“You’ve already proof-tested the answer for years”

Creative Career Conundrums is a weekly advice column from If You Could Jobs. Each week their selected panel of professionals from the creative industry answers your burning career questions to help you navigate the creative journey.

This week’s question: 

“Is a degree in the field I’m working in necessary to build a creative career?

I currently hold a great creative leadership role at a company where I’ve been building my career for a few years. However, I don’t have a degree or diploma in design; my professional growth so far has been based on experience, skills and self-study.

To what extent is a degree in the field necessary to build a creative career? Sometimes I feel like my future and my next career steps depend on it. Yet, at other times, I feel that my self-study is more effective for the work I do on a daily basis.”

Kat Wong, founder of career change platform Oh Yeah:

First, let’s dig into what’s behind this thought and why you feel your career future hinges on a particular certificate. Especially if you’re already in a leadership position, I’d say your response to being in a ‘great’ role suggests you are somewhat fulfilled – and grateful to be in it.

Also, the reality check: many graduates holding incredible degrees across various fields can’t even get a response from their job applications right now. 

So what’s really driving this? Do you want a more hands-on role with the craft? Or has someone asked, “How did you get here?” and left you questioning your own validity at this level? Understanding the driver will help answer your question about needing a degree to build a creative career.  

In short, you’ve already proof-tested the answer for years. Building a creative career is mainly driven by experience, skill, and self-study. In fact, that combination you’ve outlined pretty much mirrors the 70-20-10 model for learning, growth, and career development. It’s a popular, research-driven model which shows that roughly 70 per cent of your professional growth comes from job experiences and problem solving, 20 per cent from feedback and working with others (including role models), and 10 per cent from formal learning. That formal training can range from in-house courses to more traditional routes. 

You’ve clearly been proactive with self-study, and it’s already proven to be both effective and successful in holding and developing your leadership skills. Particularly if your teams and organisation are benefiting from your style and approach.  

Here’s a test: how would it feel to apply for a structured design course or diploma that serves both your intrigue and your future career well? There are lots of evening courses at brilliant institutions with various studying options. You could choose a discipline that you’re already interested in. Or where you feel you can gain more formal knowledge to help you with your confidence, or further articulate your responses more confidently, especially in cross-functional team settings. If you’re lucky, your organisation will help pay for this training as part of your leadership development.

Dig into this route, and whatever feeling comes up when you’re exploring the right course will lead you back to why you’re asking this question in the first place. But know that the combination of experience, skills and self-study and visibility is proving to be an effective route for your own career progression.

In answering your creative career conundrums we realise that some issues need expert support, so we’ve collated a list of additional resources that can support you across things that might arise at work.

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