I've been out of work most of the year and am sick and tired of working in a repetitive enviornment where I do the same mind numbing task day in and day out. I'd really like to get into Graphic Design and such and turn my hobby into a career. I have no college education in this field or out and as a single parent it would be hard for me to take the 2-3 year courses, pay for that as well as raise my kids and pay the bills. Would like to know from the people who have gotten assignments from clients.

1. Do you have any degrees? 

2. What did you do to get a client? Did the client just happen to be browsing your gallery and offered the assignment to you? Did you go out looking for clients and if so how?

Anything else I should need to know would be appreciated. I know I need to work on making a portfolio and increasing the work I've done and improving skills.

Thanks for your time.

If possible, get the business first and then work on the degree after you're established a bit. Otherwise you'll be saddled with debt and still locked out of the industry due to "lack of experience".At least that's been my experience so far... 

Then again, maybe the job market for digital based graphics work where I am isn't so hot. (Based on classifieds, I would have been a lot better off with HVAC or CDL, lol.) So your milage may vary...

Also if you have any relatives or friends at a studio or a business doing in-house production, it'll help weigh the odds greatly in your favor. Networking will do more for you than a degree when it comes to creative work. (I've seen it in action. I've also seen trust trump talent.) Work on developing your portfolio, and if you can manage and keep track of things on your own - freelance. In this case a degree is only good after you get your foot in the door and want to move up in pay.

And for the questions:
1.) B.S. Graphic arts... (Why Bachelor of Science and not fine arts? Probably more process than craft directed courses at my school...  Who knows?)
2.) Almost had a good client. May have been good money if I could have got their site developed to go live. Problem was they were expecting more than my level (I still need to pick up some things that classes didn't cover. Stuff for Flash and server side scripting that would crossover more into programming/CIS mostly.) Also they wanted video on the site, another guy was doing that, and I had nothing to work with. But the worst part was no feedback (not even anything negative even), and trying to keep on them to access a web server and do work without any upfront wasn't worth it. They didn't even try to stay on my radar, so I dropped off theirs so to speak. Doesn't stop me from looking around though.

do as pauljs says.. start freelancing.

once that starts...then take up classes...where are you based?? can't you find colleges where you can take up just the subjects you want? photoshop, illustrator, corel draw, whatever?? do that.evening classes.

no need of a degree if you planning on freelancing... they don't check for your degree but what you are capable of doing..... and  as a brycer and a 3d artist..damn....your creativity goes way above graphic designers...you just need the know how.

there are a couple of sites where business outsource graphic artists....you have to bid for jobs....try those.  getafreelancer.com is one. pauljs.you can try that too... bidding is a bit tough..but once you can prove it..and keep at it... you get there.

cheers

Thanks for the answers so far.

The degree thing was really to find out if it was NEEDED as most Graphic Design jobs I looked at required a degree and 2-3 years experience. So I mainly wanted to know if it was essential.

The other part was to find out HOW you would go about looking for clients and erosiaart gave a hint of that. Thanks

I did a similair thing 5 years ago. At that stage I was still churning out two or three renders a day non of which were very good, but I was addicted to Bryce. I left my job in a hotel which I had been at for 6 years and became a self employed window cleaner. This gave me twice the income for around 25-30 hours a week as opposed to 40 hrs at the hotel. Obviously this gave me more time to do my hobby of Bryce. 
Whilst i don't actively look for client based work, I've had a couple of real nice comissions in that time from people coming across my various galleries on the web. Yes window cleaning is boring and repetitive, but at least I'm my own boss and the stress of my old job doesn't exist.
So I say why not leave your job but try to get another that will allow you to do a similair thing as me. Having a job that will allow you the flexibility to concentrate on establishing your graphics business will help to alleviate any worrys about money. When I do get a commision then it's a lovely bonus which has allowed me to take holidays and buy things I wouldn't normally. If you put yourself about and self promote I'm sure you will be able to concentrate solely on your graphics in the near future. I just don't like the uncertainty of not having a fixed income to fall back on. The main thing is this, it's better to regret something you have done, than something you haven't. Oh and no, I don't have any qualifications regarding art, I'm totally self taught.

