How to Position Yourself as an Expert If You Have No Experience

How do you show you’re an expert on something, even with no experience?

For young or aspiring designers, landing the first few projects can be pretty challenging. When you’re just getting started, your experience working with clients is limited, and it can be hard to feel confident in yourself.

If you want to learn how to position yourself as an expert, even if you have no experience, watch the video above. Chris chats with a few of the Young Guns and gives them some tips to shift their mindset and feel more confident in their abilities.

To see more from the Young Guns, watch the full series here.

Age and Education: Does It Matter?

Given that this group of designers are between the ages of 17-23, they don’t have a whole lot of professional experience. They’re just getting started in breaking into the industry and joining the ranks of designers they admire.

So, does age or where you went to school matter? Not at all. If you can do good work, and show it (meaning, break down your process), your age or education won’t even cross clients’ minds. You have talent, and that’s what matters.

Believe in Yourself

Confidence comes from within. If you are constantly telling yourself you can’t have the same opportunities as someone else because you don’t have the same amount of experience, you’re just making it harder for yourself.

When you believe in yourself, others will, too. And if a client doesn’t see it, that’s OK. You don’t have to win every project. In fact, if you’ve done all you can to show that you’re worth it, but the client can’t see that, that’s your opportunity to find someone who will.

Broaden Your Disciplines

For these young designers, they’re focused on improving their craft and leveling up. But one major piece of advice Chris gives them is to broaden their disciplines and study more than just design.

It’s important to diversify your education and study things beyond what you want to do professionally. This way, when you’re faced with a new problem, you have skills that can help you solve it. You’re able to go beyond just your ability to design.

Don’t Skip to The End

We all have goals that we want to achieve. But in our pursuit, we have to be realistic. As much as we want our skills to vastly improve in record time, we have to remember that these things take time.

Growth takes time. If you’re about to graduate high school and head to a design school, there’s so much ahead that you don’t even know about. Be patient and absorb all the challenges and lessons that come your way. They all shape your experience and how you’ll approach things in the future.

ABOUT

Chris Do

Chris Do is an Emmy award-winning director, designer, strategist, and educator. He's the Founder and CEO of The Futur—an online education platform that teaches the business of design to creative thinkers.

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