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[Searching]

I have worked for the past 10 years for a variety of media companies.  I currently am employeed as a senior graphic designer.  I have a BFA and a post-graduate degree in graphic design.  I am looking for a change and would really like to teach at a college/university.  I would appreciate any advice.  Will I be considered without an MFA?   Thank you in advance for your help and advice.

[Ms. Collegiality]

You say you have a post graduate degree.  You are definitely qualified, especially with your experience, to teach at the community college level, which can pay into the $70,000 year range depending on location.  It can also pay as low as $25,000 a year.  We're talking the difference between California and Oregon.  Get your portfolio together and start cruising the job openings, and good luck.

[Searching]

Thank you for your quick reply, it was very encouraging.  I pulled my portfolio together a few weeks ago (www.flatmedium.com).  I am also looking to relocate (from California to the east coast).  Besides this site, do you have any other advice for places to look for job postings?  Do headhunter/recruitors work in the education realm??   Thanks again.

[prytania3]

The New York Times Sunday edition and The Washington Post carry many national search ads. I got my job through the New York Times. The Chronicle is very good also.

With cost cutbacks, some places are cutting down on their ad budgets, particularly community colleges. You might find things just checking the newspapers of larger cities...Chicago, Atlanta, Dallas, or not as large, Little Rock, Hartford, Columbia..

[prytania3]

The New York Times Sunday edition comes out tonight and you can get it for free online.

Also, you can call colleges that you are interested in and ask them if they are hiring.

[Used to be GD, too]

I made the move from senior graphic designer/art director to graphic design instructor. I started teaching one class a week, then two, then pieced together enough part-time work to quit my "day job" in advertising.

I am now a full-time instructor at a very big community college, but I have to be honest, our hiring commitee will NOT consider someone moving from private industry directly to teaching... there are simply too many burned-out designers hoping to get out of that industry. Once they find out the sheer volume of work required for teaching, many either return to designing OR freelance while teaching (which is not specifically bad; keeping a client or two to "keep your hand in" is great; juggling many clients while teaching means you will neglect your work). Some campuses have contracts that will NOT allow you to freelance while teaching... check this out beforehand.

Also, if you do freelance where you are working, be sure to have a resale license and a business license in the area--not only because it is the right thing to do, but also sets a good example for your students.

Good luck!

[catnip]

I'm not in the field, so I'm a bit confused. I thought that the postgraduate degree in graphic design WAS the MFA. At least when I went to RISD, there were a lot of folks there getting MFA's to go teach.

Is there a straight MA in graphic design? Or a PhD?

[prytania 3]

you are right. an mfa is a terminal degree, but she has a bfa and is wondering if she needs an mfa.

[Ms. Collegiality]

also look at www.higheredjobs.com.

But, Searching, as "Used to be GD, too" hinted, teaching can burn people out too.  I think some people are natural teachers and that's what they're meant to be.  Teaching is something they do all the time, whether they're paid to or not, and if you're not a natural teacher, then it can be a lot more tiring to force yourself into that role.  So reflect on how you feel about being accessible to classloads of needy students for up to twenty hours a week.  People think we get great vacations; we do, because we need them.

Starting out part-time is the way to go.  It's not hard to get on as a part-timer at a community college and find out if teaching is for you.

[Used to be GD, too]

Degrees: I had a certificate in graphic design, a B.A. and M.A. in a related field.

[tt arts]

At the non-cc places (R1s and R2s)  I've taught, the MFA is a basic requirement, no getting around it even for (in demand) graphic designers. The designers have often been paid more than other faculty members, due to demand, but, they've still needed the MFA.