Question for those who work in the design industry...

[Brodel]

When I look for junior jobs in the digital design industry, they seem to want someone who is an expert at indesign, photoshop, illustrator, flash and has a excellent knowledge of html and css. Is this realistic?

Does anyone here work in this industry and know if you are expected to work at a high level across so many different platforms as a junior?

[threetonesun]

Assuming you've gotten any schooling, that doesn't seem unreasonable, depending on how much Flash experience they expect. TBH I would expect anyone with a digital or design background to understand the fundamentals of HTML and CSS.

[jamieakers]

When I look for junior jobs in the digital design industry, they seem to want someone who is an expert at indesign, photoshop, illustrator, flash and has a excellent knowledge of html and css. Is this realistic?

Does anyone here work in this industry and know if you are expected to work at a high level across so many different platforms as a junior?

My other half is in a similar position to yourself in looking for a junior job in the same industry. Again, she has found that her degree and limited experience are counting against her. She knows the tools, but no company wants to employ her despite having a good education because they want 5+ years experience. Getting a foothold on the ladder is extremely difficult when companies know they can advertise junior positions and those that have recently been made redundant and have experience will take the position knowing its either accept the pay-cut or risk having no job at all.

[the better twin]

My other half is in a similar position to yourself in looking for a junior job in the same industry. Again, she has found that her degree and limited experience are counting against her. She knows the tools, but no company wants to employ her despite having a good education because they want 5+ years experience. Getting a foothold on the ladder is extremely difficult when companies know they can advertise junior positions and those that have recently been made redundant and have experience will take the position knowing its either accept the pay-cut or risk having no job at all.

This. I saw a job advertising Junior Front End Developer, but in the essential column they say 3+ years experience. How is that junior? They are just trying to get experienced people on the cheap.

[threetonesun]

9 times out of 10 they don't need as much experience as they're asking for, and it's worth applying anyway. Basically, no one wants to post 0 years experience jobs because you'll get a glut of unqualified applicants / people expecting to be trained on the job.

[Brodel]

Yea, I'll still apply to the jobs but I just wondered if people worked in these industries and saw juniors coming through the door and being incredibly good at so many different programmes. I guess I'll find out in the near future...

[Arpit]

i've noticed that having a portfolio of your work goes a long way in the design industry, simply because employers follow the time-tested rule of thumb "more experience = more skills" which isn't always the case, so if you have something concrete to show them they can at least see and assess your calibre against their requirements.