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Pickens Technical College offers a wide range of programs for students with all kinds of priorities and backgrounds. One of the more popular classes at PTC is the Graphic Design class with instructor John Lawson. Lawson teaches his students how to complete many different graphic design projects, such as webpages, illustration, layout design, and printed materials.

At the end of the last semester of the Graphic Design class, students will have the tools and opportunity to enter an accelerating market for quality Graphic Designers. After working on many different types of graphic design projects, you’ll have a thick portfolio to show potential employers or freelance clients. You’ll get help organizing your portfolio to produce one you can use in your job hunt.

Companies are starting to value Graphic Designers more because they’ve seen too many applicants and workers who think they’re more skilled than they are. Two school years with Lawson at PTC will put you on the path to a great career in Graphic Design.

The Graphic Designer Market

The market for good Graphic Designers, especially in Colorado, is expanding. According to the job and salary site Glassdoor, Graphic Designers in Colorado earned a median salary of $46,185. This has some variance, of course, based on the actual position corporate Graphic Designers take (i.e. an Assistant Graphic Designer will make less than a Senior Graphic Designer), but once you have the tools to win over recruiters or the skills to work for yourself, you’ll have opportunities to start making good money right away.

Jobs You Can Get

Many Graphic Designers get their start as entry-level designers with a company, working on websites, advertising layouts, posters, and other printing materials. But there are many ways to “make it” as a Graphic Designer. Aside from working for yourself as a freelancer—getting your own clients, completing separate projects from separate clients all at once, etc.—there are entry-level positions out there for the right candidate.

Assistant and Associate Graphic Designers are more in vogue than ever, especially in and around the Denver metro area, where technology companies and other start-ups are looking for differentiation, many of them with visual branding materials. Many companies want to put young, eager Graphic Designers in entry-level positions like interns or assistants so they can promote from within down the road.

Then there are the alternative Graphic Designer positions. These are more difficult to land simply because these roles don’t exist at many companies utilizing Graphic Design artists. Positions like Motion Graphics Designer might not be readily available when you graduate from PTC, but with enough experience and skill, you might find yourself in a position to take your training to places you never thought you would.

The skills you’ll learn in the Graphic Design program at PTC are universal and applicable to many different positions, especially in the rising tech and advertising industry in Denver. You’ll also have the skills to work as a freelancer, and a portfolio to get you started in the industry.