SOSFactory Blog

Choose your language / Elige tu idioma:

Some days ago we commented the advantages and disadvantages of self-taught training versus official training, and we reached the conclusion that it would depend on our working aspirations, our personality and our resources.

I’m really glad I received so many comments from people who make a living by themselves, without an official degree. Some people call this professional intrusion (in fact, I’m an intruder myself since I studied Psychology). I’d rather call it passion for learning in spite of the circumstances. Luckily, Internet has democratized the working world too.

But, let’s be realistic, an official degree can be very important in the real world depending of the job you want to get. We all agree that the ideal is having a university degree and a great portfolio, but this is not very common.
I can think of some situations:

Working as a freelance vs wage-earner

If you want to work as a freelance no one will ask for a university degree, having a good portfolio is the key to prove your skills. However, if you want to work for a design agency, the degree will open many doors for you.

Working in a big design agency vs small design agency

When I say big, I mean a company with lots of employees. Big design agencies usually have a Department of Human Resources, so your curriculum will be the first selection criteria. In this case it’s very important to accredit an official training.

If you want to work in a small agency, the one in charge to make the selection will be probably your future workmate. Possibly the portfolio will get more importance when it comes to choose the right candidate.

Working in quality agencies vs “Fast food” agencies

Quality agencies will attach more importance to a good portfolio than a university degree. Low-quality design agencies are unpredictable, I’m not sure about what do they appreciate the most. Anyway, I don’t think anybody aspire to work for them.

Creative Jobs vs technical or mechanical Jobs

If you want to focus on jobs on which creativity is important, illustration for example, your portfolio will be more important than a degree. On the other hand, if you prefer more technical tasks, like programming, then and official degree is the key. For mechanical jobs, like reprographics and serigraphy, is essential to accredit your training.