At first I didn’t have many clues to get me started. There was so much mystery, and so many possibilities. Which meant a lot of fumbling, impulsive decision-making, and naive thinking. When you’re fresh out of college, it’s natural to get excited about everything. Every big decision greets you with another lesson to learn. This is a good thing, embrace it.

To not get hired, don’t interview anywhere. Don’t research your options. Don’t offer to buy a coffee for someone you’d like to work for one day. Definitely play more GTA.

It’s a tough question, because the things I know today were all taught to me through experience. Experience is key. It brings knowledge, and in turn confidence. Once you begin developing confidence in yourself and your work as a professional, you start paying more attention to yourself and minding the crowd a lot less.

There are some simple rules. Like, show up on time, and don’t be the first to leave. Always put a third into savings. Keep your receipts. Try to be social. Don’t talk shit. And one especially for young designers: if there’s a chance you’ll be caught doing that thing you’re about to do, you probably will be.

For the first couple years, buy a ton of books. Get excited about every single thing. And then after some time, stop buying so many books. Then start buying books specific to a thing you’re really passionate about besides graphic design. Pro tip: books are the worst thing to have a lot of when you’re about to move across the country for your next awesome job.

One more bonus note I think is really important for recent grads to remember: the best work you’ve done is going to look like garbage compared to what you’re about to do.