I have a family, my daughter just turned one year old. I am supporting my family on just my salary as a web designer but here are the sacrifices I'm currently making:

1. Paying for my own health care (company's health care plan sux)
2. Living in a 1br apt for all three of us to save on rent (Southern California rents are outrageous)
3. Have two very fuel efficient cars. :)

The Graphic Design profession itself, unless you are a senior designer or at a larger company, makes it tough on a family because it just doesn't pay well in most markets. I've seen Admin Assistant jobs that pay more than those for graphic designers.

You can always make it work, but being a Graphic Designer without any other skills (web being a good one to have these days) makes it super tough. That's why I became a web designer so I could make more money.

Most of the graphic designers I know work full time and do freelance on the side to make ends meet. You end up working a lot more than 40 hours just to pay the bills.

Go to http://www.indeed.com to find jobs in your area; some have salary offerings. To see salaries in your area, go to http://www.salary.com.

Hope that helps.

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Powerpoint is not a design application

Both my husband and I work in the field. We have a very nice home, 2 kids, a dog... it's a good, decent living (no new cars or anything, they've been paid off since before we got married).

You can always work for a company plus have freelance on the side if you need to make ends meet. We do fine the way we are though, if we had a 3rd kid, we'd be paying more in childcare than one of us makes.

Will your wife work outside the home? A guy at my work can pull off keeping his wife at home with their kid (credit cards are helping). But, we couldn't do it on just one income. Where you work as well as what exactly you're doing really determines a lot. And remember, unless you have connections, it's going to be a while before you get your first gig. I was out of school for a year and a half before I got my first real job. Others I know who had internships around the time they were finished with school got hired after graduating.

Good luck and keep us posted. Marry a doctor... ;)

There are a lot of factors involved - such as cost of living in your area, the payscale in your area for designers, your niche in design and how much you wish to put into it.

As nattobosso said, web and development really is a good place to be to make descent money.

If you only devote enough time to be a designer, then you will only make 35-60k + or -.

If you push hard, work a ton and are always learning, you may be able to put yourself in the position as a creative director, or owner of a firm and make significantly more than 60k.

The other large factor is asking yourself what kind of lifestyle you want to live. If you want a new BMW every other year...marry a doctor.

Half of being a designer/developer IS enjoying what you do and not loathing work every day!

Cheers,

Bret

I'll be glad to elaborate on any of these, but most should be self-explanatory.

1. If working from home, have a dedicated work area with a door. Have a lock on the door and use it. A separate entrance for clients is a plus.

2. Work time is work time. Family time is Family time. If clients call after hours, send them to voicemail.

3. Working from home is not a substitute for Daycare.

4. Don't use debt for anything other than the house. Pay cash for everything else. If you don't have the cash, make-do with what you have and save-up.

5. Live simply and practically on purpose.

6. Have a hobby that forces you to leave the house.

7. Put your kids to work and pay them for it. My 12 year old has been editing video professionally for 3 years. She buys her own iPods. :)

8. Keep home and business accounts, budgets, expenditures and income separate. You'll thank me at tax time.

9. Don't get involved if you notice the Rotor Rooter Man and the lady across the street are having an affair. Just trust me on this one.

10. Enjoy the lifestyle that you've created for yourself and your family. I often hear, "It must be nice..." Yeah. It is. It's Very nice. :)

Terry Thornhill

e-zign Design Group

Yes, more on #9 please. :)

Terry, you're the man. This list is awesome. Your studio is too.

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Powerpoint is not a design application

Terry, great story my friend. Man! Hope the cheating neighbor didn't come a knockin on your door!

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Powerpoint is not a design application

My wife and i are both creative pro's and we manage to keep the lights on and the bills paid. We have 2 kids and enjoy being home for them when they get home from school and able to be there for them when they need us.

