You know it's funny. It never occured to me until now that I hadn't updated what was the last comic I did before exiting back into the real world of design. I apologise for that and offer you this single frame, summing up everything that it was to be there on my first day as a Graphic Designer.
In short, it was freaking horrifying. I felt like I was in WAY over my head and the days that followed weren't great either. I seriously questioned why I had spent $9000 on a course to teach me how to do a job I was never sure I even wanted to do for a pay grade $20k cheaper than I was used to. It was brutal and unforgiving. Nobody yelled at me, which was nice of them, but I'd be lying if I didn't admit to mucking up a number of things. Things I'm sure heaps of Junior Graphic Designers have done in the past but still, bad things. Like screwing up 10,000 business cards because you didn't get the size of the font just right, running a finger along a picture frame and watching the glass fracture and crack across the whole $1700 frame that the boss had just bought 20 minutes ago (I wish I made that up).
In the end though, I think I'm getting a lot better. I'm a lot faster than I once was and don't make the same silly mistakes like I used to. I've become a damn near expert and judging sizes of spaces on a page (seriously, down to points of a millimetre in accuracy) and when it comes to the design, print and signage combo, I'm just learning everything I can to make sure I don't screw up any further. The only downside of all this is that it feels like I'm constantly in a trench. Constantly watching over my shoulder and ever fearful of the next time things will go horribly wrong. Sure, this mindset will only help me stay sharp and be sure I don't screw up anymore, but at the cost of heart? Fuck that. I'm under enough stress just trying to keep a roof over my head.
I'm reminded that it's a common thing for people to hate their jobs, but I've never understood why people would choose to put themselves in a situation they hated for no other reason than it earns them a living. I've always believed that there were hundreds of ways to earn a living before you had to become a shelf stacker at the supermarket or work the grease pit at your local fast food joint. You don't need to be miserable at your job, you just need to put up with it while you search for the next new beginning.
My mother always told me this wank filled statement about how "there are people who stand on the shore, and people who swim out to the boat." I always thought it was PURE fucking wank, I mean, I'm not a strong swimmer to begin with and swimming out to a boat? First off, if the boat is already out at sea, I've either missed it or I was never invited to be on it. Secondly, the shore normally has an ice cream van rolling by at some point and there's hot chicks in bikinis, so I think the shores pretty bad ass. However, I understand what my mother was saying. You can't just sit back and hope things are gonna be okay and the opportunities are gonna come to you. They're not. In fact, they're more likely to nail the door shut on you to make sure you never try and come back.
Bottom line? My mother was right.
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