Hi, going to share some hard truths of the industry but will try to do so with the utmost care. I’m going to touch on some subjects where you might need to self analyze, followed by some industry trends.

1. Self analyze

It will take work to reflect on what you can do to remain relevant in the industry or level up your career. I will start by saying I am a designer with over 10 years of industry experience and I’ve had to pivot about 3 times in my career into new specializations, skills, and higher pay.

If you’re at the five year mark, first and foremost you should be considering if your current specialization is highly valuable or commonplace for clients or employers.

I saw in another thread that you design ads. In a corporate or agency job, social media and paid ads are a very tiny fraction of responsibilities that a visual designer might have.

If you’ve been mostly working independently as a contractor and not within a team, you should strongly consider applying for entry level design jobs on a team where you can grow. Contracting, corporate, small business, agencies, and startups are all distinctly different and have different demands. Five years of experience as an independent contractor will have different value in an agency versus a corporate setting.

You don’t have to take my advice, but you would be doing yourself a disservice if you only looked at years of experience as a metric for growth. You should also be looking at things that also determine the qualities of your contributions and the opportunities you’ve had.

2. Industry trends

In the coming years for better or for worse, generative AI will eliminate a significant portion of visual design labor that produces derivative work, like paid ads, popular illustration styles, and conventional user interface.

Companies have bought into this promise very early, even if the tools at our disposal are still rough. What that means is that the value of labor on the production side will be significantly reduced, because one person will be expected to do more with new tools.

The job market is tough, but contract positions will likely increase during an economic downturn, as opposed to full time roles. That being said, you better be the best at what you do and be able to communicate that. If you specialize in design in marketing, that could mean a grasp of digital omnichannel design strategy and a clear plan for executing it, testing it, and expressing a brand’s presence faithfully.

3. Other considerations

Graphic design might have to be a subset of your professional career. Take it from others who have also studied it and are thriving— it’s just one small tool in their toolbox.

For a small portion it’s honing their craft but also becoming valued for their communication and creative point of view.

For others, it’s also their ability to manage and execute complex chunks of work, teams, and key stakeholders.

For most folks, it’s accepting that what you study does not have to be what you do to make a living. That doesn’t mean that design doesn’t have its value in your life. It just takes a different form, like a hobby, a sub skill, or a way to see the world differently.

Best of luck.