• Try “portfolio”, “ink”, “branding” or a code like “PRS 101”.

PRS 310Professional Identity and Online Presence

Creative Career Planning

Turn scattered goals into a three-year creative career plan with an income mix, skills to build, milestones and a quarterly review habit.

Planned

About this course

Creative careers rarely follow a straight line, which is exactly why a plan helps. This course pulls together the Professional Identity department: you review where you are, define what a good working life looks like for you, map realistic paths (employment, freelance, teaching, selling work, production contracts or a mix), set a three-year direction with yearly milestones, and build a quarterly review habit. Income is covered in planning terms only; the Creative Business department covers pricing and tax detail.

Who it’s for: Working or emerging creatives ready to make deliberate decisions about the next few years. Best taken after The Complete Creative Professional.

You will be able to

  • Assess your current skills, work, income sources and network honestly
  • Define personal criteria for a sustainable creative working life
  • Compare at least three realistic career paths using evidence
  • Write a three-year plan with yearly milestones and quarterly actions
  • Run a quarterly review and adjust the plan

Prerequisites

Studio project

A one-page, evidence-based three-year creative career plan with year-one quarterly actions and a scheduled review routine.

To complete this course

  • Complete every required lesson.
  • Have the assignment “Three-year creative career plan” accepted by an instructor.
  • Records of completion are issued only for courses whose content has passed instructor review.

Part of

Syllabus

Working titles: they may change as the course is written.

  1. Module 1: Where you are now

    An honest starting point.

    1. 1.1The practice reviewExercise · 45 min
    2. 1.2Energy, time and constraintsReading · 20 min

  2. Module 2: What good looks like

    Define success on your terms.

    1. 2.1Your success criteriaExercise · 30 min
    2. 2.2Models of creative careersReading · 30 min

  3. Module 3: Paths and evidence

    Test options before committing.

    1. 3.1Researching a pathExercise · 40 min
    2. 3.2Planning an income mixReading · 25 min
    3. 3.3The skills gapExercise · 25 min

  4. Module 4: The three-year plan

    Direction, milestones and next actions.

    1. 4.1Direction and milestonesExercise · 40 min
    2. 4.2Quarterly actionsExercise · 30 min
    3. 4.3The quarterly reviewReading · 20 min

Author: Ricketts University curriculum team (draft for founder review) · Not yet reviewed

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