If you don´t have the opportunity to take courses, the best way to get noticed is to spread your work through online galleries where potential clients may look for artists. CG Society for example is a good place to start. 

I´ve never looked for CG work. People usually spot some image somewhere that they like and contact me. I´ve also been a little lucky a few times when i´ve sent some stuff for a magazine gallery, and got a job offer in return.

Having no degrees is not a problem if you freelance, but if you´re looking for something full time, it can sometimes be an obstacle. Beeing self taught, i´ve had to turn down job offers from a few of the nicer studios in the states because of green card issues. 
There are some tideous workarounds to that though , if you think a job is worth it.

My first Bryce commission was as a result of answering a cry for help. Worked out well too.

I was then asked to design a friend's kitchen and I used Bryce to produce the views because I knew that people sometimes can't read blue-prints.

When I decided to produce bespoke stationary for extra money I asked a guy I knew where he got his crappy flyers from and told him I could do better. He took me up on my offer and the work came in from word of mouth. Now I work for charities who need publications/programmes/flyers and posters, and the odd website. I recently produced a Bryce pic from blueprints so our local church folks could get a better idea of what the 'information kiosk' they were having built would look like......

**1) Do you have any degrees? **

I have a B.A. in literature/writing, which doesn't really pertain to my graphic design work. It looks impressive on a résumé, though. Employers know you're fairly intelligent and can see a project through.

I don't feel a degree is necessary to do my line of work, however. (I'm an art director, cover artist, and freelance graphic designer.) All you need is a good eye for art and design and a good working knowledge of the tools -- i.e., the software. After that, you need the actual working experience, so whatever work you can get, use that as a launching pad to get even more work. The more experience you have, the better you look to potential employers, and pretty soon the lack of the right degree will hardly matter.

2) What did you do to get a client? Did the client just happen to be browsing your gallery and offered the assignment to you? Did you go out looking for clients and if so how?

I didn't do anything in particular to get my first client. After posting my art and writing pretty regularly on my blog, my first client contacted me. He commissioned me to do a cartoon illustration of him. I had a few more occasional clients after that, every one of them initiating the contact and proposing the project. This sort of work is not steady, however, as you are dealing directly with the consumer so are at the whim of their pocketbooks. They only buy when they're flush. The work you do is not a necessity for them, but a luxury.

After a while, I went looking for clients I knew would require my work fairly regularly. I queried at publishers as a potential cover artist and managed to get a contract or two. This is called a B2B connection -- a business to business kind of deal. You can get the same kind of deal at t-shirt shops, poster shops, gift card shops, and the like. If you can find places that will regularly need artwork, you should query there with a portfolio of samples that would match what they normally put out.

Most commercial art isn't of knights/space battles... Quite a lot of it is used to sell some product, not the art itself. 

You think you need a degree. Here’s your 5 minute degree in commercial art. 

Take an old Frazetta Conan cover, the kind where Conan staring down a giant tiger. There's usually some nearly naked chick twined around his calf, staring lustily at his bulging biceps. Your assignment will be to change it to commercial art.

Dress the girl; after all we have to at least pretend we're appealing to the higher brain functions. She needs to still be naked, just clothed. A good 3/4 profile that silhouettes the curve of her breasts works well. A polka dot or flower print dress with dots that just happen to be placed at the correct spots can also suggest what’s hidden. Rather than show her thighs outright give her legs a good wide stance. Put her in a mid length skirt but curl the edge up like a gust of wind is about to blow the whole thing up. A promise is better than the real thing. Your brain can imagine a hundred possibilities of what will happen next. If you actually show it you will have only one result and disappoint the 99% of the ad viewers that expected something else.

Our heroine is like Jessica Rabbit. “I’m not a bad girl; I’m just drawn that way!” The girl is ultimately you/the ad viewer. You’re not a slut! (even if you are.)  It is the natural order of things that the most deserving be endowed with an over abundance of grace, sex appeal, money, or whatever you are trying to sell in the ad. Nobles’ oblige requires you never come right out and say this however. It’s a twist of divine fate not extensive cosmetic surgery they look like Pam Anderson. Sultry vamps never look sultry, they always look scared, concerned, contemplative, or like their oldest bestest friend who just happens to be a priest just walked through the door.

