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I'm a graphic designer currently living in Philadelphia. I desperately want to get out of this city, and my boyfriend might possibly be taking a job in Brick, NJ. Where would be the best place to find a graphic design job? Are there any places that are sort of close by? We figured we could live somewhere in the middle of wherever we both work if I find a job more north.
Most of the NJ graphic design job market is in the city - if you can find a place that's a little bit further north than brick, than you can have an easier commute to both places. I would pick somewhere along the Parkway corridor - maybe Old Bridge, or possibly down into Monmouth County - but you might not want to go too far south or the commute to Manhattan will be a bear.
Thanks so far for the help. It seems kind of ironic, I just want to get away from the city, but my career seems almost completely city-based.
I'm sure I'll find something eventually....I hope! I just really REALLY would like to live by the shore. I LOVE the beach and have always wanted to live close to it. And especially after living in Philadelphia (I haven't even been here that long but I HATE it and need to get out) I just want to live in a nice, quiet suburban area that is SAFE, possibly with nice people (the people here are mostly ignorant a**holes), and some decent entertainment (and by that I mean good shopping centers, which Brick seemed to have plenty of, good restaurants, a couple good movie theaters, and an overall good community. I hope this is possible without a complete career change!!
Try taking a look at Middletown, NJ - it's not that far out of Manhattan - there's a Ferry (albiet it's expensive) that goes right to manhattan, but it is also on a bus line. From what I understand, it's about an hour to midtown manhttan from there.
I do feel your pain. I too am a graphic designer, and I actually have been freelancing for just over a year. If you have a niche skill you might be able to carve your way that way as well - I've been working regularly for an ad agency, but also pick up other stuff on the side to help suppliment my income. I have a few regular clients who I am about to work for out of the house, limiting my commute into the city. right now, I live over an hour outside the city on Long Island. We are wanting to move to NJ for other reasons, but a side benefit is that the town we are looking at is only a 35 - 40 minute ride into Manhattan via bus.
Try taking a look at Middletown, NJ - it's not that far out of Manhattan - there's a Ferry (albiet it's expensive) that goes right to manhattan, but it is also on a bus line. From what I understand, it's about an hour to midtown manhttan from there.
I do feel your pain. I too am a graphic designer, and I actually have been freelancing for just over a year. If you have a niche skill you might be able to carve your way that way as well - I've been working regularly for an ad agency, but also pick up other stuff on the side to help suppliment my income. I have a few regular clients who I am about to work for out of the house, limiting my commute into the city. right now, I live over an hour outside the city on Long Island. We are wanting to move to NJ for other reasons, but a side benefit is that the town we are looking at is only a 35 - 40 minute ride into Manhattan via bus.
How do you find freelance work? I do check Craigslist from time to time but it seems like there isn't much to choose from, and God knows how many other hundreds of people are also applying. I checked out some of the freelance sites but I noticed a lot of them charged A LOT ($100+) and sadly, right now I just can't afford to spend that kind of money without a guarantee that I'll be making a profit from it. Are those my only options?
First thing I did was register with some agencies. I actually did this back in 2005, and when I went back to freelancing in 2007, they were more than happy to help me find work again. I can definitely refer you to my agency, which has been -really- good at finding me steady work.
I also decided to pay for google ads. I set a $50/month cap on my ads, and I can tell you that my return on investment has definitely paid for itself. I am a member of guru.com, but I haven't really found much on there, and have never bothered to submit a bid because I think it's impossible to get started if you haven't actually been awarded any bids in the past. Way too much competition from folks who are willing to work for nothing.
Craigslist used to be much better than it is now, but it is certainly worth answering some ads. My speciality is presentation design, and find that there is really a call for people who can really design in powerpoint...
First thing I did was register with some agencies. I actually did this back in 2005, and when I went back to freelancing in 2007, they were more than happy to help me find work again. I can definitely refer you to my agency, which has been -really- good at finding me steady work.
I also decided to pay for google ads. I set a $50/month cap on my ads, and I can tell you that my return on investment has definitely paid for itself. I am a member of guru.com, but I haven't really found much on there, and have never bothered to submit a bid because I think it's impossible to get started if you haven't actually been awarded any bids in the past. Way too much competition from folks who are willing to work for nothing.
Craigslist used to be much better than it is now, but it is certainly worth answering some ads. My speciality is presentation design, and find that there is really a call for people who can really design in powerpoint...
Just some ideas.
Thank you for all the ideas, I'm definitely going to try some of them. Not sure I'm ready for the Google ad yet, I'm still fairly new into the field. I would greatly appreciate it if you could refer me to agency you work with, as I feel that it is my best bet right now.
They are out there. My cousin lives in Brick and does graphic design. She has been with the same company for 5 - 8 years; every once in a while she'll get itchy and apply elsewhere if an interesting job is advertised (and she's gotten job offers out of it; but she ends up staying where she is). I think she's always just looked in the Asbury Park Press and the Star Ledger. She works in Monmouth County. There are plenty of companies in NJ that are large enough to need a graphic design professional, you shouldn't have to travel to the city unless you want to.
Best of luck. I've lived in Brick, it's a nice town.
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