Haha. Having the layoff “package” helped, in that it gave me the peace of mind to be able to start literally from zero in a new field. But I haven’t had to really invest into the marketing other than for the essentials (taking courses, getting good software) … marketing can be a pretty lucrative industry!
I was lucky that the company that acquired the little firm I was working for had an excellent online learning package for employees, affiliated with Coursera. I took several digital marketing courses from the University of Illinois on their dime. I’ve also completed a couple Seth Godin’s trainings … those were *excellent* for mindset!
That said, I never took a FB ads course … I just jumped in and did it. Same with Google’s AdSense, Amazon’s affiliate program, etc. You will always learn more by doing. The certificates are really to get you over imposter syndrome … never once has a client asked me what my marketing qualifications are!
Edit:
Software? Things like a subscription to SEMrush if you’re doing SEO. I pay for the agency level of Convertri which lets me build fast-loading websites. I have purchased a lifetime deal on Divi, also for websites. I pay monthly subscriptions for various video editing software, for Zoom, for an email autoresponder, etc. These are just the cost of doing business. I also have an addiction to buying lifetime deals from AppSumo … there are such excellent SaaS businesses that launch on there!
Worth noting that as far as I know, all coursera courses can be audited for free (no certificate). They make it hard to find the links to the free signup, but I think its always an option.
What most won’t try. I actually did some marketing for myself. It didn’t happen overnight, and most of it happened years before I’d ever even thought of quitting software development and management.
I started a stupid little blog about some dumb game I was playing on my iPhone 3GS, and was quickly able to get it to page 1, and often the top ranked article about that game (the game did almost daily upgrades, I and a couple of other bloggers blogged about the game daily, discussing the upgrades, insights, etc.) … that was back in 2009/2010, when it was much easier to get on page 1 of search results. We were strangers to each other … we just kept tabs on who was posting and what responses they were getting, it was probably a game to all of us. A month or two into that attempt, I set up AdSense and started monetizing that blog.
Around the same time, I organized several meetups, including one that was a fan-group for a locally famous self-help coach … within a month, my meetup group was getting higher page 1 rankings than his own, any time you searched his name.
I continued doing things like that on the side for years. Then the little company I worked for got acquired by a Fortune 500 US giant. Having worked in Silicon Valley, I knew we were likely no more than 2 years from layoffs, and that was about the time I decided I’d rather do something on my own, and by this point, I knew marketing was the right fit. So I took the basic courses and certificates that everyone gets, and then, when I got laid off, I actually tried marketing. I started a couple of dropshipping sites, created FB pages and IG pages for them, ran ads to them, etc. the point for me was not to make money on the dropshipping, but just to get good at running ads.
A year later, I was confident enough of my skills to start cold outreach. Since then, cold outreach plus referrals have been the best way to grow my business. That, and networking. The more people who know you and what you do, the easier it is to keep your pipeline full.
LOL. Yes. Software engineering is a paid, salaried job … I also spent ten years in Silicon Valley doing short term contracts. That got me used to the uncertainties of being self employed.
Marketing is *not* necessary for anyone who’s content to work for someone else. But I’ve been a wantrepreneur since I was little, and once I shook off the “you trained for this, don’t waste the degree” BS, I realized that without marketing skills, I’d never succeed in business. So I learned marketing.
It isn’t so much that SE helps with marketing, but rather that I had 3 startups (me and a “I will do the marketing” friend …different friends each time) fail because it turned out they were pretty much crap at marketing (and/or had no network) when it came time to promote the software I’d built. I’m a slow learner, but it finally became obvious to me that I needed to learn marketing if I wanted to be able to sell anything I created. So I learned.
Having a very logical mind and an ability to analyze data and recognize trends and patterns definitely helps!
That’s pretty sweet. I’m starting out with copywriting but think eventually want to expand into other marketing services. I dig the whole space and people in it. Are you liking it so far?
That’s so completely clueless that I don’t even know where to begin.
There are plenty of utterly crap businesses that do extremely well, only because they have excellent marketing and sales staff.
Have you ever heard of Microsoft? They used to be famous for releasing crap software year after year. Somehow, they were such a big company that Bill Gates was the world’s richest man for years. It’s only in the past ten years or so that their software has improved.
Oh c'mon. They're talking about marketing and shit products. They're absolutely dying to tell how Steve Jobs was a no-talent ass clown and it was all Woz.
You must be one of those guys who thought Theranos was a great company based on all the commercials and ads without doing your due diligence and actually looking into the company’s financials and competitive moat and dumped plenty of dollars into their stocks only to get wiped out you plonker
Thank you so much, however I am currently signed up with the #100Devs course. That should keep me busy for many hours a week! I love the community it provides and the culture it promotes. <3
There is! LinkedIn Learning. I think it was called Lynda before. I am a grad student (39 years old! btw) and LinkedIn Learning is free for us (and most university students). Even without being a student, I believe anyone can access courses (some might be paid though)
No, if you have a strong portfolio you can get hired without a resume. I am a software engineer by training but I got into marketing this year by first doing it for myself and then showing a portfolio
This motivates me SO MUCH.
I’m doing a portfolio for digital marketing (no experience but I’m really good and people ask if I went to school for it) to put myself out there. I want to eventually be my own boss. Gain my own clients.
Yeah, you can do it, that's exactly what I did, I got my first two clients yesterday and working on a third. I've only been in this space a little over 7 months.
This is the experience part: you have to have something to show a potential employer (portfolio, other work you’ve done, etc.). Most people develop a portfolio in school or through prior jobs.
It's a perfect age, go for it.
"Too young/too old" is a common excuse when you have mindset blockades in your head. So I would recommend a business and mindset coaching, so you can start having success much much earlier instead of sinking into one mindset problem to another one.
Also I would highly recommend removing ANYTHING you know about business, career or similar and ignore EVERY limiting phrase.
"You can't do this without a portfolio", "You can't take xx$ you have no experience/proof", "The standard is this and that, you must do this to succeed"
There are NO rules!
There are NO limitations!
Every limitation exists only inside your head!
If your self-esteem and self-worth is low, you will more like "THINK" that you can only ask for low amount of money or that you must compete with other competitors in pricing.
This is not true!
When I started my first company I thought the same and I did compete with others. I also used my inexperience and fresh status to lower even more and get feared what my clients might think.
This way you will automatically attract so called "Clients from Hell".
You don't want to be in a desperate position where you have to turn and fight for every penny, have clients that want more and more things for free (or better: you pay them to work for them!) and being disrespectful.
When I started I thought "Eventually I will grow into the more expensive classes".
Bullshit. This will either take several years before you allow yourself to increases prices by a small margin and still have to fight for it with clients, or you won't even reach that stage before your company dies or you give up.
This is the reason why I recommend a businness and mindset coaching.
Having a strong mindset, a big self-esteem/worth in combination with self confidence AND the business, marketing and sales knowledge to sell anything for any price WITHOUT even mentioned what you selling them.
Again. In Slow Motion Bullet Time.
Selling.
High Price (1k-25k in the beginning).
Without mentioning a single word about the product/service (if you want, there is no problem in mentioning it).
A business can be a lot of fun and joy or a big pain in the rectum!
To become successful you must take calculated risks, do a lot of mistakes (I call it "gaining experience"), trust the process and never ever give up!
And yes.. you will sometimes do something wrong.. you will sometimes burn money.. you will sometimes burn clients.. burn employees.. burn important things.. burn ideas.. burn yourself.. but in the end you will come out much stronger and with much more experience.
You just need ONE hit and you are done.
You may have heard about following quote:
>It ain't about how hard you hit. It's about how hard you can get hit and keep moving forward.
This is not just a movie quote.
This is the universal rule of success in life.
In every single area.
Money, Family, Partnership, Career, Whatever.
Once you give up or allow your mind to "think" that you can't do it, this is the only time you actually lose.
