|
You'll find a few threads about design courses on HN, here's the last one: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=38591437 If your goal is to open an agency, certificates have close to 0 impact. Maybe for some government work, if they are fooled by flashy credential like Stanford (online). Previous work is always the most important, combined with a well-oiled sales pitch. I'm currently of switching to a design studio, so my experience is more as a freelancer, but the early start for both should be similar: Start with people you know. Friends, family, past coworkers, local businesses, meetups. Get any real experience, do a great job, and leverage it as much as possible. Ask for references and intros, present the work to new prospects on the sales call, etc. Lead generation isn't a solved problem for me. So far my work came from a mix of referrals, people reaching out on socials and freelance platforms. For the last one, I had a much better outcome with the platforms where recruiters tried to place you in companies. But you'll usually need a few years of experience to be on them. |