It’s hard to get your foot in the door when going into the workforce. You want a job? Employers want to see experience on your resume. For designers, they want to see a great portfolio too. How are you supposed to get experience if no one will hire you before you get it?
Luckily, I found an internship opportunity through Muskegon Community College early on in the pursuit of my associate’s degree. There was a desperate need for help on the college newspaper after the Muskegon Chronicle published a story pronouncing the Bay Window dead. Read the article here.
I helped with the paper’s resurrection at the start of the next term, and got myself some design experience in the process. I was learning as I went, as was everyone else. Working for a newspaper presents a unique set of challenges for a designer: there are strict design rules to maintain visual identity and unity, teamwork between page designers to control the amount of content per page, and tight deadlines that can keep you up all night. It is stressful.
After my internship was up, I realized I was hooked to the job. I really wanted the paper to survive. I believed in it. It was worth it.
Not only does it offer a great opportunity to graphic designers, like myself, but to photographers, website designers, musical artists, creative writers, columnists and reporters as well. It helps these students either get their work published or their accomplishments and events publicized. It provides paychecks in a bad economy, credits toward a college degree, extra credit for students struggling in classes, and internships for experience in desired work fields. Overall, the paper is much more than something to read.
I’m happy to say I’m the lead layout designer this year, and I’m getting others involved. The paper isn’t dead. Hopefully it never will be. It’s far too valuable a resource to the students here at MCC.
To get involved, you can do one of the following:
call 231.777.0542
visit room 208 on Monday afternoons at 3:30pm