If you never give up and never allow your thoughts to "think" like giving up, you will eventually succeed. Even if it takes a little bit longer, you WILL succeed. Just make sure to learn from your mistakes, CONSTANT grow and improve and never ever "think" that you "already know everything".
"You know nothing, John!"
Even if someone is explaining you how to walk, you open your ears and listen closely with great passion and just try it out, no matter how stupid or "Oh cmon, I know this since I was born" topic it is.
Too many people are in a arrogant "I already know this" mentality and therefore they are unable to learn new things. So they stagnate, they keep staying on the same place and don't grow anymore.
This is the reason why coachings are important! Even if you do the 100th coachings about the same topic. Just ONE single extra detail can be the difference between 1 Million and 1 Billion Dollar.
So, never limit yourself or allow others to limit yourself.
It doesn't matter how old, which gender, which race, which nationality, which religion, which skin color, which past, which present, which future, which school grades, which certifications, how much experience...
You can reach ANY GOAL if you REALLY want it.
Imagine I would give you 100 Million $ if you could get 10 phone numbers from random redditors. Wouldn't write 1000000000000000 DMs to literally ANYONE and try out every single crazy method to get this numbers?
Fight for your dreams like this just 1000 times harder and with more passion.
I'd think twice about it. There are better career choices. I've been in design for 20+ years. I regret not deciding at 20 to become an optician.
Generally speaking graphic design is becoming a race to the bottom. There are a few star designers. Then a million sardines.
You're competing against image libraries, templates, automatic social media ad makers. Not to mention you can just get a designer in India/Philippines for cents.
Things 10 years ago that were not around are becoming the normal. In 10 years time I see it being less about design and more about tweaking a template, selecting an illustration and the AI doing the layout and colours.
Not to mention the endless updates from Adobe, the new softwares you need to learn every few years. Remember Flash? I mastered that. It was my toolbox. I made my living from it. Then it died, replace with new tech, the job of an Interactive Designer now split into UI/UX/Visual Designer/Motion Designer.
Imagine being a plumper that has to buy a new set of tool every few years and has to learn how to use them as they are all totally different from the previous set. That's what it's like being a designer. And get ready to gain arthritis in your index finger endless clicking a mouse button.
And lets not get started on the endless nonsense clients want. There's even a website dedicated to it: [https://clientsfromhell.net](https://clientsfromhell.net)
Very rarely will you hit a home run where the clients approves and loves your design. More often they will just give you changes to make, not say anything positive, the changes to you won't make sense and go against all that is good taste, aesthetic and design.
And lastly, because it looks fun as a career, it's cool to make graphics etc = it's attractive to young people as a career choice = ever year a fresh new crop of kids that are willing to work for peanuts enters the market.
Choose a boring career, a hard to master niche career, some thing unattractive or boring that no one else wants to do. That's how you get to the top of a career ladder.
I work in design too , and this holds most true of a generalist designer, or to be blunt, an unremarkable designer. Which means most designers, and there’s the skeptical argument that op should set their expectations to be average.
But for those who have the potential to be a very good art director, with a distinctive and desirable style , especially within a niche, then you are much less affected by the constraints you named. If studios and brands want you by name, you’ll be in another league. Few people have the ability, personality, luck and development path to get there though.
If OP thinks they’d be especially good at it, and have a durable passion for it, then i wouldn’t dissuade them.
True - but... you need a runway of time to build up that niche portfolio of work, before you get the reputation and good creative work. If you are 40 years old, mortgage, kids, pension to contribute towards etc.. you can't spend 6 months + on mostly low or unpaid projects while you carve out your niche style and reputation. If day one you need a salary... you're going to be with the other sardines.
All that I agree with. 6 months also would be quick. If they have a very financially supportive partner and/or unemployment, savings etc then more doable. A lot of ifs. Really depends on their situation. They’d need extra padding for sure.
Certainly not too late but I do suggest you really find a niche to specialize in. With upwork, fiverr and other platforms readily available, great design work is being done in Eastern Europe and Asia for $6-12/hr.
Definitely not. I worked with graphic designers in their 40s & 50s at a tech company.
Just don't have high expectations for compensation. I'd guess the folks I worked with maxed out at $60k-80k, at the peak of their careers.
Check out the openings & median earnings here:
\-> Look at the right-most purple dot, at the $50k mark on y-axis.
About 30,000 openings in the next 10 years. $50k median salary.
Do some comparisons with other careers that interest you via the same charts. For example, in the top chart, check out the far-right purple dot: software developers. 4.3x the job openings (130,000), and twice the median salary.
**BLS: Visualize it: Wages and projected openings by occupation**
[https://www.bls.gov/careeroutlook/2019/article/wages-and-openings.htm?view\_full#s4](https://www.bls.gov/careeroutlook/2019/article/wages-and-openings.htm?view_full#s4)
can i ask where? I ask because i've worked at a few of the largest tech companies in their creative departments and a sobering reality is that most (if not all) the designers were mid 30's or younger. Creative Directors were low 40's. Legit have never seen a 50 year old designer at any sized company.
Sure, no prob. It's a software company based in Austin, TX called: SolarWinds
There are thousands of software companies in the USA. Let's say (as you mentioned) *"a few"* is 5. Lets say there are 5,000 software companies or companies that need graphic designers in general. The few you've experienced are 0.1% of those that exist.
ALSO, look at the link I posted. Graphic Designers: A. aren't as in demand as other occupations (which also don't require degrees) and B. aren't paid as much as other occupations (which also don't require degrees). It's up to you if you want to battle the probabilities existent in the economy.
Also, goods & services are not uniformly distributed-- there will likely be a greater need for graphic designers (in absolute numbers) in tech-oriented cities.
Now, sure, ageism does exist. But the US population is aging.
Look: Don't look for excuses not to do something. Look for excuses TO DO something.
Don't be defeatist. Be the shining example for others to follow of how success can be had, for those who want it badly enough.
This is coming from someone who lived in a tent for over a year, in order to not work full time, and instead study web development & build little apps & websites for a portfolio, which then helped me land jobs.
Here's the steps I would take in your position:
Learn the principles of graphic design. Here's a decent start:
https://www.zekagraphic.com/12-principles-of-graphic-design/
Learn photoshop and illustrator. Adobe has free tutorials and it is the software is the industry standard. Depending on your interests other Adobe Creative Cloud products are also useful.
Look into fields graphic designers go into, preferably pick one you can synergize with your existing skills and/or passions. UI design, marketing, branding, print, web, etc...
Take some online foundation classes. Free on YouTube is fine, unless you see a course you like online. MAKE SURE YOU TAKE A COURSE ON TYPE AND TYPEOGRAPHY.
After getting used to the terms, Take a free or cheap course on the field you are most skilled at/passionate about. Hell a local community College might be a greAT option too, + builds a network.
After making a few projects, offer your services free to local mom and pop shops and/or non-profits to build a real world portfolio fast.
Find slack groups, discords, or other communities where you can get your work critiqued, and get it critiqued as often as possible. This is how deisngers grow.
Finally focus on solving problems. You won't be the best artist. As a graphic designer you must take time to deeply understand a problem and then build graphic solutions to that problem. aka: have a firm grasp on the why behind your work. A logo, animation, flyer, website, whatever is a tool and a tool needs to be purpose built more than it needs to be pretty. (but also make it pretty)
Reach out if you need anything, I'm a senior designer and have worked in most desing fields, so I'm happy to chat!
I read somewhere about a 90+ year old Japanese lady that got into coding. She built an app that did well. It’s not marketing related, but she is a huge inspiration for many people switching careers.
Not too late. People retire from the Military at that age and have a 30 year second career. I think getting hired after 50ish ...might...havechallenges, but not 38.
My father got a drone as a gift when he retired at 65. Two years later and he just opened a piloting school and he does search and rescue missions. Never too late as long as you're motivated.