Replace Conan with your product. The product must still be heroic. The glistening sweat of his biceps needs to become the gleam of the ultra whiter-than-white enamel finish of the new FrigereaX ultra massive side by side refrigerator. His shining broadsword becomes the easy-grasp chrome door handle. His massive belt buckle, the space-saving side-by-side water and ice in the door. His golden headband becomes a light source centered on the background behind the top of the fridge. The edges of the piece should get progressively darker, suggesting the only security lies in the center with the Hero/fridge. Your product should still tower above our heroine to keep the savage beast at bay.

The tiger represents loss. As Zig Ziglar said, “The fear of loss outweighs the desire for gain.” Tell someone that a product will make them prettier, healthier, anythingier.. and they’ll ignore you. Tell them, “Gladys down the street is got it first! Now she looks better than you.” and they just have to knock her off her throne. The tiger becomes, “them! The Smith’s trying to keep up with your Jones.” Put them below you/the non-naked girl and the product/hero. They can be as subtle as vague eyes in the dark or shadows reaching toward the hero. They could be physically absent but suggested in the ad copy. Like the skirt they should never be too concrete or draw attention from the hero. A vague threat can be filled in with Gladys (I’m gonna’ take Tom to the dance), Momma (Stand up straight! You’ll never be good enough if you don’t...), or whatever the viewer is most afraid of.

So here’s your 5 minute art degree diploma. The rest is just composition and perspective that you already know.

Biggest think most people I know would say is a decent show reel even if it's stills strung together not animated stuff.

Have quite a few friends who are full timers, I just pick up the odd bit here and there in my spare time (4 contracts this year), but I like my day job in software engineering so I'm happy to keep this as a hobby in the background. For me I've done 3 architectural jobs this year and one product visualisation (i.e. pre-prototype). These are from regular clients who know me directly, so not things that I've won, also one thing I've noticed in the pre-viz and the architecture work is that they want to own the copyright of the image. At some point I'm going to do an architecture piece or pre-viz piece that is just for my gallery here....

All my qualifications are in electronics and software so not relevant.

Sorry for the silly reply earlier. It really has a grain of truth to it.

Good work counts for more than a degree. All a degree tells an employer is you managed to sit still for four years and finish what was assigned.

Freelance what? There are lots of aspects to commercial art. 

Selling to other artists. 
Renderosity has a lot of items for sale. They take a hefty commission but handle all the paperwork. After your original software purchases and your time to create there is no cash out. It may be slow going however. You can only list a few items until you sell a few hundred bucks worth of stuff. There are lots of people buying naked Vicki stuff but few buying stagecoaches. It may be a choice between making money and doing what you want to do.

Finished work in newspapers and magazines.
Most of tabloids use still photo or traditional media like pencil or colors. If you can digital paint or filter to look like a certain style that's good. The editor will have his own style and you should have a portfolio that has the kind of work you see in the publication you target. You are not going to persuade someone who likes soft focus pieces to suddenly switch to a photo journalist style.
I've only seen intern jobs posted most places. You can wait forever for an ad and get in that way or just cold call. Lot’s of better jobs are never advertised. If it’s a company you really like it will show in your work. If you get a no, don’t walk off, ask why? It could be something you can fix.

Charities and non-profits.
Charity work pays nothing, but it puts you and your work next to people who can hand you well paying jobs. I did a newspaper for a local non profit. They handed me a copy of Quark to typeset with. When I handed the pressman the print run he told me they were paying $35K for a typesetter who could use Quark. I've met lots of rich people by doing fliers and posters for The American Cancer Society. Only really well off people have enough money they can give their time away. You'd be surprised how many Architects and bankers that pay thousands for a render of their new office building also volunteer at soup kitchens, etc. 

Hope this gives you some ideas.

I've been looking at http://getafreelancer.com and similar sights. Even put in a few bids but didn't win any as I have no portfolio to speak of nor a website which I am working on. But it has given me practice on what people are looking for in the way of virtual reality (IE 3D renders), banners, logos and so on.

With Poser, Photshop and Vue I can basically imitate any style of art for example a pencil drawing from Poser 5. It's working on a portfolio ATM that is a hurdle for me.