Working for free

The time to say no will come later.

A familiar piece of advice a design rookie gets is not to work for free. They say ‘you say no’ more often, and you can get the time to work on the stuff that pays.

Indeed, bills won’t pay themselves, and you won’t find manna at your doorstep each morning.

But there’re times that pro bono is essential. As a beginner, you need a strong portfolio and work experience. No employer wants to hire someone who has none of those.

To genuinely fill up various sections of your resumé and be confident of making an impression, you must be willing to work on a project, whether it’s free or comes with meagre pay.

What matters is that you put your knowledge to use and provide a solution to challenges.