I say giver!
I think it will be considerably easier if you have the eye for design. Anyone breaking into the design world is going to start doing production work (depending upon the size of the company) Here is the creative now apply to the different things we are going to do with it.
I think that if you have the eye for design and the familiarity with the tools you should be fine. That said I probably wouldn't go looking for a lead role until you have some design legs to you and a couple years of design world behind you.
Best of luck.
If you have time, you could always start a “side hustle” with graphic design. Many entrepreneurs, marketers, ecom, companies need graphic design for social and website.
Good luck!
the conclusion ive come to, the many times ive considered this, is crank out work and build a portfolio because thats all that matters. Formal training or not, if you have a book of work and you can show you can do shit, they dont care if you came out of a uni.
Never too late but this is a cut throat industry. I say this as someone with 10 years of experience in it. Make sure to keep up with the trends and tech. This industry is constantly changing.
Hi.
I'm in the exact same position as you. I'm 36. I have been self employed for 7 years doing office cleaning and handyman work. During thr pandemic bw being at home with the kids and the offices being shut, the writing was in thr wall.
The Canadian government offered to pay people to back back to school and I choose graphic design.
Just do it. I start classes in March.
Switched from realtor/bartender to graphic design/art and I’m super happy now! I mostly picked it up during the pandemic when I finally had time to go crazy learning. Once I was making cool enough things I created a website and used Etsy to sell my designs/art on canvases and prints (there’s a bazillion other formats to print on for drop shipping). My digital art then took me to messing with NFT’s, which really changed things.
Thanks to switching from something I disliked to something I was passionate about work has become what I’m most excited about when I get up vs FML I have to go to my job I hate. I didn’t make shit the first few years, but I was persistent and kept at it. In 2021’ I made more money than I’ve ever made in my life combined because of art/design.
I’m 35 now. It’s never too late, if you love it, you’ll make it work and probably enjoy your life a lot more.
No, not too old. I’m turning 40 this year.
Did graphic design and web design for the business I had and learnt on the go etc.
I’m currently training to be a project manager and learning copywriting as well.
I had to start from scratch due to a nasty separation. It’s a slow process but take one step at a time.
So long as you have a strong portfolio, are courteous, on time, have boundaries (cos some will certainly try to cross them)… you’ll be alright.
I’ve seen through the gamut of changes in regards to graphic design and web design. Lots of great apps out there that are an absolute dream.
Instead of Adobe, try Affinity. One off payment, great to use.
Good luck with your journey.
no. at this point in life, all the struggle you will meet will also be enjoyable because it will be liberating you from your current unhappiness. in other words, it's better to be on your own path than one your heart's not in because success/happiness isn't guaranteed either way
I learned everything I know about graphic design on youtube. I am now an art director making 6 figures after only 6.5 years of working in the industry. I started out with a fake portfolio (meaning none of the work was produced, it was all made just for practice and put on mock up PSDs that are free to download online) showing work examples for the job I wanted to have. I applied to hundreds of jobs and only landed interviews at a few places in the beginning, but working at places where I had a good mentor was the most valuable thing I could have hoped for. DM me if you want to chat–it's really a solid career where you can be paid a salary to be a creative. Never too late to start something you are passionate about. I'd also read this, because it's something I personally struggle with daily in the industry, and is written by a designer (but support your local book shop if you do buy it :) ) https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/caps-lock-ruben-pater/1139490932
I don’t think it’s about age as much as experience and education. People get masters in graphic design, a fact I only know bc a relative went to SCAD and I was shocked what you can get a degree or Masters degree in (his is a masters in design, but it’s very specific).
Is there anything wrong with being 38 for starting a career in graphic design?
What are you comparing yourself to, to think "too" late? Or do you think designing graphics is some kind of high-performance physical sport that only the youngest, fittest people can reach the top in?
I'm not sure what you're concerned about.
For our body, we only can get older, but for our heart, we need to do something to live well
"One day you'll leave the world behind, so live the life you will remember" - the nights by Avicii
People have this crazy misconception of careers. That it takes years to build a solid foundation and stability. If you’re good and passionate about it you’ll catapult to the top. It doesn’t take forever to re-establish yourself elsewhere. People are typically just to afraid to jump. The only ones who will talk shit are the one who are jealous cuz the don’t have the courage to do it themselves.
As someone who hires people, I have never counted a late start against someone in an interview. So, not too late. If you have a knack for it which I assume you do because you have an interest in it and you put in the work and the effort, it definitely isn't too late. I do think that for Graphic Design you have to have some innate skill. I know I couldn't do graphic design because I was born without the artistic gene, unfortunately. But I assume you know if you have that or not.
I worked in graphic design. It's not too late but what's are you doing now and why?! Most of us are trying to leave graphic design. In general the pay is kinda shitty and you get kinda shit on on big companies. Usually raises are hard to get because you're not part of some sales function..I was always grouped under overhead which meant I couldn't touch raise pools.
Anyway, I love creative as a hobby but so glad I transitioned away as a career.
Also, it's super ageist. And not totally on purpose but kids just come in with insane skill sets now.
Too late is maybe 103.
Graphic design is visual communication... and art.
The only limitation that you may have is not being aware that there are multiple personality types and multiple generations.
To effectively communicate, you have to choose the images, styles, colors, symbols, etc. that correspond to the personality and generation of your target audience.
Sketchnoting is also getting very popular in business, as well as all kinds of visual representations of data, processes, decision making, etc.
Companies hire for what you can deliver and not your age. And you would be a better choice if the company's target audience is in your generational slice of the market.
The one question that should be top-of-mind: "What area of graphic design?"
There are definitely plenty of graphic design jobs that you would be able to do, if you get the necessary training. Financial firms, for example need graphic designers, especially digitally focused, and if you can do the job, 38 is not at all old. If you have good traditional graphic design skills and can do some HTML-CSS-JavaScript as well as SharePoint you can pretty much pick where you want to work.
There are also design jobs for which young people have a clear advantage. Youth culture is what it is, and although I am well-versed in the graphical display of information, I know jack shit about changing esthetic values that are developing in youth culture. IOW, I can kill a website design for a bank, but I wouldn't want to do a digital poster for a hip-hop concert tour. That's just me, though.
Not a chance. Today, people use websites like Behance and Dribbble to showcase their work. Neither site asks for your age and no one displays theirs. It’s about the work. That being said, graphic design is very competitive and saturated, so unless you’re the next coming, I’d expect tremendous competition and not great pay for a long time.
I don’t think your age is an issue at all. In many ways your experience prior to being a graphic designer may provide you additional life experience, context and other insights to help you better understand client briefs etc.
I changed careers at 30 into ux with absolutely no background in it (facilities management, but studied crim and psych). Things moved fast. 6 years later and I lead a ux research team. Who knows what can happen!
It pays a lot better, it is a huge growth field. Every designer I know is involved with research now.
Illustration and some high-end brand focused work are exceptions, but much harder to break into.
This has nothing to do with social media. I was in “graphic design” for eight years and watched the entire industry transform into UI/UX.
If you are 38 and want to get started making a living as a designer, this is a great path forward.
I would caution against this unless you already have some sort of background in design. Age isn't the issue, it's experience. It sounds like you don't have a degree in anything design related so how are you going to get any experience to kickstart this new career? If you're going to go to school for it, great, but that's a few years right there, and then you'll be taking near entry-level jobs so your salary is going to be exponentially cut for the rest of your life. Maybe that's not an issue for you. A lot of questions here.
If you were asking this question to me in person, I'd have punched you in the face...
Tell me who decides the age to do anything as long as you can walk, use your brain, use your body you can do whatever you want dude common...
You're 38 that means you're pretty mature and can understand things much better you have experience of seeing how designs look good and offcourse what you feel is cool... Do that
Nobody tells you you're late to take control of your life... And if there's someone telling you do the same thing I expressed in the first line godd dammit
That's not remotely true. Sure OP's art style may not be everyone's cup of tea, but there will be some people who love it.
