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Last fall, I had the opportunity to go back to my alma mater and give a lecture to some of the young design students at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. The focus of the lecture was “How to Chart Your Career as a Graphic Designer.” A broad topic, I know, but one that students rarely think about until they are well past graduation. I’ve summarized it in this entry as I figure it could be of use to any student out there facing the scary prospect of impending graduation.

Choices. Choices. Choices.
Right now, you are faced with more choices and decisions than perhaps any other design students coming out of school before you. You can become a print designer, web designer, product designer, game designer, art director, or maybe all of them combined. You can work at an in-house design department, a small design studio, a large advertising agency or even chose to go it alone as a freelancer. You can even choose to further your design education in graduate school or at a portfolio center. This is both exciting and daunting.

What do you REALLY want to do after graduation day?
The problem is, if you are at all like me at that time, you probably have a very vague idea of what you want to do. I know I did when I was a student. I wanted to be challenged. I wanted to do good work. And most importantly, I just wanted a job. It’s not unusual to still be unsure as to what kind of work you want to do and what kind of career you want to have at this time.

Have you already picked a path?
Did any of the earlier career path examples strike a chord with you? A lot of students I talk to want to work on their own right out of school. Others know the firms who’s work they admire and aspire to work there. Most are unsure of their path because they have been focused on the immediate goal of graduation. That is understandable. That goal is in front of you. Its tangible, and you know the rules.

I can’t tell you what to do as each and every student has their own unique talents, but I can give you some tools to help you decide for yourself, so here are 7 Questions you will need to answer over the course of your career:

1. What kind of design work do I really want to do?
This goes back to the beginning of our conversation. There are almost an infinite number of choices. Do you have an idea? Specialist? Jack of all trades, master of none? It’s time to start thinking about it.

2. How comfortable am I with risk?
Are you willing to hop jobs and chase the best opportunity? Do you feel most comfortable with a stable situation? Are you willing to work for a startup? You need to know what your threshold is for facing uncertainty.

3. Where do I want to live?
This is a huge decision. Where you live can dictate your quality and quantity of career opportunities. My life would have been drastically different had I gotten the job offers I pursued in Kansas City and Buffalo(and thank God those didn’t happen!).

4. How important is money to me?
Pretty simple question, yes? The good designers chase the opportunity to do their best work and worry about the money later. That being said, could you turn down a job that paid 20K more, but wasn’t as creatively satisfying? The money vs. love issue will always be there over the course of your career.

5. Do I work to live or live to work?
This business will burn you out if you don’t find balance in your life. Still, some of us just have design in our blood and have to go full tilt with our work. The real question is, how important is your work to you? Knowing this about yourself can save you a lot of angst. Then again, maybe you just preferred a design degree to a business degree and like moving type across a page. That’s OK too.

6. Am I a business owner?
Do you want to be one? Now? Eventually? Everyone fantasizes about doing it their way and that they know better than the boss. The thing is, running a business, has almost nothing to do with being a great designer. If you go down this path, you’ll have to grow a second brain, or you’ll always be chasing cash. Maybe you’ll be doing great work, but you will be wondering why you are always broke. Business 101 will have to be your second degree.

7. How will I ultimately define my success?
This may change over time, but do you know what it is now? Money? Awards? Freedom? Flow? In the end, what are you truly shooting for and how will you know when you get there? Most people never even think about it.

So, to recap: You’ve got choices. You’ve got time. And you’ve got resources.

If you are at all nervous about your future, don’t be. Instead, channel that energy into building a better book than you have today. Learn and practice some new skills that you don’t have today. And develop a better understanding of your goals than you have today. Good luck.