Hi Guys,

Im 24 living in the UK. I have GCSEs and AS levels.

Currently in a dead end job in a call centre.

I am always learning new things and have a lot of skills, but because I have taught myself I have no qualifications of certificates to show for them.

These include, Graphic Design, 3D design and animation, Video Editing, Special Effects, Music Creation.. the list goes on.

Leaving my job or even taking a small cut in wages will mean I need to give up my house that I live in with my long term partner and is not an option.

I have not got the finances to go through a University course which will take 3 years full time education to learn subjects that I already have a good grasp of .

Are there ways of being assessed on skills you already know so that I can sit a private test or compile coursework to be submitted for degree level qualifications?

I am mainly interested in the creative or graphics industry.

I can do ten times more than an average office admin but find it difficult to even get these jobs because I have nothing to prove it.

Any help would be much appreciated.

I think your best bet is to apply for those types on jobs in person. Tell them that although you do not have the certificates for the position that you can prove your competency. This is not unheard of, trust me.

It is going to cost money to get formal credentials even if you find a place that will accept your portfolio as evidence of your competence (why would they do this for free?). Why not instead consider building a graphics career online as a freelancer while you keep your day job?

There are a number of sites where you can put up a portfolio of your work and bid on projects. My suggestion would be to start small, and work up from there: bid on small projects (say, company logos) and build a reputation on these sites. If you're good and have an impressive portfolio, you should be able to bid competitively for these jobs. The following are good and reliable sites for freelancers:

Creative Shake (http://www.creativeshake.com/)
Elance (http://www.elance.com)
Guru (http://www.guru.com)
Contracted Work (http://www.contractedwork.com/)

The first three have free membership options, but if you are serious about getting the best projects you need a paid subscription to bid on them. The fourth only offers paid membership options. Elance is particularly good at providing community resources for its members that help them land projects.

I would also suggest building an online portfolio if you have any website design skills (even if you don't, I can suggest website design packages for Windows or Mac OS that are easy to use and provide professional results). That way you can give people the link to your online portfolio - a good thing to have on a business card even if you're applying for jobs locally.

Thanks for the replies guys,


vingogly, I have actually already used Guru for some freelance work. I spent the best part of 6 months bidding on projects every week while I was unemployed and resulted in 0 jobs.

I think it is a catch 22, I have no portfolio so people are reluctant to give work ro me, and I never get work so have not got portfolio to show future employers.

I know any formal Qualifications will cost money, I'm not too concerned about that as it will be made back once I am qualified and employable, the main thing that concerns me is the courses being 4 - 5 years which I cannot afford to spend on full time education.

Should never have ventures as deep into a subject without deciding to do it properly and being recognised for it.

Damn my perpetual thirst for knowledge!

vingogly, I have actually already used Guru for some freelance work. I spent the best part of 6 months bidding on projects every week while I was unemployed and resulted in 0 jobs.

Guru and Elance are hard to get into. You have to build a reputation to get the better gigs, which means starting small and lowballing jobs. Obviously, there are people getting gigs on these boards but I agree, it ain't easy.

Vasily