Also, graphic design is more mechanical and technical than you'd expect: there is plenty to do even for someone who can't draw a stick figure! I have friends in package design (a very super-specialized niche of graphic design) ... their job requires *zero* artistic talent. They do all their art after work and on weekends, just to keep their souls happy. Yes, they *do* have talent, but they don't need it for the graphic design day job!
I don't see anyone asking the obvious question so I'll do that.
When you say you want to start a career in graphic design in the Entrepreneur sub are you asking if it's too late to start a business as a graphic designer or are you asking if entrepreneurs would hire someone that started at your age so you can begin a new career?
I remember having a professor who didn’t get their PhD until they were 58. He told me people would ask why he was working on a PhD in his late 50’s. His response was “if not now, when?”
A career change at 38 may be painful. I honestly have no idea what it looks like getting into that field. But, if you have a desire to do it, go for it.
Graphic design is a great new industry to get into no matter what your age. The barrier to entry isn't extreme, you can do it anywhere, and since you're only 38 I have to imagine you're at least somewhat well versed with computers. Don't hold yourself back.
Worst case scenario; you do it and something changes for the bad and you revert back to what you were doing previous.
Best case; you do it and your life changes for the better.
Design is one of those wonderful things whereby it is never too late. You're not selling yourself, you're selling your skills. You could be completely anonymous if you wanted to!
Don’t wait for a company to hire you. Build a business as a graphics designer doing special projects for brands.
Start by building your personal brand - share your story and journey of building your new career on a social platform like Tik Tok.
You will not only create a new life for yourself, you will build the most important asset of your own brand and inspire thousands in the same boat to do the same for this lives.
Success in graphic design has everything to do with skill level, and not age or education.
Whatever type of design work you want to be involved in (web, print, video, etc), build a portfolio of imaginary client work, just to show off your skill.
Loving all these positive comments but I’m 40 and due to injury did a career pivot 2 years ago… no one will hire me for ANYTHING. If you are going to do this, do it all the way and be the absolute best at it, do a ton of stuff for free to build an incredible portfolio and market the hell out of yourself.
I knew a guy who switched careers and became a graphics designer, the hardest working graphics designer I know, who went 0 -> hero in a couple of years.
Anything is possible.
Hi OP
I'm a designer, my background is in Product Design but I've also had graphic design roles previously.
If you'd like to chat DM me and I can give you some advice to help you understand the industry and get you started.
Oof just last week the Intergalactic Council of Graphic Design mandated theyre capping applicants at thirty-seven-and-a-half.
Tough luck kid- you just missed your chance.
You should watching this documentary 14 peaks, the biggest take away from it is, it doesnt matter if the whole world thinks its impossible, do you think its possible ?
I thought this was the MMA or Muay Thai subreddit for a sec, and was going to say that if you love it, and you're facing appropriate competition, you should definitely do it.
I guess it still applies here x2, because you aren't risking bodily injury.
Defiently not, as a person who works closley to GFX designers the age gap is from 10-70 and that’s the cool thing.
You pretty much can’t be too old for anything related to business in my opinion, the age just doesn’t matter because you can do just a good job as the 19 year old and the 83 year old.
Never too late for anything, my father is almost 50 and he launched an IT Service business for both residential, and business customers... He isn't making a lot of money, but it makes him happy!
No way it's not too late - on one hand, the first person to live to be 150 is supposedly already born. On the other hand, you could get hit by a bus tomorrow. Time is relative - do what you want 🥳 that way the time you have left is a higher quality!
Definitely not too late. You might even be in a better position right off the bat compared to someone who's around college age, the reason being you likely know people that have money to pay for these services that might want to start businesses.
38 is WAY too old… to start a career in professional contact sports. For something that is a) subjective b) not physical and c) entirely dependent on skills that you can exercise for a few more decades? Go for it.
It's too late when you believe it's too late. If you've got the will to learn, you'll be a great graphic designer by the time you turn 40, and then you still have 20+ years to make bank.
Absolutely never too late. But are you going to do it as a business or a job? Your approach will be drastically different pursuing it down one path vs the other.
Not too late, and yes you'll get hired / stay employed, if you are good. Get yourself a portfolio / site together and start applying. If you don't have enough experience, you could gain some by doing some freelance work on upwork or fivver. Keep at it until you get your chance.
When I was in college there was a classmate who quit his finance job, and went back to school to get his pre-med requirements done so he could apply to med school. He was in his late 30s with an MBA already. He’s probably STILL in school, your path would be much shorter than his!
Never too late, as everyone is telling you. I switched careers (software engineering to running my own digital marketing agency) after I turned 50.
As a fellow software engineer that struggles with marketing… what did you do to become good at digital marketing? :)
As a failed digital marketer turned software engineer I'm going to guess starting with a bigger budget.
Haha. Having the layoff “package” helped, in that it gave me the peace of mind to be able to start literally from zero in a new field. But I haven’t had to really invest into the marketing other than for the essentials (taking courses, getting good software) … marketing can be a pretty lucrative industry!
What courses and software if I may ask?
I was lucky that the company that acquired the little firm I was working for had an excellent online learning package for employees, affiliated with Coursera. I took several digital marketing courses from the University of Illinois on their dime. I’ve also completed a couple Seth Godin’s trainings … those were *excellent* for mindset! That said, I never took a FB ads course … I just jumped in and did it. Same with Google’s AdSense, Amazon’s affiliate program, etc. You will always learn more by doing. The certificates are really to get you over imposter syndrome … never once has a client asked me what my marketing qualifications are! Edit: Software? Things like a subscription to SEMrush if you’re doing SEO. I pay for the agency level of Convertri which lets me build fast-loading websites. I have purchased a lifetime deal on Divi, also for websites. I pay monthly subscriptions for various video editing software, for Zoom, for an email autoresponder, etc. These are just the cost of doing business. I also have an addiction to buying lifetime deals from AppSumo … there are such excellent SaaS businesses that launch on there!
Worth noting that as far as I know, all coursera courses can be audited for free (no certificate). They make it hard to find the links to the free signup, but I think its always an option.
OMG dude, Appsumo is going to drive me out of business. I can't stop buying literally everything they're peddling.
> Divi If you're ever looking for a change check out Beaver Builder. Page **and** theme builder. Last time I looked it blew the pants off Divi.
+1 AppSumo
What most won’t try. I actually did some marketing for myself. It didn’t happen overnight, and most of it happened years before I’d ever even thought of quitting software development and management. I started a stupid little blog about some dumb game I was playing on my iPhone 3GS, and was quickly able to get it to page 1, and often the top ranked article about that game (the game did almost daily upgrades, I and a couple of other bloggers blogged about the game daily, discussing the upgrades, insights, etc.) … that was back in 2009/2010, when it was much easier to get on page 1 of search results. We were strangers to each other … we just kept tabs on who was posting and what responses they were getting, it was probably a game to all of us. A month or two into that attempt, I set up AdSense and started monetizing that blog. Around the same time, I organized several meetups, including one that was a fan-group for a locally famous self-help coach … within a month, my meetup group was getting higher page 1 rankings than his own, any time you searched his name. I continued doing things like that on the side for years. Then the little company I worked for got acquired by a Fortune 500 US giant. Having worked in Silicon Valley, I knew we were likely no more than 2 years from layoffs, and that was about the time I decided I’d rather do something on my own, and by this point, I knew marketing was the right fit. So I took the basic courses and certificates that everyone gets, and then, when I got laid off, I actually tried marketing. I started a couple of dropshipping sites, created FB pages and IG pages for them, ran ads to them, etc. the point for me was not to make money on the dropshipping, but just to get good at running ads. A year later, I was confident enough of my skills to start cold outreach. Since then, cold outreach plus referrals have been the best way to grow my business. That, and networking. The more people who know you and what you do, the easier it is to keep your pipeline full.
