Jeff Bowman is a Manchester based designer, illustrator and design lecturer, working across a multitude of platforms all underpinned by the exploration of the visual language of design, communication and fun. These are his first 5 jobs:

1) Paper Round. I thought I would start with the very earliest job, which shaped my thinking and attitude towards a working life. I started with a paper round at about the age of 13/14, but I tried at every single opportunity not to do this job. I started out doing the ‘morning round’ and the ‘after school round’, but I didn’t last long, because what I soon realised is that, I could not and never would again do a job that got me out of bed at 6am, forced me to be outside no matter what the weather and – what I’ve later come to realise – handle and appreciate nothing but the best paper stock available to me.

2) Sainsburys. As a student I worked in Sainsburys to get by, after training up for a few weeks I was given a shift on the Beer, Wine and Spirit isle, this soon became my permanent isle. I think, in some ironic way, this was punishment for spending 90% of my wage on beer, wine and spirits the night before an 8 hour shift stacking booze, cleaning up broken bottles of booze and generally being immersed both outside and inside in booze at 9am on a saturday morning, this was not a good job and thus I vowed never, ever to do such a job again.

3) G2K.NL. This was my first full time design job, and quite literally began the day after I finished university. I had my final show and the day after I was on route to Groningen in the far north of Holland, to start as a Junior at G2K. It’s something that at the time seemed like a romantic idea – to work in another country and practice design through another culture. I would recommend this to any designer.

4) Studio Output. I skipped a couple of jobs, but the most significant design job I have had, that has shaped my career, has been my time working at Studio Output. On a number of levels it steered me to becoming a savvy graphic designer but it also steered the subsequent choice of later pursuing a career in design education. I think a company that can give you room to develop, but also understand your career objectives is a place to reverie, I owe much to Rob and Dan at Studio Output.

5) Shillington College. This is my current job, (I freelanced and studied for my MA after Studio Output) and is part of what I consider to be the start of a career in design education. What teaching allows, for me, is a continued life in design governed by yourself i.e. freelancing/self initiated works, in a way this is it for me and working for studio’s, a commitment to education, but at Shillington my practice remains current, my communication with industry is even more astute and I think it’s also being part of what I consider to be the future of design education – a real push for industry standard training alongside conceptual and creative development – that attracted me to Shillington College and it’s style of teaching.

//////////

We’ve asked professionals in creative industries what jobs they have had in the past to get their foot through the door (or at least pay the rent). For more in the “My First 5 Jobs” series look here.