I agree with the comments made above and would just like to add the location factor. With the advent of the internet it's allowed us to work for people all over the world without the expense of a "brick & mortar" studio. This allows a family to choose an area with an affordable cost of living and work at wages of a major city (as long as you skill level and experience is up to par). This also supports your fellow creative pros by not undercutting them. Just remember to stock pile that extra cash for when the slow times come.

i make a decent living inhouse. i do occasional freelance work (including one very large $25k job over 18 months in my "spare" time) to supplement. i would be comfortable at my salary by myself. it would be a lot tougher raising a family in this area (DC) on that money (but doable, people get by on far less for a family). but my wife makes significantly more than i do (and has better long-term prospects for exponential increases).

now, if I lived somewhere less expensive, this salary would go a *whole* lot further. and if i wanted to buy a house now instead of 10 years ago, i'd be in trouble. scary when "starter houses" are close to a half million now around here. :(

freelance money let's me do things for myself (like the downpayment for my truck). speaking of which, i need to find another one of those "big, long-term" freelance projects like the one i mentioned above. the house needs work. ;)

Hey there.

I've just made a jump to graphic and web design after being a mainframe IT analyst for over a decade at a large bank. Admittedly my design business is just starting out but I don't think raising a family as a graphic artist is any different than raising a young family in many other professions.

Increasingly employers (in Toronto at least) expect their professional employees to be work long hours regardless of whether or not you have kids. Sure, it's doable if you have an obliging spouse to take care of the home front but few women seem to have this support. (My apologies to all you enlightened males out there). I have a 6 year old for which I'm the primary caregiver as my partner works nights and weekends and my job became a nightmare once I became a parent. Work-life balance isn't a priority for many work places.

The great thing about being a graphic designer is that you can freelance and work the hours that work best for your family.

But the real question is: Do you love graphic design? If so, do it! You'd be amazed at how little money you can live on when you're doing what you love.

Best of luck.

I've worked in small to medium agencies, I've worked in corporate in-house situations, now I'm with a small design studio. I also have several friends doing it on their own and are very happy with the freedom it provides them.

The key is working for and with the right people. My boss (owner of the studio) is very adamant about employees having a family life. We work hard and sometimes long hours, but we're never expected to sacrifice our families for it (unlike most of the agencies I've worked at). We go through busy spurts, but I make all the soccer games, take off early to get the kids to practice, or the ortho if necessary. I can always do some work from home or come back later if necessary. It all depends on the mindset and the culture of the workplace. A hard-nose adshop will work you to death and expect you sleep on a cot (or in my case, nap on the floor). Some people have the "do what you gotta do" attitude to make you feel guilty for having a family. In the corporate world, it's usually not a problem for in-house designers - you have the same number of hours for sick/vacation as everyone else, it just depends on how important your in-house duties are to corporate.

Here's what I've found from a salary and family friendly standpoint (keep in mind, much of this depends on the size of the company, the local market and the people running the show):

• Ad Agency - pays very good - works your arse off, reasonably good benefits, room for growth, decent pay raises and bonuses, you will likely sleep in your office at some point.
• In-House - pays well - typically 8-5 unless you work for a design oriented marketing team (Starbucks, GAP, etc.) Good benefits, less growth opportunities, may or may not be family friendly depending on corporate culture.
• Design Studio - decent pay - typically on lower end, more casual atmosphere (all this relates to less than 10 employees), less than stellar benefits, good bonuses, good growth opportunities, find the right boss and help them grow their business!
• Freelance - typically the bottom of the pay scale - but not always. More freedom to work when you want, with people you want. You control your schedule. No benefits, no bonuses, no annual salary increase, but more opportunities for family time. You will work a lot! The plus side to this is the growth aspect - if you want the business to grow you could eventually be running your own studio or agency - then you get to determine what family means to you and your employees.

Just my 2 cents from my 10+ years of experience - your mileage may vary :)
Good luck.

and it comes from all avenues, some from experience and some through just talking to people.

AIGA has been my best avenue, in many ways. at least one full-time job came directly from an AIGA contact. when i was freelancing, i got fill-in gigs in studios from AIGA, referrals from other AIGA members (either when they were too busy or when i was a better fit for the work), and just good advice when i had questions (either on the local AIGA listserv or just calling people and asking). just knowing other designers/art directors/studio owners because of my involvement in AIGA gave me tons of opportunities that i wouldn't otherwise have had.

if you don't have AIGA where you are, find other organizations and take the opportunity to involve yourself. just joining is nice, but you actually have to go to events, meet people, put yourself out there. if you've made friends in school, make it a point to stay in contact. same with people you've gotten to know at work. you never know when they can be useful contacts down the line. i've gotten freelance work from editors i worked with at one job after they left and moved to another company. they remembered liking my work and enjoying working with me and contacted me later. but you have to keep up with them to make that work.