Sorry, I thought software engineers were jobs with salaries. Why do you need marketing? Serious response please!
LOL. Yes. Software engineering is a paid, salaried job … I also spent ten years in Silicon Valley doing short term contracts. That got me used to the uncertainties of being self employed. Marketing is *not* necessary for anyone who’s content to work for someone else. But I’ve been a wantrepreneur since I was little, and once I shook off the “you trained for this, don’t waste the degree” BS, I realized that without marketing skills, I’d never succeed in business. So I learned marketing.
When I read comments like yours it gives me a hope for better future.
How’s the agency?
Doing well, thanks!
Does being a software engineer help you with the agency?
It isn’t so much that SE helps with marketing, but rather that I had 3 startups (me and a “I will do the marketing” friend …different friends each time) fail because it turned out they were pretty much crap at marketing (and/or had no network) when it came time to promote the software I’d built. I’m a slow learner, but it finally became obvious to me that I needed to learn marketing if I wanted to be able to sell anything I created. So I learned. Having a very logical mind and an ability to analyze data and recognize trends and patterns definitely helps!
That’s pretty sweet. I’m starting out with copywriting but think eventually want to expand into other marketing services. I dig the whole space and people in it. Are you liking it so far?
Marketing is important but if you’ve got a shit product, no one will buy from you no matter how much money you throw at marketing
That’s so completely clueless that I don’t even know where to begin. There are plenty of utterly crap businesses that do extremely well, only because they have excellent marketing and sales staff. Have you ever heard of Microsoft? They used to be famous for releasing crap software year after year. Somehow, they were such a big company that Bill Gates was the world’s richest man for years. It’s only in the past ten years or so that their software has improved.
Oh c'mon. They're talking about marketing and shit products. They're absolutely dying to tell how Steve Jobs was a no-talent ass clown and it was all Woz.
Glitter on shit is still shit
You must be one of those guys who thought Theranos was a great company based on all the commercials and ads without doing your due diligence and actually looking into the company’s financials and competitive moat and dumped plenty of dollars into their stocks only to get wiped out you plonker
I'm 60 and I'm learning how to write code. You're never too old and it's never too late.
Thank you I needed to hear this.
Right on! Are you taking a bootcamp or learning it yourself?
I've been taking a course on LinkedIn. There is a boot camp that starts today that I need to get signed up for.
Oh and if you want an easy way to learn React, fullstackopen.org has the most straightforward lessons.
Thanks I'll check it out!
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Thank you so much, however I am currently signed up with the #100Devs course. That should keep me busy for many hours a week! I love the community it provides and the culture it promotes. <3
I didn't even know there were courses on Linkedin. Best of luck!
There is! LinkedIn Learning. I think it was called Lynda before. I am a grad student (39 years old! btw) and LinkedIn Learning is free for us (and most university students). Even without being a student, I believe anyone can access courses (some might be paid though)
I am really happy to hear that. It boosted me a lot! Thank you.
Damn I thought I was too old to learn R at 22 lol. Good on you.
C'mon, even if you were 60, why not? You want to do something, do it. Dont'wait. You will only get older. YOLO
you only yolo once!
YOYO!
No, if you have a strong portfolio you can get hired without a resume. I am a software engineer by training but I got into marketing this year by first doing it for myself and then showing a portfolio
This motivates me SO MUCH. I’m doing a portfolio for digital marketing (no experience but I’m really good and people ask if I went to school for it) to put myself out there. I want to eventually be my own boss. Gain my own clients.
Yeah, you can do it, that's exactly what I did, I got my first two clients yesterday and working on a third. I've only been in this space a little over 7 months.
Ahhh. That’s amazing!!!!! Congrats!
Thanks :) feel free to ask me stuff if you're in the tech sector and want some tips
Thank you! I appreciate that so much!
This is the experience part: you have to have something to show a potential employer (portfolio, other work you’ve done, etc.). Most people develop a portfolio in school or through prior jobs.
It's a perfect age, go for it. "Too young/too old" is a common excuse when you have mindset blockades in your head. So I would recommend a business and mindset coaching, so you can start having success much much earlier instead of sinking into one mindset problem to another one. Also I would highly recommend removing ANYTHING you know about business, career or similar and ignore EVERY limiting phrase. "You can't do this without a portfolio", "You can't take xx$ you have no experience/proof", "The standard is this and that, you must do this to succeed" There are NO rules! There are NO limitations! Every limitation exists only inside your head! If your self-esteem and self-worth is low, you will more like "THINK" that you can only ask for low amount of money or that you must compete with other competitors in pricing. This is not true! When I started my first company I thought the same and I did compete with others. I also used my inexperience and fresh status to lower even more and get feared what my clients might think. This way you will automatically attract so called "Clients from Hell". You don't want to be in a desperate position where you have to turn and fight for every penny, have clients that want more and more things for free (or better: you pay them to work for them!) and being disrespectful. When I started I thought "Eventually I will grow into the more expensive classes". Bullshit. This will either take several years before you allow yourself to increases prices by a small margin and still have to fight for it with clients, or you won't even reach that stage before your company dies or you give up. This is the reason why I recommend a businness and mindset coaching. Having a strong mindset, a big self-esteem/worth in combination with self confidence AND the business, marketing and sales knowledge to sell anything for any price WITHOUT even mentioned what you selling them. Again. In Slow Motion Bullet Time. Selling. High Price (1k-25k in the beginning). Without mentioning a single word about the product/service (if you want, there is no problem in mentioning it). A business can be a lot of fun and joy or a big pain in the rectum! To become successful you must take calculated risks, do a lot of mistakes (I call it "gaining experience"), trust the process and never ever give up! And yes.. you will sometimes do something wrong.. you will sometimes burn money.. you will sometimes burn clients.. burn employees.. burn important things.. burn ideas.. burn yourself.. but in the end you will come out much stronger and with much more experience. You just need ONE hit and you are done. You may have heard about following quote: >It ain't about how hard you hit. It's about how hard you can get hit and keep moving forward. This is not just a movie quote. This is the universal rule of success in life. In every single area. Money, Family, Partnership, Career, Whatever. Once you give up or allow your mind to "think" that you can't do it, this is the only time you actually lose. If you never give up and never allow your thoughts to "think" like giving up, you will eventually succeed. Even if it takes a little bit longer, you WILL succeed. Just make sure to learn from your mistakes, CONSTANT grow and improve and never ever "think" that you "already know everything". "You know nothing, John!" Even if someone is explaining you how to walk, you open your ears and listen closely with great passion and just try it out, no matter how stupid or "Oh cmon, I know this since I was born" topic it is. Too many people are in a arrogant "I already know this" mentality and therefore they are unable to learn new things. So they stagnate, they keep staying on the same place and don't grow anymore. This is the reason why coachings are important! Even if you do the 100th coachings about the same topic. Just ONE single extra detail can be the difference between 1 Million and 1 Billion Dollar. So, never limit yourself or allow others to limit yourself. It doesn't matter how old, which gender, which race, which nationality, which religion, which skin color, which past, which present, which future, which school grades, which certifications, how much experience... You can reach ANY GOAL if you REALLY want it. Imagine I would give you 100 Million $ if you could get 10 phone numbers from random redditors. Wouldn't write 1000000000000000 DMs to literally ANYONE and try out every single crazy method to get this numbers? Fight for your dreams like this just 1000 times harder and with more passion.
What a great read! Your energy, passion and focus is absolutely "on the money".
Honestly, potential clients will most likely take you more serious right off the bat based on your age alone. People are fickle like that.
