy, theme on it and change the colors to match what the school wants. It is saved and printed. I pick up the print and put it in the folder and set it on the shelf for checking. |
| 9am to 10am | Finished up my last cover. Recorded on my time sheet. Picked up my next job: a creative cover where I am going to have to create the cover from scratch using the specs and drawings submitted by the school. I begin by bringing up the scan the school has submitted in Illustrator. I begin to draw over it using the tools in the program. |
| 10am to 11am | Continuing to work on this creative art; still drawing the basic design. |
| 11am to 12pm | Finished up drawing the basic design and saved. Went into Photoshop and brought up the photos submitted by the school that they want to use on their yearbook cover. Enhanced them (color photos) and sized them to fit the spaces within the art I created this morning. |
| 12pm to 1pm | Lunch from 12:00 – 12:30. Finished enhancing & sizing photos. Started to place the pictures within the boxes in the art I created. Had to rotate/reshape photos to look 3-D within the art. Having to tweak the original art I drew this morning because of the shapes of the photos and not wanting their edges to show. Also having to redraw some lines and close off other lines so pictures can be inserted. |
| 1pm to 2pm | Continued as above, inserting pictures and tweaking original art. |
| 2pm to 3pm | 2:15-2:25 break time. Still inserting pictures and rotating them to fit. Had to redraw part of “2007” that goes at bottom of cover. Inserted photos in there also. |
| 3pm to 4pm | Placed entire complete picture on cover template and resized all-together. Place colored background behind picture and realized that the picture I created was not transparent. Had to go back into original and resave. |
| 4pm to 5pm | Added title to front cover and spine copy with school information. Completed cover information on template and printed out the proof to send to the school. Placed in folder to send and placed on shelf to be checked. Updated time sheet. Work ends at 4:30pm. |
| 5pm to 6pm | N/A |
| 6pm to 7pm | N/A |
| 7pm to 8pm | N/A |
| 8pm to 9pm | N/A |
| 9pm to 10pm | N/A |
| 10pm to 11pm | N/A |
| 11pm to 12am | N/A |
Table of Contents
How you got your job
How did you get your current job?
A friend got me an interview since she worked at the company already.
What was the application process?
Filled out the application and instantly got an interview.
Did you have to interview for your current job? If yes, what did the interview process entail?
Yes. One interview with my supervisor at the time. She asked me some questions about my ability to work on computers, as I remember. I didn’t have specific experience at the job, but I was a quick learner and came highly recommended by my friend. That must have done the trick.
If you can remember, what questions were you asked during the interview?
I don’t remember.
Do you feel your employer properly prepared you for your job? Explain.
No. I keep asking to go to a workshop for Photoshop. I have been teaching myself everything I learn about the programs I use and I would love to actually have some real training. Everyone else in my department has been to a workshop and I want to.
Was there training for your current position? If yes, what did it entail?
No, I have worked for a few years part time at what I am doing now. Now that I am full time in that position, my lead person kind of trains me as I go and I learn the rest on my own.
Do you feel your educational background prepared you for your job? Explain.
Not really, although I can psychologically evaluate people pretty well, it isn’t something I do for my job. I didn’t learn much about computers in school, I am self taught.
If applicable, do you feel your internship experience helped you prepare for your job?
N/A
If someone wanted to go about getting a job similar to yours, what would you recommend for him or her to do?
Have experience in graphic arts. Not only school-related learning, but actual on-job experience creating art within computer programs. Also having great experience in the programs we use is necessary.
What skills do you think a person should have if they want to pursue a position like yours?
You have to be willing to work well with the people in your department. You also need to be willing to multitask on projects. Experience in InDesign, Illustrator, Photoshop are required. Ability to self-regulate, learn as you go and adapt is necessary.
Do you feel that you need a certain level of education or training to be successful in your job?
Yes. I don’t necessarily think you need education, but training is imperative.
What advice would you give to someone who was about to start work in your position/ line of work?
Be organized. Pay very close attention to detail. Do not spell the name of the schools wrong. If you don’t know what to do or how to design something, ask!
Long-term career plans
Is your current employment part of your overall career plan? Why or why not?
Nope. I never had any intentions of being an Artist. I always wanted to be working with children directly, most recently in a classroom.
What are your current career goals?
I would like to stay at my job and gain artistic experience and training. I would still, at some point, like to work in a classroom again.
Is there anything else you would like to share about your career?
It is hectic. There are times, during our busy season, we are working 60 hours or more a week. Those times are hectic, we are tired and we would love to just be home. Then I am laid off for 3-4 months a year and I can’t wait to go back. It’s a very unpredictable and unsteady job. I still enjoy what I do though, or I would find something else.
Prior work history
Please list your most recent jobs prior to this current job:
| Title | Length | Salary | Description | |
| Prior Job 1 | Picker | 2 years | 8000 | I would fill orders for textbooks by getting the books from the warehouse and taking them to the shipping department |
| Prior Job 2 | Salesperson | 1 year | 5000 | I was selling clothing for a chain store. |
Educational background
Please list your educational background:
High School GPA:3
| GPA | School | Degree | |
| College (Undergraduate) or Technical/Vocational |
3 | U of Missouri – Columbia | Psychology B.A. |
| Graduate or Professional (Masters or Doctorate) |
3.2 | U of Missouri – Columbia | Elementary Education – none |
Ask a Question of this Mentor
This mentor has opted to receive questions from people interested in this career or job position. Please be respectful of their time and willingness to help. Include some basic relevant background so they can intelligently answer your question.