Career Roadmap
Ed's work combines: Design, Education, and Being Creative
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Day In The Life
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.