What do I want to be when I grow up?

That question has plagued me most of life...sure, I went through a time when I wanted to be a hockey player, a fireman and an astronaut (okay so I was a bit of tomboy growing up).  So I was suppose to have figured that out during my first four years at college. Through that experience, I got a double major in political science and communications arts and somehow became a graphic designer by chance.

How did that happen? Well, it's a long story as you will soon see. I always loved to draw and create art. I actually carried a drawing pad and crayons around and when I wasn't climbing a tree, or swinging on a rope swing or playing in a creek, I would be drawing the world around me. It seemed like everyone told me that I would be a great artist when I grew up. Then in high school, I must have watched one too many starving artist commercials because I realized that people didn't paid much for great artist's work until you are dead. My high school art teacher told me that as a graphic designer, I could make money while using my art skills. She had me shadow a professional graphic designer for a day. Now this was before graphic designers used computers and after seeing the amount of work took to put a simple ad together (without a computer)--well, it was insane. I thought no thanks. It totally took the joy out of producing artwork.

So instead of going to an art school for college, I decided to go a four-year college and get a "real" job after college. After considering a few majors, I decided to pursue a political science degree because I loved politics and I thought the word "science" on my degree would make me sound smart. A communications arts degree seemed like a good fit for me. There was a time (early in the communication major) when I thought I would be a media consultant who would advise politicians before they went on the show Nightline (I was hoping to use both majors). I actually watched Nightline for hours to make sure I was familiar with Ted Koppel's style of questioning. But as I took more communication classes, I discovered that a job in advertising and public relations would use more of my creative juices. Through my communications degree, I realized how much I enjoyed writing (as you can tell.)

So how did I stumble back into graphic design work...well, during my first semester of my senior year I was going to the alumni office to interview a someone for the college newspaper when I came across an office with huge computer monitors (big for back then). I was about to comment on them when I noticed that this man was designing a brochure on the computers--it was so cool--I just sat there fascinated. So we started talking and he ended up offered me a work-study opportunity to apprentice under him. I jumped at the opportunity. I spent eight months learning the ins and outs of typography and the program, Pagemaker under the guidance of Jeff Marshall. He was awesome. And guess what? Because Pagemaker was such a new program, ironically I was actually in demand after graduation. I know it sounds like a dream-come-true story...but somehow, ever since my first real graphic design job, I felt like a fraud. Sure I was using my God-given skills to design but since I never actually got an art degree, something didn't seem right.

So now jump ahead 19 years after graduation...I have an opportunity to return to college and make myself a "legitimate" graphic designer. And hopefully, answer the question for once and for all...what do I want to be when I grow up?

And now that you know the long saga of why I decided to return to college, I hope that you will continue to read my blog because as I discovered, college can be much more interesting the second time around.