Polar CAREER CONNECT

Graphic Designer

Multimedia Artists/Animators

Art Teacher in Postsecondary

College: University of Wisconsin River Falls

Major: Photography

Minor: Art History & Art Therapy

Internship: On-campus photography intern documenting events and taking professional headshots.

Career: Photo Tech and Media Center Manager at the Minneapolis College of Art and Design. Lauren is also a freelance photographer and writer for Music in Minnesota.

Classes taken at North: Photography 1, Photography 2, IS Photography, Graphic Arts 1

Awards Received:

• 3rd place at MN State Fair k-12 Art Competition

• Honorable mention in Photographer’s Forum Magazine for Best of High School Photography Publication

• Honorable Mention in Scholastic Art & Writing Contest 2013

• St.Paul Jaycees Best 100 Competition at the AZ Gallery

• Minnesota Congressional Art show

December 15th @ 2:00pm : Come and meet Ms Mandel, Mr Schahn, Ms Clegg, and Mr Reda and talk about what you can do now in high school if you are interested in a career in the ARTS.

REGISTER

Zoom Link

Snapshot:

Graphic Artists Design or create graphics to meet specific commercial or promotional needs, such as packaging, displays, or logos. May use a variety of mediums to achieve artistic or decorative effects.

Median Wage: $25.05/hr

Visit Graphic Artist for more detailed career information

Classes you can take at North:

Studio Art 1,2A(Drawing), 2B(Painting), 3, & Independent Study Studio Art

Graphic Arts 1,2, & Independent Study Graphic Arts

Want more experience in this area?:

Web Page Design, Advertising & Promotions, Entrepreneurship, Principles of Marketing

NE Metro 916 offers Computer Hardware/Software Game Design

University of Wisconsin River Falls Graphic Design, Multimedia Artist/Animator

University of MN - Graphic Design, Industrial and Product Design

Century College - Graphic Design

Hennepin Technical College - Graphic Design

Augsburg University - Graphic Design

Minneapolis Community Technical College Graphic Design: Digital and Print Media

• Multimedia Artists and Animators
• Commercial and Industrial Designers
• Art Directors
• Advertising and Promotions Managers
• Film and Video Editors
• Interior Designers

Clubs: Polar Portraits, Yearbook

Competitions and Art shows:

Scholastic Art and Writing

St.Paul Jaycees Best 100

MN State Fair

Congressional Art Competition and Show

District 622 Spring Art Show

Minnesota High School League

Create special effects, animation, or other visual images using film, video, computers, or other electronic tools and media for use in products or creations, such as computer games, movies, music videos, and commercials.

Median Wage: $36.19/hr

Visit Multimedia Artists/Animators for more detailed career information.

Photography 1,2,& Independent Study

Studio Art 1,2A,2B,3,& Independent Study

Graphic Arts 1,2,& Independent Study

Video Production 1,2

Want more experiences?

Housing and Interior Design

Clothing and Fashion

Minnesota Technical Community College - Web Page, Digital/Multimedia and Information Resources Design

University Northwestern - Web Page, Digital/Multimedia and Information Resources Design St Paul College - Web Page, Digital/Multimedia and Information Resources Design

Minneapolis College of Art and Design - Graphic Design, Multimedia

Minneapolis College of Art and Design - Web and Multimedia Environments

• Graphic Designers
• Art Directors
• Film and Video Editors
• Directors- Stage, Motion Pictures, Television, and Radio
• Technical Directors/Managers

Teach courses in drama, music, and the arts including fine and applied art, such as painting and sculpture, or design and crafts. Includes both teachers primarily engaged in teaching and those who do a combination of teaching and research.

MEDIAN WAGE: $45.00/hr

Visit ART TEACHER for more detailed career information

Classes you can take at North:

Ceramics 1,2,3, & Independent Study

Sculpture

Photography 1,2,& Independent Study

Studio Art 1,2A,2B,3,& Independent Study

Graphic Arts 1,2,& Independent Study

Video Production 1,2

Want more experience while you're in High School?

CIS(College Within the School) Exploring the Teaching Profession

Most Secondary Art Teachers get an undergraduate degree in Art and add masters degree in teaching.

University of MN

Concordia University of Wisconsin

Minnesota State University Moorhead

• Communications Teachers, Postsecondary
• English Language and Literature Teachers, Postsecondary
• Curators
• Secondary School Teachers, Except Special and Career/Technical Education
• Recreation and Fitness Studies Teachers, Postsecondary

I graduated from the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse in 1987 with a BS degree in Mass Communications, and a minor in photography. Upon graduation I chose a market to move into and start my career. I chose Minneapolis-St. Paul, and moved here in the fall of 1987 taking a part-time job working second shift at a photo processing and printing company. In December I took my first job as a photo assistant at a large Bloomington commercial photo studio that was a division of a printing company that produced catalogs. While my education at UW-L provided valuable background in the theory behind photography, the photo assistant job provided real application of photography skills.

