Green

Editor's note: Today, our intrepid former intern and junior designer, Sam Jiang, leaves the sunny skies of Edmonton to pursue his Bachelor of Design at Emily Carr University in Vancouver.

Sam completed the Design Studies program at Grant MacEwan University this June. We asked him to share some of his experiences as a recent graduate, and the newest member of team YP. Congratulations to Sam, and best of luck on the west coast!

Green.

The past three years have gone by too quickly. I recently attended my graduation ceremony, along with nearly 90 other classmates who have completed the Design Studies program at Grant MacEwan University. We celebrated our shared experiences as a class – all the sketches, critiques, revisions, foosball breaks, and even more sketches… 

This isn't the easiest time to be a fledgling designer, as I'm sure any other recent graduate can attest. Upon graduation, you think about securing that first job in the industry you've worked hard preparing for. You can either be confident in the skills you've gained and eager to start, or you can be stressed and anxious knowing that there probably aren't enough job openings to accommodate every graduate.

I'm extremely lucky to be starting my professional career here at Yellow Pencil. Not only does it provide a great working environment, but the team here at YP makes this job rock! In the few months that I've been here, I've learned more than I have in an entire year at school. Everyone on the team is always happy to help, or to grab a coffee, or to just have a good laugh and I find that these things are part of what made the transition from the classroom to the office nearly seamless. It's been fun so far and I'm always eager to learn more, but I definitely feel very privileged to be here as part of the YP team.