Advertising Graduate School: Is It Necessary for Creatives?

Some creatives attempt to break into the advertising world on their own, but they often don’t realize how graduate school can help maximize their potential.
 
Deciding whether graduate school is necessary for you as a creative starts with understanding the following:
 

 
• All creative jobs are competitive. The more desirable they are, the more people with whom you must compete.
• Creative jobs are network driven. Someone who has demonstrated the ability to work well with others is a desirable team member.
• Creativity is part instinct, part knowledge base. The more you learn, the more “talented” you become.

 

 
Let’s explore how graduate school fits into this picture.
 

Graduate School Gives Creatives Necessary Experience

 
You need experience to get a creative career in advertising. This means a portfolio that demonstrates your skills for copywriting, graphic design, art direction, or whatever skillset for which you have a passion. Often, advertising graduate school is often the first rung of the ladder on your way to a career. You get a chance to network and develop a portfolio that will impress employers.
 

Graduate Schools Give Creatives the Networks They Need to Succeed

 
All industries and fields are network-driven, but creativity is more instinctive and relationship driven than many other fields. The synergy of a team is often one of the most important aspects of the process. Advertising graduate school lets creatives network with like-minded people. It also lets you make note of who the all-stars are, especially when you are working in group projects. Advertising graduate school may be the largest concentration of people with shared goals you may ever have a chance to meet.
 

Graduate School Offers In-Depth Industry Knowledge

 
You may know what creative work you like, and what you don’t like. However, advertising graduate school teach you why certain ads are more effective than other work. Advertising is creative, but there are tried-and-true principles of mass communication that work time and time again. Knowing these principles will help you create work that will help you land the job of your dreams.
 

Graduate School Can Help Creatives Master Mass Communication

 
Mass communication comes with risks. Many people have been misunderstood and done damage by firing off social media posts or full-on billboard advertisements without proper screening and approval. Creatives who have talent, but aren’t properly trained risk being misunderstood when they communicate with the public.
 
Learn more about advertising graduate school with help from Florida International University in conjunction with Miami Ad School. This unique educational program has created a big network of successful alumni. Send an email to Grizelle De Los Reyes, Director of the FIU-MAS Creative Track Program at gdelosre@fiu.edu to learn more.