Three Otis College Alums Share How They Got Their Jobs After Graduation
“What made me especially competitive was the Swiss army knife-like quality of my portfolio. I credit Otis for that.”
Alissa Maldonado, Charlie Utter, and Emma Diffley are all employed in roles they specifically trained for while at Otis College. The three alumni leveraged the technical and interpersonal skills they learned in their classes along with internships and networking opportunities. Relationships with faculty and Career Services staff members rounded out their job preparation. And the hard work paid off. Here they share their job stories and offer advice for current students on how to prepare for life after Otis College in the first of a new blog series for Otis.edu.
Alissa Maldonado (’21 BFA Toy Design)
Girls Product Designer, MGA Entertainment
“I got my current job through a series of both being in the ‘right place and time’
and my connections to other Otis alumni. My coworker, an Otis alumni and classmate,
was roommates with another Otis alumni who knew of a job opening at MGA on my dream
team, Rainbow High. My former manager also had a connection there and was able to give me a recommendation.
I was very fortunate to have so many people looking out for me after I had gotten
laid off from a previous job. I didn’t have time to update my portfolio or my website,
and, due to NDAs, I couldn’t share many of the things I was working on. But I was
able to cobble together a few approved items to show—mostly concepts and development
pages. At Otis, one of the things we were always told was that employers didn’t just
want to see a finished product, they wanted to see how we got there. I firmly believe
that the development pages I was able to show from my portfolio really sold me as
someone who would be an asset in the day-to-day work of designing.
The development pages I was able to show from my portfolio really sold me as someone who would be an asset in the day-to-day work of designing.” —Alissa Maldonado (’21 BFA Toy Design)
Speed is an essential skill I developed at Otis. My job is very fast paced; things are constantly changing. Being able to pivot and juggle many assignments has translated well into real-life projects managing multiple SKUs and being on time for big presentations. Another essential skill is collaboration; we work in teams. In Toy Design, sitting with your classmates and being able to have that space to talk with others and brainstorm is so crucial to working with people and departments in real life.
As for advice for students, mine is to be excited about your work. If you’re excited, it will help your employer be excited too. Know what your strongest assets are and show them why they need you. But, on the flipside, know your limits and set boundaries. Your mental and physical health are important, so take breaks, eat, and do things that make you happy outside of your career. Lastly, keep updating your resume and portfolio. You never know when you might need it, and life gets busy fast.”
Charlie Utter (’23 BFA Communication Arts, Graphic Design, Product Design)
Senior Brand Designer, LA28 Olympic and Paralympic Games
“I got my job through LinkedIn. I was probably 150 applications deep, just throwing
whatever I could at the wall to see what stuck since I was miserable at my previous
job. I saw an opening for the Olympics, thought to myself, ‘There’s absolutely no
way I’m getting that,’ and tossed in a resume anyway. Three months later I was handed
a laptop to design for the Games. I was told when I was hired that what made me especially
competitive was the Swiss army knife-like quality of my portfolio. They liked knowing
I could work on anything. I credit Otis for that.
The faculty at Otis shaped my thinking in a way that has allowed me to be a bit of a jack-of-all-trades. They pushed us heavily in creative problem-solving. With any client, project, or design, we utilize our skills as a tool to find a solution for the client. That’s the consistent through-line in every medium I’ve ever worked in and in every job I’ve ever had. There is a lot that goes into a creative career outside of pure artistic talent. There’s language you have to understand, compromises with clients, long hours, and seemingly impossible problems. I was primed for all of this prior to leaving Otis and it made a huge difference in the first, very tough, years of my career.
I get questions constantly about AI. It’s an incredibly useful tool. It will replace jobs, but those jobs weren’t worth the skills you’d bring anyway.” —Charlie Utter, (’23 BFA Communication Arts, Graphic Design, Product Design)
I get questions constantly about AI. It’s an incredibly useful tool. It will replace jobs, but those jobs weren’t worth the skills you’d bring anyway. If you’re scared of it, play around with it. Familiarize yourself with it, find where it fits in your practice, find flaws, and work with it—not against it.
Advice I have for students is to learn to communicate your artistic intentions and practice with others. Design is sales as much as it’s art. The vast majority of your clients will not be designers and will not have the education that you have. Before you leave school, get comfortable talking to industry heads, CMOs, marketing managers, and other designers when you have the opportunity. Talk to people in public. Talk to the barista at the coffee shop. Train yourself in public speaking. These exercises are direct practice sessions for real-world scenarios you may find yourself in daily.
Emma Diffley (’21 BFA Fine Arts, Painting, Entrepreneurship)
Associate Curator, Wende Museum
“I found my current job through a website called ArtsForLA. It’s an online job platform similar to Indeed, but catered to art jobs. Fine Arts
Chair Meg Cranston was one of my referrals. I worked with her for a few months after
I graduated.
While I was in school, I thought a lot about how to prepare for the job market. I visited Career Services to learn how to prepare my resume, took classes in other departments like Product Design, got a minor in Entrepreneurship, and had two internships while in school. I was really focused on getting as much skills and experience as possible, even when I didn’t really know what I wanted to do after school. Faculty members were helpful because I asked them a lot of questions about how to prepare for a career. I didn’t have to submit a portfolio, but, because of my experience with product design and entrepreneurship, I had a website, which, along with my resume and cover letter, were the tools that I used to apply for my job.
I have learned that technical skills are the most important and useful skills that you can have and that employers are looking for.” —Emma Diffley (’21 BFA Fine Arts, Painting, Entrepreneurship)
My advice for current students is to get as much real-life advice from your professors as you can. Your professors can be your source for referrals later on. Some professors may know of jobs and resources. Take any class for technical skills that you can. Take classes in other departments. I have learned that technical skills are the most important and useful skills that you can have and that employers are looking for. Go to Career Services to set up your resume, learn how to write a cover letter, and look at job boards. Get an internship. Make a personal website where you log all of your work and where future employers can find you and learn about you.”
More information about Careers and Outcomes for Otis College graduates.