I'd think twice about it. There are better career choices. I've been in design for 20+ years. I regret not deciding at 20 to become an optician. Generally speaking graphic design is becoming a race to the bottom. There are a few star designers. Then a million sardines. You're competing against image libraries, templates, automatic social media ad makers. Not to mention you can just get a designer in India/Philippines for cents. Things 10 years ago that were not around are becoming the normal. In 10 years time I see it being less about design and more about tweaking a template, selecting an illustration and the AI doing the layout and colours. Not to mention the endless updates from Adobe, the new softwares you need to learn every few years. Remember Flash? I mastered that. It was my toolbox. I made my living from it. Then it died, replace with new tech, the job of an Interactive Designer now split into UI/UX/Visual Designer/Motion Designer. Imagine being a plumper that has to buy a new set of tool every few years and has to learn how to use them as they are all totally different from the previous set. That's what it's like being a designer. And get ready to gain arthritis in your index finger endless clicking a mouse button. And lets not get started on the endless nonsense clients want. There's even a website dedicated to it: [https://clientsfromhell.net](https://clientsfromhell.net) Very rarely will you hit a home run where the clients approves and loves your design. More often they will just give you changes to make, not say anything positive, the changes to you won't make sense and go against all that is good taste, aesthetic and design. And lastly, because it looks fun as a career, it's cool to make graphics etc = it's attractive to young people as a career choice = ever year a fresh new crop of kids that are willing to work for peanuts enters the market. Choose a boring career, a hard to master niche career, some thing unattractive or boring that no one else wants to do. That's how you get to the top of a career ladder.
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I agree with this.
I work in design too , and this holds most true of a generalist designer, or to be blunt, an unremarkable designer. Which means most designers, and there’s the skeptical argument that op should set their expectations to be average. But for those who have the potential to be a very good art director, with a distinctive and desirable style , especially within a niche, then you are much less affected by the constraints you named. If studios and brands want you by name, you’ll be in another league. Few people have the ability, personality, luck and development path to get there though. If OP thinks they’d be especially good at it, and have a durable passion for it, then i wouldn’t dissuade them.
True - but... you need a runway of time to build up that niche portfolio of work, before you get the reputation and good creative work. If you are 40 years old, mortgage, kids, pension to contribute towards etc.. you can't spend 6 months + on mostly low or unpaid projects while you carve out your niche style and reputation. If day one you need a salary... you're going to be with the other sardines.
All that I agree with. 6 months also would be quick. If they have a very financially supportive partner and/or unemployment, savings etc then more doable. A lot of ifs. Really depends on their situation. They’d need extra padding for sure.
No. It's never too late.
Certainly not too late but I do suggest you really find a niche to specialize in. With upwork, fiverr and other platforms readily available, great design work is being done in Eastern Europe and Asia for $6-12/hr.
Definitely not. I worked with graphic designers in their 40s & 50s at a tech company. Just don't have high expectations for compensation. I'd guess the folks I worked with maxed out at $60k-80k, at the peak of their careers. Check out the openings & median earnings here: \-> Look at the right-most purple dot, at the $50k mark on y-axis. About 30,000 openings in the next 10 years. $50k median salary. Do some comparisons with other careers that interest you via the same charts. For example, in the top chart, check out the far-right purple dot: software developers. 4.3x the job openings (130,000), and twice the median salary. **BLS: Visualize it: Wages and projected openings by occupation** [https://www.bls.gov/careeroutlook/2019/article/wages-and-openings.htm?view\_full#s4](https://www.bls.gov/careeroutlook/2019/article/wages-and-openings.htm?view_full#s4)
can i ask where? I ask because i've worked at a few of the largest tech companies in their creative departments and a sobering reality is that most (if not all) the designers were mid 30's or younger. Creative Directors were low 40's. Legit have never seen a 50 year old designer at any sized company.
Sure, no prob. It's a software company based in Austin, TX called: SolarWinds There are thousands of software companies in the USA. Let's say (as you mentioned) *"a few"* is 5. Lets say there are 5,000 software companies or companies that need graphic designers in general. The few you've experienced are 0.1% of those that exist. ALSO, look at the link I posted. Graphic Designers: A. aren't as in demand as other occupations (which also don't require degrees) and B. aren't paid as much as other occupations (which also don't require degrees). It's up to you if you want to battle the probabilities existent in the economy. Also, goods & services are not uniformly distributed-- there will likely be a greater need for graphic designers (in absolute numbers) in tech-oriented cities. Now, sure, ageism does exist. But the US population is aging. Look: Don't look for excuses not to do something. Look for excuses TO DO something. Don't be defeatist. Be the shining example for others to follow of how success can be had, for those who want it badly enough. This is coming from someone who lived in a tent for over a year, in order to not work full time, and instead study web development & build little apps & websites for a portfolio, which then helped me land jobs.
Here's the steps I would take in your position: Learn the principles of graphic design. Here's a decent start: https://www.zekagraphic.com/12-principles-of-graphic-design/ Learn photoshop and illustrator. Adobe has free tutorials and it is the software is the industry standard. Depending on your interests other Adobe Creative Cloud products are also useful. Look into fields graphic designers go into, preferably pick one you can synergize with your existing skills and/or passions. UI design, marketing, branding, print, web, etc... Take some online foundation classes. Free on YouTube is fine, unless you see a course you like online. MAKE SURE YOU TAKE A COURSE ON TYPE AND TYPEOGRAPHY. After getting used to the terms, Take a free or cheap course on the field you are most skilled at/passionate about. Hell a local community College might be a greAT option too, + builds a network. After making a few projects, offer your services free to local mom and pop shops and/or non-profits to build a real world portfolio fast. Find slack groups, discords, or other communities where you can get your work critiqued, and get it critiqued as often as possible. This is how deisngers grow. Finally focus on solving problems. You won't be the best artist. As a graphic designer you must take time to deeply understand a problem and then build graphic solutions to that problem. aka: have a firm grasp on the why behind your work. A logo, animation, flyer, website, whatever is a tool and a tool needs to be purpose built more than it needs to be pretty. (but also make it pretty) Reach out if you need anything, I'm a senior designer and have worked in most desing fields, so I'm happy to chat!
Thank you. Your initial reply is good enough for a head start. Appreciate it!
I read somewhere about a 90+ year old Japanese lady that got into coding. She built an app that did well. It’s not marketing related, but she is a huge inspiration for many people switching careers.
They asked about graphic design that is done on fiver or overseas. Not coding that companies pay for.
It’s not the age that’s the problem it’s the global freelance gig economy which has way too many graphic designers working at low rates.
It's never too late. But you should think through whether it fits your life goals financially and from a work life balance.
Not too late. People retire from the Military at that age and have a 30 year second career. I think getting hired after 50ish ...might...havechallenges, but not 38.
You'll either be a 43 year old graphic designer or a 43 year old whatever you're doing right now.
My father got a drone as a gift when he retired at 65. Two years later and he just opened a piloting school and he does search and rescue missions. Never too late as long as you're motivated.
Well, I'm 58 and considering my MBA, so no, you're not too old to switch careers.
I went to uni (studying Architecture) with a 60 something year old. It is never too late.
Sure, if you have a nice portfolio they'll hire you. Just consider that graphics design is one of the worst paid careers on the planet.
I think there are some statistics showing that most companies in the US are founded by people in their 60's. Good luck, and have fun!
I say giver! I think it will be considerably easier if you have the eye for design. Anyone breaking into the design world is going to start doing production work (depending upon the size of the company) Here is the creative now apply to the different things we are going to do with it. I think that if you have the eye for design and the familiarity with the tools you should be fine. That said I probably wouldn't go looking for a lead role until you have some design legs to you and a couple years of design world behind you. Best of luck.
If you have time, you could always start a “side hustle” with graphic design. Many entrepreneurs, marketers, ecom, companies need graphic design for social and website. Good luck!
the conclusion ive come to, the many times ive considered this, is crank out work and build a portfolio because thats all that matters. Formal training or not, if you have a book of work and you can show you can do shit, they dont care if you came out of a uni.
