Shillington School

It’s very helpful to improve my SQL knowledge. And also given all the information of SQL. Before session I have a some queries in SQL but as of now I am full trend. Now I can prepare for my future data scientist. …………………………………………………………………………………………………..✌️😎... Read More

Plain and simple, Shillington changed my life in the best way possible.

I always loved art and creative "stuff", but never thought I could make my passion into a career. After graduating college with a BS in Advertising from Syracuse University, I got... Read More a job in NYC at an ad agency as an account exec. While it was an incredible place to work, I felt that something was missing. I realized that the best part of my days were when I got to sit with my creative team or go to brainstorms. It became clear that I needed to go with my gut and try something new.

I looked into every single program in New York (and some outside of the city) and found generally only two options, neither of which would work for me. The first was a 2-3 year graduate program at a university like NYU, Parsons, FIT, etc which were way too costly and too big of a time commitment. The second option was one-off classes for continuing education, which seemed more for people who felt like dabbling in an interest of theirs on the side. Not intense enough for me.

Then, I found Shillington and I thought...this honestly must not be real. I hadn't seen anything like it. It was literally everything I wanted to learn... in only three months.

Turns out it is very real and was hands down the best decision I have ever made in my life. I will not sit here and say it was a walk in the park. It was definitely hard work, but the more you push yourself, the more likely you are to graduate with a portfolio that looks like you went to school for four years. The teachers, all practicing graphic designers, are some of the most incredible people I have ever met. They are talented designers and more importantly, they are passionate about teaching in a way that will help you develop your own style. I can easily say I learned more from my Shillington teachers in 3 months than I ever did from any of my professors in college.

The course is set up perfectly so that even if you have never touched a Mac in your life, you can succeed. After having no experience with Photoshop, InDesign, or Illustrator, I am now sitting in front of a massive Mac desktop as a Graphic Designer for an awesome ad agency in NYC working on cool brands like Nike, BMW, LG, Hennessy, and more. Somebody smack me!!!!

If it isn't clear already, Shillington is unbelievable and I do not think there is anything out there like it. DO IT!

The only thing I walked into Shillington with was the will to learn the Adobe Creative Suite. Literally, I had zero experience.
After a whirlwind three months, I feel confident in my design abilities and understanding of design principles.
You learn the... Read More language you need to professionally communicate in the field and various creative brainstorming techniques that will enhance your process.
The like-minded people and friendships I formed through Shillington was the cherry on top.

Shillington is a dream come true for any person looking to change their career. I graduated with a degree in Psychology and quickly realized I did not want to pursue graduate school. I was stuck. I had no idea what to do next. Eventually, I decided that... Read More graphic design would be an interesting career, as I've always been an artist and I'm great with technology. I took a risk, signed up for Shillington, and moved to New York.

The course was wonderful. The teachers were helpful and honest, nice and constructive. The entire class ended up becoming best friends by the end of it, and we still have a groupchat going today. It's wonderful to be able to share design related articles, job postings, and good news with people that understand and went through the intensive course with you.

We learned Indesign, Illustrator, and Photoshop. Though these are the base essentials for breaking into the industry, I would suggest spending some time after the course to take your designs to the next level (Aftereffects, motion graphics, HTML and CSS, etc.) because that is what a lot of jobs call for now a days. That being said, less than a month after graduating I landed my first job as a junior graphic designer. So, it can be done.

When I was researching Shillington and reading reviews, it sounded too good to be true. I remember thinking that there had to be some catch. The only thing I can think of is the price, because it is a bit expensive, but now that I have finished I feel like the price is justified. It truly is a life changing experience, and I would recommend it to anyone. Is it easy? No, it's not. You have to be prepared to wake up early and go to bed late for 3 months straight. Portfolio week is intense and you probably won't sleep at all. But you know what? It's 3 months of your life. You can do it. And you should.

Shillington's Graphic Design Program is great if you really want to learn basic technical design skills (along with some theory) to enter the design field or to supplement your knowledge of graphic design.

The program covers the three main Adobe programs... Read More you will be using heavily in the field: Photoshop, Illustrator and InDesign. Small class sizes and small teacher/student ratios allow students to receive hands-on personal instruction. The 30+ class projects (covering print, web, and mobile) completed over the course of the program replicate real-life studio projects where a brief is given and students must work against a tight timeline (much like it is in the "real world".).

At the program culmination, students choose 8-10 projects completed over the course of the program to refine and extend for use in their portfolio, both printed and online. This portfolio will ultimately help students land interviews and jobs in the field.

While the school does not offer any job support, students will be armed with great design skills and a strong portfolio that will easily get them in the door at many agencies and companies.

Overall, Shillington is an amazing design program but I would caveat that it really is what you put into it. If you enter the program with the goal of learning design and creating a great portfolio then you will definitely succeed at that. Goodluck!