Studying art and design at university opens the door on an array of different career opportunities for graduates. If you are graduating soon, you should spend some time considering all of these different opportunities, before you make a final decision about your future path in life.

Taking a look at the different careers that are available to you helps you to get a better understanding of how you should put your talents to use. Here are some career ideas to provide you with the inspiration that you need.

Creating Interior Designs
If you have been studying art and design for several years, you probably have a well-defined idea of style, and good attention to detail. You can put these skills to use by choosing a career in interior design. There are many companies out there that are looking for people with talent and enthusiasm. You just need to find a role that is best suited to you.

Alternatively, you could decide to go out on your own. You can create your own niche in the industry by choosing to specialise. For instance, you may want to design luxury kitchens, kit out offices or create fun designs for children’s rooms.

Working in Art Therapy
In recent years, art therapy has become more popular as a means of helping people deal with, or overcome, issues such as mental health problems, addiction or behavioural difficulties. Art therapists help these people to get a better understanding of their issues and to talk about them.

Most art therapists work with people in places such as hospitals and prisons where they have access to a selection of people who they can assist. If working in this area interests you then you need to supplement your art and design training with further training in the area of psychology.

Getting Involved with Art Administration
If you are about to graduate with a degree in art and design, getting involved in art administration may be a good idea. It’s a way of becoming involved with the art world. You can then develop your ongoing career.

There are art administration roles available in many different organisations and businesses and many of these roles require a knowledge of art. This means that you can make use of the knowledge that you have. You can also develop other skills that will be useful thought-out your career, such as teamwork, self-motivation, analytical ability, self-marketing and problem-solving.

Becoming an Art Valuer
If you developed an interest in fine art, while you were studying, working as an art valuer could be a good choice of career for you. Art valuers work for auction houses and art galleries and they are often employed as auctioneers as well.

This is an interesting and rewarding career to get into but you may have to be patient to get started. Often, the best way of getting in the door at an auction house is to apply for work as an assistant or look for a graduate scheme.

Developing a Career as an Artist
If you have a real talent for art and design then why not consider putting it to use?  It may be difficult to make a living as an artist or designer but it’s not impossible. You can build a career in art.

In order to do so, you need to have an open view to the world of art and try out different techniques and ideas. It also helps to become part of a like-minded community of artists, so that you can support each other’s efforts.

Be prepared to start your career as an artist while you have other employment to support you. This gives you the financial stability you need to spend time developing your skills and promoting your work.

In Summary
If you have worked hard to become an art and design graduate, you do not want the effort to be wasted. The good news is that there are many different career opportunities available for art graduates. This means that you can put the skills you have developed to use creating a career path that you are suited to.

Ideally, you should spend some time researching your options before you complete your studies. For instance, you could contact local auction houses about graduate programmes that are available. You could also apply for art administration roles in order to take your first step into a career in the art world. The most important thing is to start planning the steps that you need to take as soon as possible.