After a year I left and began freelancing as an assistant and photographer for a variety of studios around the cities. I took another full time job as a photo assistant for two years later. After that I returned to freelance work and began my shooting career freelancing for Best Buy in their large corporate studio. Other clients of mine included a small advertising agency, a printing company, and a book publisher.

Soon Creative Publishing International became my biggest client, and I was shooting step-by-step how-to photos for brands like Black and Decker and Singer. I took a staff job running their studio in 2008. After two years I became a freelancer again and began work for QuadPhoto, a printer-owned studio where I shot for Fingerhut, Northern Tool and Equipment, and more.

In 2014 I took a job as staff photographer for Tiger Oak Media, and photographed for magazines such as Minnesota Business and a variety of local community lifestyle publications like White Bear Lake Magazine. This position was the most creative and artistic role of my career, offering total control over the style and direction of the photography both in studio and on location.

In 2019 I became Digital Photography Technician and Brand Champion for Snap36 of Chicago, IL. I took over their studio at the 3M campus in Maplewood where I work today. In this role I use a robotic camera system to take 360 degree photos for all the product divisions of 3M. This involves a great deal of communication with an array of marketers to understand their products and feature them in the best light. Many 3M brand requirements must be adhered to, and I mostly work for their industrial divisions showcasing highly technical materials. I provide a custom photography solution for their brands, highlighting specific details and performance of materials. My work requires being comfortable with complex computer and robotic control systems. Also challenging is the scheduling and tracking of multiple jobs at once in a pipeline of delivery.

A few insights into my career journey:
After college I was willing to move out of state to another market for better opportunities. So I am a believer in relocating if local jobs are limiting.
Another insight is that I worked as an assistant for about 6 years after my 4 years of college. Some jobs are like that, requiring an advanced set of experiences and skills to succeed in a competitive environment.
In addition, I took advantage of the opportunity to freelance in between staff jobs. Freelancing requires understanding of small business operating principles and skill at nurturing relationships with clients.

Regarding my education, about 9 years after college I enrolled at Hennepin technical College and took evening courses to get certification in Electronic Publishing. Another 12 years after that I returned to Hennepin Tech for more coursework in Video Production. I have found it important to continually update my skills to meet the direction the job market has moved based on technology advances.

You have probably noted that I made some difficult choices over my career. Moving out of state, working evenings and weekends, working freelance without a financial safety net, going back to school on evenings and footing the bill myself. I did so because photography is my calling, and a career considered a glamorous, highly sought-after role-- with many competitors wanting my job.

I hope you have found my career journey useful information in your own journey.
Joel Schnell

Looking at a job post of your dream job, discovering what it takes to be hired, and then working backwards to gain the experience and qualifications is a great way to make your plan!

Check out the links below to explore jobs in graphic design and multimedia:

Brafton

University of St. Thomas

The Lacek Group

Creative Color, Inc.

The Stable

3M Internship

University of Northwestern

Join us Wednesdays at 1:00 to learn more about how to find the right job for you, apply, interview, and much more!

Looking for a job near you to apply to NOW? Explore the links below!

Intern Podcast Loyalty

University of Minnesota Tour Guide

UPS

Amazon Warehouse Team member

Swim Teacher

Whole Foods Shopper

Student Park Guide Trainee

Bookseller at Barnes and Noble

School Age Care Program Staff YMCA

Cub Foods

"Ask a Counselor" 12-1pm all week. https://zoom.us/j/94359726876

Drop in to open Zoom sessions with general questions such as "How do I change my schedule?" to " How do I send my transcripts to college?".

Ms Cosgrove -A-Go, acosgrove@isd622.org

Ms Yamamoto - Gp-Ma, jyamamoto@isd622.org

Ms Hager - Mb-S, ahager@isd622.org

Ms Bye - T-Z, mbye@isd622.org

Hannah Schmiesing, our counseling intern hschmiesing@isd622.org

Students can make appointments to see their counselor for a number of reasons, including:

• Personal/Social Concerns

• College or Career Planning

• Academics

The ACE Mentor Program is open to any high school student who has the curiosity and drive to learn about a career in design and construction, from contracting and engineering to architecture and landscaping.

Already, thousands of students have enjoyed the exciting projects, informative field trips and other engaging activities that make up the ACE experience.

ACE Mentor Program Video

ACE Mentor Program Sign Up

Want more information? visit the ACE Mentor Program Website

https://www.acementor.org/

Email: bstanley@isd622.org
Website: https://www.isd622.org/Page/15183
Phone: 651748-6086

Looking for a job? Here are some resources to help you get there!

Email: kschwartz2@isd622.org
Website: https://www.isd622.org/Domain/76
Location: North High School, 11th Avenue, Saint Paul, MN, USA
Phone: 612-888-3341