Alumni Spotlight:

Photo Courtesy of James Daniels. 

“The important thing is to try again if you don’t succeed. Go back to the drawing board and ask yourself why I wasn’t selected?  Make adjustments accordingly and try again.  I live by the following quote. Dream. Believe. Do. Repeat.” 

That’s the advice that James Michael Daniels has for current and potential students at Concord University. Daniels is currently a web and graphic designer at the United States Department of Defense in Washington D.C.. Daniels graduated from Concord University in 2007 with three bachelor's degrees in Graphic Design, Fine and Studio Arts, and Business Administration with concentration in Marketing.   

Upon graduation in 2007, Daniels was given the opportunity to work at Concord University as a graphic designer for a year. In 2009, he moved to Maryland and worked at the College of Southern Maryland as a media and graphics developer. He is also the founder and senior graphic designer and web developer of his own firm, J.Michael Advertising, founded in 2012. Daniels and his firm have been hailed by colleagues and customers for its excellent delivery of services, creativity, and impressive attention to details. 

As to why he chose his career path, Daniels shares that the answer is still sketchy to this day and his career could have much gone differently. “Upon my arrival at Concord University, I was assigned to a guidance counselor.  After a brief discussion, the counselor noticed I was uncertain about my future and suggested that I should select a fun career field.  From there I remember mumbling something about videos games and graphics. He later referred me to the Director of the Art Department at the time, Fernando Porras, and things just seemed to work themselves out.”

 Daniels is thankful that Concord gave him the academic backbone he needed to compete in the job market. “Concord had fantastic teachers that worked with me to ensure I learned what was necessary.  Believe it or not, Concord actually gave me my first job in the field.  That opportunity would later propel my career.” 

He then explains how Concord helped him grow and evolve as the designer he is today. “When I started out in my career in web and graphic design, I was more a visual designer. My primarily concern was with the visual design of sites and print layouts. Color, layout, typography, and graphics were typically my focus areas. I quickly learned I needed to be more focused on behavioral technologies like JavaScript, JQuery, Edge Animate, and JSON.  With that said, I morphed myself from a print /front end designer to more of an interactive programmer. I am still adding to this tool set, but I feel this has been a great accomplishment.  I have accepted the fact that being in this type of career field means I will forever be a student.  Technology moves at a fast pace and I plan to move right along with it.”

Daniels’s advice for students looking for a career in graphic design is to find a niche and become a subject matter expert. “The term 'web designer' means many different things to many different people and the field is diversifying so fast that it serves more as a catch-all of multiple disciplines rather than a clearly defined individual. The trick is to figure out what you like to do best and master it.  When that happens and you began to make a name for yourself ultimately you will make more money.”

Daniels’s key to success in today’s job market would be one’s ability to both bounce back from rejection and compete. He shares that at the end of the day, applying for a job is a competition. Sometimes the best applicant gets the job and sometime they don’t.