Is it hard to find a job in graphic design?

Hi,
If you are looking for a full-time job working in a graphic design studio, as a graphic designer, you would be advised to have at least a diploma (level 5) but better to have a BA (level 6), in graphic design, because that is what they will be looking for.

If you are looking to work for yourself, freelance and self employed, it is not necessary to have a BA but you will need a great portfolio of graphic design work to show to potential clients and the best way of doing this well would be to have further education: a graphic design course.
If you already have a great portfolio of graphic design work, then that is fantastic. But remember, you have to sell yourself to someone who is looking for a great Book Cover designer or a fab Logo designer or someone to create a company brochure for them and they want to see if you can do this already, so work like that in your portfolio is essential. Also, you will be trying to get that job with a lot more graphic designers, experienced ones,
There is plenty of freelance graphic design work, if you look online. There are so many websites looking for graphic design work, i.e. Bark, bidvine, twine, Elance, etc but you have to have a portfolio of work to show and when you bid for work, you bid for it with other graphic designers wanting that work also, around the world.

I am pretty sure that if you wanted to get work, without going into further education, you could get intern/work experience in a graphic design studio, as a design assistant or administrative person and if they like you, you may be lucky to get a permanent job. But if they do not want to keep you on, you will at least have something to put on your CV, for other graphic design studios to be interested in.
I hope this helps.

Hey Trayquil,

Graphic Designers are everywhere. Look at any advertisement, look at signage, wayfinding, movie posters, you name it. Graphic Designers play roles in just about every aspect of visual communications, the question is always experience and the more of it you have the better off you are.

Certainly your education is paramount, you need to know the hows and whys, you need to understand the tools and how to use them, so that's a must. Most companies are looking for a BA, very few will take anything else unless you have quantitative experience and a strong portfolio, so it's best to get your bachelors. Still, experience beyond the classroom is going to be a strong addition to your education. So, get on board with internships, take on small jobs your comfortable doing for bands, local businesses even the college you go to. Get your portfolio built with work outside the classroom and your strongest educational work. This will all help to get your foot in the door and better position you for employment.

The jobs are out there as I said, visual communications requires design. Package design, print layout, publishing, interior design, architecture, engineering, sign making, branding, creative media services, marketing collateral design, web graphics, and the list goes on.

Just be confident in your work and put your best into it. Grab an internship and add that work to your transcript and portfolio, even if your college has a student run newspaper or magazine, join be part of the process. Also, it's a good idea to get work through agencies, such as Robert Half agency or Creative Circle (links below).

Best of luck

It depends where you live, some places around the world have more jobs in some areas. To be fair, I believe there will always be a job for graphic designers, promotional ads are everywhere whether if they're print or digital.

It is hard to find a job if you have no real-world experience. Most jobs today require some sort of experience and a portfolio to showcase your work and your process. If you want to secure your chances of getting a job after graduation, look for an internship, part-time job that relates in design, or become an assistant graphic designer around campus.