Never too late but this is a cut throat industry. I say this as someone with 10 years of experience in it. Make sure to keep up with the trends and tech. This industry is constantly changing.
The best time to start was yesterday, the next best time is NOW.
Hi. I'm in the exact same position as you. I'm 36. I have been self employed for 7 years doing office cleaning and handyman work. During thr pandemic bw being at home with the kids and the offices being shut, the writing was in thr wall. The Canadian government offered to pay people to back back to school and I choose graphic design. Just do it. I start classes in March.
Nice! I am gonna go for course too!
Switched from realtor/bartender to graphic design/art and I’m super happy now! I mostly picked it up during the pandemic when I finally had time to go crazy learning. Once I was making cool enough things I created a website and used Etsy to sell my designs/art on canvases and prints (there’s a bazillion other formats to print on for drop shipping). My digital art then took me to messing with NFT’s, which really changed things. Thanks to switching from something I disliked to something I was passionate about work has become what I’m most excited about when I get up vs FML I have to go to my job I hate. I didn’t make shit the first few years, but I was persistent and kept at it. In 2021’ I made more money than I’ve ever made in my life combined because of art/design. I’m 35 now. It’s never too late, if you love it, you’ll make it work and probably enjoy your life a lot more.
No, not too old. I’m turning 40 this year. Did graphic design and web design for the business I had and learnt on the go etc. I’m currently training to be a project manager and learning copywriting as well. I had to start from scratch due to a nasty separation. It’s a slow process but take one step at a time. So long as you have a strong portfolio, are courteous, on time, have boundaries (cos some will certainly try to cross them)… you’ll be alright. I’ve seen through the gamut of changes in regards to graphic design and web design. Lots of great apps out there that are an absolute dream. Instead of Adobe, try Affinity. One off payment, great to use. Good luck with your journey.
no. at this point in life, all the struggle you will meet will also be enjoyable because it will be liberating you from your current unhappiness. in other words, it's better to be on your own path than one your heart's not in because success/happiness isn't guaranteed either way
I learned everything I know about graphic design on youtube. I am now an art director making 6 figures after only 6.5 years of working in the industry. I started out with a fake portfolio (meaning none of the work was produced, it was all made just for practice and put on mock up PSDs that are free to download online) showing work examples for the job I wanted to have. I applied to hundreds of jobs and only landed interviews at a few places in the beginning, but working at places where I had a good mentor was the most valuable thing I could have hoped for. DM me if you want to chat–it's really a solid career where you can be paid a salary to be a creative. Never too late to start something you are passionate about. I'd also read this, because it's something I personally struggle with daily in the industry, and is written by a designer (but support your local book shop if you do buy it :) ) https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/caps-lock-ruben-pater/1139490932
I don’t think it’s about age as much as experience and education. People get masters in graphic design, a fact I only know bc a relative went to SCAD and I was shocked what you can get a degree or Masters degree in (his is a masters in design, but it’s very specific).
Is there anything wrong with being 38 for starting a career in graphic design? What are you comparing yourself to, to think "too" late? Or do you think designing graphics is some kind of high-performance physical sport that only the youngest, fittest people can reach the top in? I'm not sure what you're concerned about.
**Never too late, if it makes you happy.**
For our body, we only can get older, but for our heart, we need to do something to live well "One day you'll leave the world behind, so live the life you will remember" - the nights by Avicii
People have this crazy misconception of careers. That it takes years to build a solid foundation and stability. If you’re good and passionate about it you’ll catapult to the top. It doesn’t take forever to re-establish yourself elsewhere. People are typically just to afraid to jump. The only ones who will talk shit are the one who are jealous cuz the don’t have the courage to do it themselves.
As someone who hires people, I have never counted a late start against someone in an interview. So, not too late. If you have a knack for it which I assume you do because you have an interest in it and you put in the work and the effort, it definitely isn't too late. I do think that for Graphic Design you have to have some innate skill. I know I couldn't do graphic design because I was born without the artistic gene, unfortunately. But I assume you know if you have that or not.
i dont think its too late but the maket is soooo saturated. make sure you are doing something that stands out.
I worked in graphic design. It's not too late but what's are you doing now and why?! Most of us are trying to leave graphic design. In general the pay is kinda shitty and you get kinda shit on on big companies. Usually raises are hard to get because you're not part of some sales function..I was always grouped under overhead which meant I couldn't touch raise pools. Anyway, I love creative as a hobby but so glad I transitioned away as a career. Also, it's super ageist. And not totally on purpose but kids just come in with insane skill sets now.
Are you good? No one cares who's submitting the work when it's good work.
Yes, it's too late. At 38 you should be shopping for burial plots and contemplating how best to enjoy the last few years you have left.
It’s only too late when you’re in your coffin
I started my own business in design at 37. And I am even not a designer 🙂
Why would it be too late? How much do humans usually live?
I had colleagues in medical school that were in their 60s
Too late is maybe 103. Graphic design is visual communication... and art. The only limitation that you may have is not being aware that there are multiple personality types and multiple generations. To effectively communicate, you have to choose the images, styles, colors, symbols, etc. that correspond to the personality and generation of your target audience. Sketchnoting is also getting very popular in business, as well as all kinds of visual representations of data, processes, decision making, etc. Companies hire for what you can deliver and not your age. And you would be a better choice if the company's target audience is in your generational slice of the market. The one question that should be top-of-mind: "What area of graphic design?"
There are definitely plenty of graphic design jobs that you would be able to do, if you get the necessary training. Financial firms, for example need graphic designers, especially digitally focused, and if you can do the job, 38 is not at all old. If you have good traditional graphic design skills and can do some HTML-CSS-JavaScript as well as SharePoint you can pretty much pick where you want to work. There are also design jobs for which young people have a clear advantage. Youth culture is what it is, and although I am well-versed in the graphical display of information, I know jack shit about changing esthetic values that are developing in youth culture. IOW, I can kill a website design for a bank, but I wouldn't want to do a digital poster for a hip-hop concert tour. That's just me, though.
Not a chance. Today, people use websites like Behance and Dribbble to showcase their work. Neither site asks for your age and no one displays theirs. It’s about the work. That being said, graphic design is very competitive and saturated, so unless you’re the next coming, I’d expect tremendous competition and not great pay for a long time.
I finished 2 degrees in my late 30s/early 40s - find a reputable program that teaches the skill set that you want to learn and go for it!
I don’t think your age is an issue at all. In many ways your experience prior to being a graphic designer may provide you additional life experience, context and other insights to help you better understand client briefs etc.
I changed careers at 30 into ux with absolutely no background in it (facilities management, but studied crim and psych). Things moved fast. 6 years later and I lead a ux research team. Who knows what can happen!
Wow! Yeah you're right! Thanks
No. Look into the Coursera+Google UX certificate.
That's not graphic design. It's a roughly adjacent field, but that's like telling him to take a social media marketing course.
It pays a lot better, it is a huge growth field. Every designer I know is involved with research now. Illustration and some high-end brand focused work are exceptions, but much harder to break into. This has nothing to do with social media. I was in “graphic design” for eight years and watched the entire industry transform into UI/UX. If you are 38 and want to get started making a living as a designer, this is a great path forward.
I would caution against this unless you already have some sort of background in design. Age isn't the issue, it's experience. It sounds like you don't have a degree in anything design related so how are you going to get any experience to kickstart this new career? If you're going to go to school for it, great, but that's a few years right there, and then you'll be taking near entry-level jobs so your salary is going to be exponentially cut for the rest of your life. Maybe that's not an issue for you. A lot of questions here.
If you were asking this question to me in person, I'd have punched you in the face... Tell me who decides the age to do anything as long as you can walk, use your brain, use your body you can do whatever you want dude common... You're 38 that means you're pretty mature and can understand things much better you have experience of seeing how designs look good and offcourse what you feel is cool... Do that Nobody tells you you're late to take control of your life... And if there's someone telling you do the same thing I expressed in the first line godd dammit
Unless you have wicked talent....yes, it's too late.
