Creative careers like graphic design can be confusing when it comes to education requirements. If you were interested in medicine or engineering—sure, you’d expect to need a degree or two under your belt. But graphic design is truly an art. Does academic achievement really mean那much? You’ll often hear that the most important thing is your portfolio of prior work and previous experience, but so many job postings ask for a college degree.

So, what’s the deal? Does graphic designer education really matter if you can create beautiful work? Does structured training offer something you couldn’t learn on your own? Are there certain kinds of designers who don’t need a degree? While advancing your education has plenty of benefits, the truth is that the benefits of earning a Graphic Design degree may depend on your circumstances.

To help you sort this out, we’ve asked expert graphic designers (and the professionals who hire them) to weigh in.

6 Questions to help you determine if earning a Graphic Design degree is worth it

There are several important factors for designers to weigh when deciding their future educational plans. Ask yourself the following questions to help determine the importance of a degree for you.

1. How much experience do you have?

Some of our experts cited experience as the biggest substitute for a degree. If you have four or five years of professional design experience already behind you, the degree might not matter as much, according to Akiva Leyton, COO ofFalcon Marketing。

This catch-22 happens in plenty of industries, but in design it’s particularly strong. You need jobs so you can build experience, but everyone seems to want experience before hiring you. “There is definitely that gray area in the industry, where you can get away with not having a degree, but only if you have tremendous skill and extensive experience,” Leyton says.

At the start, a degree in Graphic Design not only teaches you the skills and business abilities you’ll need for the career, but it also tells everyone else that you are up to those standards. When you are starting out with very little experience, a degree can help you get your foot in the door.

2. Do you hope to advance into higher positions?

“在我的经验中，在平面设计中的大学学位（或任何形式的结构训练）是一个成功职业的必要基础，”创意总监和创始人内胆。“During [their education], students learn everything from design essentials to corporate branding and visual communication.

“我有十多个graphic designers working under me and, in my experience, the very best graphic designers do have college degrees,” says Adam McIntyre, cofounder ofBrandpacks.。McIntyre表示，那里有许多自学式图形设计师，但指出，学位持有人往往是持有最先进地位的人。如果您有职业计划，则延伸超出入门级设计位置，那么没有学位可以是锚定阻止您的锚。与您的初始求职一样，可以通过正确的组合，体验和环境来克服这一挑战 - 但它并不容易。虽然这可能是令人沮丧的，但McIntyre认为是这种方法的充分理由。

“In my opinion, this is because most self-taught designers simply learn to use graphic design software for achieving fashionable results, with little understanding of why,” McIntyre says. “College-educated designers, on the other hand, have a much deeper knowledge of the theories behind design and its trends.”

3. How do you feel about freelancing?

Freelancing, of all the graphic design career options, is often the most accessible route for self-taught designers. “In freelance design, your work speaks much louder than a resume,” says Erik Pitzer, graphic designer atIllumine8 Marketing & PR。“In some cases, companies hiring a freelance designer may never even see a resume.”

“Successful freelancing has many factors,” Heger says. A solid network, design experience and a portfolio displaying expertise in niche styles or areas of design can all make a big difference in finding work as a freelancer. If you are equipped with those things, then the degree might mean less for your situation.

But without those assets, freelance graphic designers might still want a degree to differentiate themselves and to help them understand the business sides of the work. “Even if some freelancer has a unique artistic talent in their niche, they would have a very hard time seeing the big picture of project planning, creation process and sales,” Heger says.

4. Do you want to influence your company’s design choices?

如果你喜欢设计并有一个艺术眼睛 - 它可能会推动你疯狂被降级到简单的任务执行。“除非你正在做简单的教堂通讯或学校海报，否则在理解您客户的兴趣和需求方面都是非常宝贵的，”营销总监Dave Poulos说：Dave Poulos说Pinnacle Advisory Group。“You’ll want to be someone who brings ideas to the table, not just a vendor who does what he or she is told to do.”

This definitely applies to in-house and agency positions, but it also impacts your ability to freelance. Poulos says a degree in Graphic Design will give you a broader understanding in a variety of subjects to ask your clients the right questions and contribute to the conversation in a meaningful way.

你想在家里工作吗？

In-house graphic designersare hired by one company to consistently design for them over time and embody their brand. “Graphic design goes beyond logo design or a brochure design,” says Pablo Serrano, CMO and founder ofBuyYourself。“我们需要学术背景的人，因为我们需要可以争辩的人，批判性和进行研究。”

内部设计师倾向于具有协作角色，可能涉及投资思想和协助视觉策略。“最全职，内部图形设计师预计将戴上一顶帽子，”Pitzer说。“那些情况下的雇主希望看到一个完全圆满的教育。”

6. How are your communication and negotiation skills?

“In addition to artistic and design skills, designers need to have excellent communication skills, both verbally and written,” says Kristen Romans, graphic designer atMystic Aquarium。“College provides the opportunity to refine these skills beyond the basic fundamentals students learn in high school.”’

根据罗马人的说法，高度专业的沟通和可靠性在出版物和营销领域尤为重要。设计师不仅需要沟通自己的想法的技能，还需要了解客户正在寻找的能力，提供将传达其品牌的想法。“大学学位再次增加了设计师满足这些要求的能力和价值，”罗马人说。

Is a Graphic Design degree your best option?

Now that you know a little more about when graphic designer education has the most impact, you probably have an idea whether it would be useful to you. But our experts insist that while a degree is almost always valuable, your portfolio is still most likely the deal breaker for clients and employers.

“Even with a college degree, a strong portfolio is a must,” McIntyre says. “Graphic design is a visual medium where pictures certainly speak louder than words—especially when you're trying to land a job.” Your work should always be a priority. McIntyre says you need a strong portfolio to present to employers and clients.

如果你不有一个展示你的投资组合best, this is another area wherea Graphic Design program可以帮助您构建该资产。但是任何格式的教育都可以是投资，您可以使用更多信息来决定它是否真的要还清。

更详细地查看图形设计教育提供，查看我们的文章，“Is a Graphic Design Degree Worth It or Worthless?”