# I dont know what to do from here!! which college classes should I take?



## r5e5n5o (Oct 6, 2007)

ive got a situation here guys, next month i have to sign up for college (im a newbie to the bizz) problem is that im not sure what classes i should take. i need to take classes that will make my bizz grow. i figured asking you guys would help. so far the one ive been thinking of going with is marketing or buisness but i dont think i would really enjoy it to much which makes me wonder if i should take some sort of class that has a hands on program on working with shirts n whatnot. so yea w/e you guys think is the best set up for classes i should do then let me know =]


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## sonambulo (Sep 22, 2007)

*Re: I dont know what to do from here!! =[*

could take class on graphic design, silkscreenin, business management, these are at least a few classess in my school


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## kchaze (Mar 8, 2007)

*Re: I dont know what to do from here!! =[*

You should think about focusing on marketing and business classes as well as industrial arts. Having great printing skills alone won't grow a business. You need a good balance of skill, creativity and marketing to be successful.


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## r5e5n5o (Oct 6, 2007)

thanx alot for the input i think im deff gunna stick to the buisness/marketing end of it.


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## TripleT (Apr 29, 2007)

> You need a good balance of skill, creativity and marketing to be successful.


Good point. Even if you're a business major you still need electives. A graphics course would be very helpful.


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## kchaze (Mar 8, 2007)

Agreed..........


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## Unik Ink (Nov 21, 2006)

It depends on how you want to structure your business. I was an art major. I do all of my own art and run the business too. If you are going to hire an artist, then you don't necessarily need art classes, but it would still be helpful. If you are planning on running the whole thing yourself, then I would go the art route. I started my company with very very little money, am competitive pricewise but definately not the lowest, but have a huge edge on artwork. I have never taken a business class, do my accounting in quickbooks, do basic common sense marketing, and am slowly growing my business. I have a customer (school) that switched their business to me, and has sold twice as many shirts to annual events compared to past years because of artwork. I'm sure they were getting shirts a little bit cheaper before, but the design quality was bad. The art courses that I think I learned the most from were 2-dimensional design, printmaking, graphic design 1,2,3, & computer image making 1,2,3. Also, if you're doing printing just logos and basic clipart designs, a beginner design course to learn the programs would be sufficient, but if you're doing alot of custom design, I would broaden my knowledge of art and design principles. It really does help. Sometimes I just cringe when I see a design with multiple awful fonts or just horrible color schemes. haha. Thats just my $.02


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## r5e5n5o (Oct 6, 2007)

wow thanx man, im glad i posted this now i can really look through my class choices and make sure i make the right choice, n yea im gunna try n balance out the art and the buisness mostly sticking to the art cuz thats what im good at and ive always figured my commen sense could help me along the way in the buisness end either way my dad can help with the buisness stuff ha.

THANXX


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## SunEmbroidery (Oct 18, 2007)

Other possible class electives that might be helpful in the future:

1. Industrial Engineering - you'll gain a better understanding how to set-up a shop & run it efficently.

2. Web Design - if you plan to have a web site.


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## kriscad (Dec 18, 2006)

accouting.... marketing


and a course in street smarts!


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## comingup (Sep 21, 2007)

What is street smarts? Im just curious what you think they are


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## uberchupacabre (Jun 5, 2007)

ImageIt said:


> I'd suggest you get a strong education in computers which should include really learning to program a computer. The best one to start with would be javascript, because it can both be used to script adobe illustrator and also used to script web sites.
> 
> By learning to program a computer, you learn to think like the computer and once you learn to think like the computer, you will better understand how to create art with the computer. It will also open the door to a future sure to be filled with more and more computers.
> 
> fred


Javascript? How exactly do you use javascript with illustrator? I've been making websites and designing on illustrator for years and never needed to learn javascript.


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## uberchupacabre (Jun 5, 2007)

ImageIt said:


> It would be similar to say. I've worked for years without knowing the spanish language so i don't understand why i should learn Spanish.


I think it is more like I live in Canada and I've worked for years without knowing Spanish. Should I spend my time trying to learn Spanish, something that won't help me out because not very many speak Spanish here in Canada. Or should I use my time more wisely and learn French instead. (I don't actually live in Canada)

I just don't see the benefits of knowing javascript justifying the amount of time it takes to learn it, and I wouldn't suggest someone that wants to learn about making t-shirts, websites, and the adobe products to spend their time learning javascript.


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## Unik Ink (Nov 21, 2006)

ImageIt said:


> A similar argument could be made against the whole going to college thing. Why waste money on education, when it could be better spent on equipment. Why would anyone spend tens of thousands of dollars to learn to use illustrator or make web pages.
> 
> fred


It's not just learning the programs. You learn the principles of art and design. Anyone can learn Illustrator and Photoshop, but not everyone has good design skills. The graphic designers for Nike, Budweiser, Disney etc. aren't making millions of dollars a year just because they know how to use the programs.


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## gmille39 (Oct 18, 2006)

comingup said:


> What is street smarts? Im just curious what you think they are


Kind of like negotiating skills, savy, etc.


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## dmatsel (Nov 8, 2007)

I would definitely take some English Classes. Writing, spelling, capitalization and punctuation are very important in any business correspondence that you will have to do with customers, bankers, wholesalers, etc. It is probably the most overlooked, but most important class you can take no matter what business you are going to go into.


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