Ambitions and Destinations: the Careers and Retrospective Views of Art and Design Graduates and Postgraduates

Abstract

What do art and design graduates and postgraduates do once they have completed their courses, and how well do they feel those courses have equipped them to realise their career ambitions? This paper firstly examines the available data on the career paths of art and design graduates, and considers to what extent this data is able to represent their success. It would appear that much of the national data presents a pessimistic view of the career prospects of these graduates and postgraduates. Secondly, the methodology and results of the Ambitions and Destinations project are outlined. The purpose of the project was to determine the career paths of graduates from the Birmingham Institute of Art and Design, and to discover the retrospective views about the courses on which they had studied, in the light of their subsequent careers. A postal questionnaire was used to survey all those who had graduated from a cross-section of undergraduate and postgraduate courses 1991-1995 inclusive. The career outcomes of the first-degree respondents are compared with those of the postgraduates, including their respective participation in the areas of paid employment, further study, self employment and unemployment. Respondents' propensities to remain involved with art and design, and the likelihood of their entering teaching or lecturing are also examined. Some of the key points which emerged from respondents' comments about the career usefulness of their courses are presented. Finally, the extent to which the career paths of these BIAD graduates and postgraduates are consistent with those obtained from national data is considered.

Unrewarded careers in the creative class: The strange case of bohemian graduates

“… One explanation might be linked to the ‘time‐horizon’ of our data. It has been suggested (McRobbie 1998; Aston 1999; Blackwell and Harvey 1999; Oakley et al. 2008) that creative careers follow a less conventional pattern and people need to ‘invent’ their own career and establish their name to become successful in the sector.…”

“…First, the time horizon could be extended over a longer period to test for the robustness of our results. As Aston (1999) suggests, the short term perspective could prove quite limited for bohemian graduates who might experience longer ‘transition periods’ after graduation before finding a relevant job which matches their qualifications. The new longitudinal DLHE survey (recently conducted by HESA) which collects data on graduate careers three and a half year after graduation would be a first step in this direction, combined with the collection of more qualitative data via interviews with a selected group of people.…”

Design Pedagogy

“…It is viewed to be beneficial to society (Boden, 1999;Sosa and Gero, 2005) and the economy (Ball et al, 2010;Blair, 1998;Sands and Worthington, 2007) as well as being good for personal well-being (Fisher and Specht, 1999). Many find themselves in low-paid, mundane roles which are not suited to the qualification they have been awarded (Aston, 1999). Design graduates belong to a group of individuals Comunian et al (2010) term 'Bohemian Graduates': such scholars have been awarded tertiary qualifications in subjects such as creative arts, mass communications and music recording.…”

“…Art and design graduates have stated that attaining a degree award alone was not enough in aiding them to gain entry into the professional workplace (Aston, 1999). The situation for these creative graduates is by no means unique.…”

Enhancing the transition from study to work: Reflections on the value and impact of internships in the creative and performing arts

“…In addition to the issues facing most university graduates as they transition into the workplace, it is now well established in the literature that initial and ongoing employment success for graduates of creative and performing arts programs is particularly challenging (Aston, 1999; Australia Council for the Arts, 2010; Ball and Shreeve, 2008;Bennett, 2007;Edwards and Le, 2010;Harvey and Blackwell, 1999;Throsby and Hollister, 2003;Vaughan et al, 2008). It is clear that creative and performing arts graduates face and live a different career path and type to the traditional linear career (Bridgstock, 2011;Harvey and Blackwell, 1999).…”