sessions

Find out what’s expected of you in your first role, how to handle day 1 and how to make the most of every opportunity.
Special Guests:
Junior Designers from agency, client-side and freelance.

This session is about what ‘employment’ might look like. No two jobs are the same in our industry. It’s not always about working 9-5 in a studio, your job could be remote or onsite, in an agency or a corporate, full time or part time.

We’ve three junior designers at the start of their career coming to this session. They’re going to share where they work; what they do; what they like and what’s not-so-good. And we’ll ensure there’s heaps of time for you to ask questions.
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After this session you will have a better understanding of:- Where to look for a junior designer role- What it takes to land that first position- What a day-in-the-life of a junior designer might look like- Where a junior designer fits in the big picture

Advice from those who have recently succeeded on where and how to look for employment.
Special Guests:
Mike Tosetto, Owner and Isabelle Trudgian, Motion Designer, Never Sit Still.

This session is all about managing your expectations about that first day and first job. We’re doing that with some very special guests: the owner and junior designer from one of Australia’s leading motion graphic studios.
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‍They’re going to spill their guts about what’s good, and what’s not so good. Better than that, they’re happy to answer your Q+A’s. After this session you will have a better understanding of:
- what a first day, first week, first month of a job feels like
- how the experience of a boss might differ to that of an employee and why that’s important
- how a paid graduate internship can lead to employment
- how to fit into a team while standing out (in a good way)

How to talk and write about yourself and your work from an industry leader who’s make quite the name for themselves.

Special Guest: Christopher Doyle

This session will focus on the cold call, the speculative email, the awkward encounter, the hey I’d like you to meet… (now, shit what do I say?). Our special guest is an industry leader who has been incredibly successful at helping junior designers develop their skills, contribute to award-winning work, and then fly the studio coup as fully fledged professionals working for international studios or starting their own businesses.

After this session you will have a better understanding of how to:
- Talk and write about your unique personal strengths in a way that makes you employable
- Choose what work to share and why, with a prospective employer
- Make a name for yourself that can get you noticed in the industry
- Develop a point of view that’s challenging, but respectful of where you’re at in your career

Your chance to ask anything at all to an industry leader and a mental health expert about what you’ve learned so far - or what questions you still have unanswered.

Special Guests:
Katie Feder, Psychotherapist
Andy Wright, Never Not Creative

This session aims to make sure you’re as ready as possible for what you’re about to experience. Think of it as understanding how to apply your oxygen mask before you help others.

A career in the creative industry can be full of ups and downs (and not just across your career, but on a daily basis). Success will come from working out what to sweat, what to take on board and use to make you stronger, and what to shake off because it’s not worth the stress. 

We’ll address common challenges like:
- How do I deal with negative feedback from someone I’m trying really hard to please?
- How do I deal with criticism of my work by a client?
- How do I celebrate what I’ve achieved without looking like a &%$#?
- How do I stop these thoughts telling me I’m not good enough?
- How do I know who to listen to?
- How do I draw my boundaries and stick to them?

Present yourself and your folio in a roleplay activity to practice what you’ve learned in a safe, non-judgemental scenario.

Special Guest:
Carol Mackay, Design Business Council

If you haven't earned the art and science of making money, let's face it, you'll have a short-lived career as an artist or busker.

In this session, you'll be introduced to the basics of rate-setting, quoting, job planning, invoicing and making sure your financial house is in order. The information in this session will be pivotal in making sure you can turn your ambitions into a career, whether you end up working for yourself or landing a role with an employer.