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Ed McCollum

Ed McCollum

Wyoming Department of Education

Cheyenne, WY USA

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Ed's work combines: Design, Education, and Being Creative

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Day In The Life

Senior Media Specialist

All visual and graphic work for the Wyoming Department of Education.

Skills & Education

Here's the path I took:

  • High School

    Van-Far High School, Vandalia, MO

  • Bachelor's Degree

    Fine/Studio Arts, General

    Truman State University

Here's the path I recommend for someone who wants to be a Senior Media Specialist:

Bachelor's Degree: Fine/Studio Arts, General

Learn more about different paths to this career

Life & Career Milestones

My path in life has been direct

  • 1.

    My first job was at an advertising agency. I started as a finish artist, and working lots of overtime and weekends, I would re-do ads that others created to show how I would have handled it.

  • 2.

    That work led to an art directorship after less than two years. Then it was time to show my ability to sell a story, not just tell it, by working on copy to make the ads look and sound better.

  • 3.

    And then I lost my job. The agency lost its largest client, and out of 73 of us, 23 lost our jobs. I also went gray from worry, wondering how to provide for my family, and finding a new job.

  • 4.

    And the next job lasted 14 years. I started the same time the company started, and guided its look and sound from beginning to that point.

  • 5.

    And they let me go. They thought I'd done everything for them I could, and being there so long, my salary became a target for cutting costs and budgets. It was almost like it was time to start over.

  • 6.

    Which I did with a move to Wyoming. We'd vacationed here often, and decided this should be the place to finish a career, and retire to, all without having to pack up again.

  • 7.

    So here I am, helping craft the first "look" for a department that has been around for more than 100 years, and building a brand that will be used long after I retire.

Defining Moments

How I responded to discouragement

  • THE NOISE

    Messages from Peers:

    There are too many people in your field. You'll never stand out and if you don't stand out, you'll never make it.

  • How I responded:

    I knew that I wasn't the best at any one thing, but I was really, really good at a lot of things that all went into be a successful art director or creative director. So rather than fixate on one aspect of marketing or design, I fixated on many, making sure I knew them all, could excel (while maybe not the very best of the best) and know I could stand out for my overall knowledge and ability to do the work that would be expected of me.