Dan: "Your portfolio has to say: I am a person with good ideas and skills you can use."
Jason, have you thought about complimenting your portfolio with a blog? Something that's going to demonstrate the kind of thinking that Dan refers to. Also, take my advice with a pinch of salt as I've worked at the same place for the last 11 years but to your points 1)"I'm not going to learn anything about my craft if I'm not working with people who know more than me." Not strictly true. I work alone and am the Principal Architect for user interfaces at a large(ish) multinational, 6000 peeps. I would prefer to have a mentor, I'd certainly be better for it, but, its not a requirement imho. You've got Dan Saffer on the line giving you advice if you hadnt noticed! Leverage the cloud. 2)"I am prepared to make coffee, photocopy, and be a gopher, all for a meager paycheck" I met with David Malouf last week and he said something that's stuck in my mind. If I've understood what he said correctly.. then knowing your worth is important. If you let yourself be treated as you describe then I fear you'll be abused. There's a balance but I wouldnt set yourself up as someone who's seen as desperate. I believe Dan Saffer has said in the past that you shouldnt 'work for free' to fill out your portfolio (correct me) and I disagree with that to an extent. I'd encourage you to look at some of the more interesting OSS projects in places like Sourceforge and cut your teeth there. Its a great way to balance your experience even when you do have a job. 3) "I want to be part of an agency that really legitimately cares about the design process. If this precondition isn't met, then there is no good reason to sign up." True, as long as you understand the real reason a business cares about any particular process is its ability to make money. Following the right principles is more important than simply being principled. Best of luck - pauric . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Posted from the new ixda.org http://gamma.ixda.org/discuss?post=21947 ________________________________________________________________ *Come to IxDA Interaction08 | Savannah* February 8-10, 2008 in Savannah, GA, USA Register today: http://interaction08.ixda.org/ ________________________________________________________________ Welcome to the Interaction Design Association (IxDA)! To post to this list ....... [EMAIL PROTECTED] Unsubscribe ................ http://gamma.ixda.org/unsubscribe List Guidelines ............ http://gamma.ixda.org/guidelines List Help .................. http://gamma.ixda.org/help
