What to expect on Co-op

What has occurred to me several times as being different between schooling and being in the workplace are the chances of me sharing what I think and what I think people want to hear. At work when I am asked to create something, the desire to please my superiors is maximized and so personal tastes and opinions are sparingly shared. When you are employed, you are representing a company, while in school you are representing yourself. I would say the reward is higher for work because I am getting paid for my productivity which in turn feeds back into the success of the company; with schoolwork however the reward more so comes from the sense of satisfaction from within that tends to stick around longer than the dollars in my bank account. Work sustains life but not necessarily the soul.

What I have implemented the most in the 'real world' that I learned in classes at Drexel is how to justify reasons behind my choices, in particular when designing (whether it be a logo, flyer, etc.) and to ALWAYS have an answer. In doing so, the sense of empowerment in having a reason behind every design choice, often subjective decisions, is invaluable. In school an answer can be argued with an opinion, you state your perspective and it can fly because nobody can tell you that how you see the world is wrong. At work however expect to hear that what you have done is not necessarily what they are looking for- even/especially if you think you have the right reasons. And expect to have to pull through until what you create suffices their requirements. The space between satisfying their needs in your execution is magnified and is not overlooked- you are there to deliver. I would say that the most important thing on the job is to always have options in any design that you make. You can listen all you want to their instructions but much of the time what they tell you does not necessarily correlate to what they are looking for- sometimes too little instruction is given, sometimes too many words are uttered. Either way, you can find yourself lost in the mix. It's okay, take yourself to the drawing board and create multiple options of your task. When they see it, they will tell you what you need to change. Having options lets you test the temperature of your accuracy of interpretation. Comparatively, designing for my department is very much so similar to Jan's Pres Tech class in that I am expected deliverables and when presented, I am told exactly what modifications are needed. You are given small amount of creative direction in the overall idea and but you will be guided with the execution. 

In my short amount of time employed I have learned that being a designer is no easy task when working with a company.  On a daily basis you find yourself struggling with aligning your design background and creative expertise with the needs and tastes of the customer- oftentimes forfeiting your own to give the client what they want as you are there to please them. I do miss the fond old days of being the last person to oversee a decision, however I am happy and proud of anything I can contribute to my company. The sense of purpose that comes with employment, giving back to a company that is in turn giving to you is irreplaceable.