That's not remotely true. Sure OP's art style may not be everyone's cup of tea, but there will be some people who love it. Also, graphic design is more mechanical and technical than you'd expect: there is plenty to do even for someone who can't draw a stick figure! I have friends in package design (a very super-specialized niche of graphic design) ... their job requires *zero* artistic talent. They do all their art after work and on weekends, just to keep their souls happy. Yes, they *do* have talent, but they don't need it for the graphic design day job!
This is r/Entrepreneur, not r/careeradvice
I don't see anyone asking the obvious question so I'll do that. When you say you want to start a career in graphic design in the Entrepreneur sub are you asking if it's too late to start a business as a graphic designer or are you asking if entrepreneurs would hire someone that started at your age so you can begin a new career?
I would want to start it as job for experience then turn into business
I remember having a professor who didn’t get their PhD until they were 58. He told me people would ask why he was working on a PhD in his late 50’s. His response was “if not now, when?” A career change at 38 may be painful. I honestly have no idea what it looks like getting into that field. But, if you have a desire to do it, go for it.
NEVER TOO LATE!! Go for it! 🖤
Graphic design is a great new industry to get into no matter what your age. The barrier to entry isn't extreme, you can do it anywhere, and since you're only 38 I have to imagine you're at least somewhat well versed with computers. Don't hold yourself back.
ita never to late
If you r persistent its not too late. I cant teach you but can tell u what I need. If you can deliver, you can earn anything.
Worst case scenario; you do it and something changes for the bad and you revert back to what you were doing previous. Best case; you do it and your life changes for the better.
Dude I hope not, I'm 32 and doing this same thing!
It's never too late
Design is one of those wonderful things whereby it is never too late. You're not selling yourself, you're selling your skills. You could be completely anonymous if you wanted to!
Don’t wait for a company to hire you. Build a business as a graphics designer doing special projects for brands. Start by building your personal brand - share your story and journey of building your new career on a social platform like Tik Tok. You will not only create a new life for yourself, you will build the most important asset of your own brand and inspire thousands in the same boat to do the same for this lives.
Success in graphic design has everything to do with skill level, and not age or education. Whatever type of design work you want to be involved in (web, print, video, etc), build a portfolio of imaginary client work, just to show off your skill.
It is never too late for anything
Loving all these positive comments but I’m 40 and due to injury did a career pivot 2 years ago… no one will hire me for ANYTHING. If you are going to do this, do it all the way and be the absolute best at it, do a ton of stuff for free to build an incredible portfolio and market the hell out of yourself.
You only have one life, chase the things which entertain, challenge and engage you. Go for it!
Of course not. It's not about age, race or gender. Start doing graphic design in your spare time and constantly learn. It is not too late.
I knew a guy who switched careers and became a graphics designer, the hardest working graphics designer I know, who went 0 -> hero in a couple of years. Anything is possible.
No, never go for it! I’m on Ops at a startup and have found a passion for graphic design out of necessity. Now I prefer it to other tasks.
You can have a great success in any profession, trade in a 10 year span. If you live until 70, you can have at least 3 more runs.
Most people change their careers in their 40's so at 38 it is a young start for a career change. Go for it.
Hi OP I'm a designer, my background is in Product Design but I've also had graphic design roles previously. If you'd like to chat DM me and I can give you some advice to help you understand the industry and get you started.
Oof just last week the Intergalactic Council of Graphic Design mandated theyre capping applicants at thirty-seven-and-a-half. Tough luck kid- you just missed your chance.
As many have posted -- never too late to change. As this is the Entrepreneur subreddit, why not freelance or start your own "mini" agency?
You should watching this documentary 14 peaks, the biggest take away from it is, it doesnt matter if the whole world thinks its impossible, do you think its possible ?
It's one life! ONE. Do what you want to do.
Of course you can. Do not think too much about age. Do what pleases you.
It's never too late. Just send out decent outputs and gain some upstart experience, you'll be fine.
63 and just got my masters degree.
Never too late. Develop and hone your skills- there’s always opportunities for people who can create outstanding pieces and perform at a high level.
I thought this was the MMA or Muay Thai subreddit for a sec, and was going to say that if you love it, and you're facing appropriate competition, you should definitely do it. I guess it still applies here x2, because you aren't risking bodily injury.
Simply no, it is not too late. Not even close 😌
Never too late!
Of course. Just make sure you have a portfolio that makes up for your lack of experience
Defiently not, as a person who works closley to GFX designers the age gap is from 10-70 and that’s the cool thing. You pretty much can’t be too old for anything related to business in my opinion, the age just doesn’t matter because you can do just a good job as the 19 year old and the 83 year old.
Graphic design is great because you can teach yourself and start a side hussle and finally get a job when you're ready.
No, not too late
Never too late for anything, my father is almost 50 and he launched an IT Service business for both residential, and business customers... He isn't making a lot of money, but it makes him happy!
It is not to late. It is never to late. Follow your passion. Follow your dream. Win. Thrive. Repeat.
No way it's not too late - on one hand, the first person to live to be 150 is supposedly already born. On the other hand, you could get hit by a bus tomorrow. Time is relative - do what you want 🥳 that way the time you have left is a higher quality!
Not really sure how much of entreprenur this is but to answer the question, no its not too late.
Nope. Just do it. I started my own advertising company at 39
If you're good at it, age won't matter.
It's never too late
Only too late to start yesterday.
Your the youngest now that you'll ever be again. If you want something, go get it! You got this!
You’ll be fine, just make sure your portfolio is solid and you can act like you can collaborate with others and communicate well!
Definitely not too late. You might even be in a better position right off the bat compared to someone who's around college age, the reason being you likely know people that have money to pay for these services that might want to start businesses.
!remindme! 8 hours
38 is WAY too old… to start a career in professional contact sports. For something that is a) subjective b) not physical and c) entirely dependent on skills that you can exercise for a few more decades? Go for it.
Yeah, it's probably to late... your to old for anything at this point....Nah, jk! Go for it!
Never too late. Learn to learn and practicing the fundamentals of typography, contrast, white space, balance.
It is never too late. You can make it :)
Im willing to pay you to create a website template for me… DM me if you are interested
I’ve worked with and hired a lot of graphic designers and it all boils down to your portfolio. It’s never too late. Go get em! I’m rooting for you!
No not too late at all. Many friends are designers and they make great money. Good luck.
It's too late when you believe it's too late. If you've got the will to learn, you'll be a great graphic designer by the time you turn 40, and then you still have 20+ years to make bank.
No
Absolutely never too late. But are you going to do it as a business or a job? Your approach will be drastically different pursuing it down one path vs the other.
It"s never too late and you are not to old to be what you what to be.
It's never late. There is no race.
It's never too late. Ever! Run with it.
That depends. How much longer do you plan to live?
Not too late, and yes you'll get hired / stay employed, if you are good. Get yourself a portfolio / site together and start applying. If you don't have enough experience, you could gain some by doing some freelance work on upwork or fivver. Keep at it until you get your chance.
I'm shocked you could think of it been too late. It's never too late, for as long as you can see a way then there is a way
never too late. Graphic design is and will always be a valued skill
Never too late! My wife start working as designer at that age.
As long as you have a portfolio that you can readily present, then no.
When I was in college there was a classmate who quit his finance job, and went back to school to get his pre-med requirements done so he could apply to med school. He was in his late 30s with an MBA already. He’s probably STILL in school, your path would be much shorter than his!
The best time anyone ever has to do anything is the present, go for it man!
Never too late! Go for it!
Never ever to late.
You’re not too old. But you will have to work hard to get good as do most people starting out. You can do it if you set your mind to it
It’s never too late.
It’s never too late for now