For student designers (especially in Singapore): Don’t get an 8-5 just because everyone else is.

The biggest irony about student designers is that as much as they strive for originality, they all scramble to find jobs at the biggest names in advertising/design when graduation is around the corner. God forbid that you don’t have at least five interviews lined up at all times as you’re rushing your FYP.

Truly, the creative world is much bigger than the path of designer, junior AD, AD, jumping agencies because they offer you more, develop insomnia from crazy work hours, jump to yet another agency…

Now don’t get me wrong — I have nothing against people who wholeheartedly want to become part of the industry in this manner, be it for passion or experience. But when so many see it as the ONLY path, this is where the true tragedy lies. For those who end up being fired from their agency jobs see it as validation for their biggest fear — that they are completely wrong for the creative industry.

There is way more out there than agency life. More creatives are now taking the freelancing path. Kickstarter & IndieGogo are there for all the projects you’ve always wanted to do but could never figure out how to get the money for. The stock photo/illustration market (one that is significantly maintained by freelancers) has grown into a billion-dollar industry over the last decade. There are now hundreds, if not thousands of sites online that find completely radical ways of connecting creatives and artists with people in need.

We’re in an age where the celebration and demand of creativity has never been more vibrant, and more importantly, diverse. So before you decide on which agency to apply for once you graduate, take a step back and first consider if that’s what you really want. With so much out there you can do, you owe that to yourself at the very least.