I’ve known extremely talented designers have a miserable freelancing career because they didn’t know how to sell, market and work with clients.

Thanks for posting this, very good initial things to consider.

@JeremyTuber
beingastarvingartistsucks.com

In a way I disagree with this. I think that freelance work while studying is worth a lot more than just the money. If money is your greatest motivation: you might find being a designer quite difficult.

Not only that, from albeit brief conversations with people currently in the industry they care 10 times more about a person’s demonstrable portfolio than their grades.

I think if there’s a part of your course you want to focus on, then devote your time to that part. If, like me for example, you’re not into Illustration, then I don’t see a major issue with sidelining it in favour of freelance work (that’s not to say you don’t make the effort to pass and learn something from it).

Nowadays I suggest writing for online publications, when I was in college, not a lot of websites offered “guest writing” opportunities, and the only site you could’ve really contributed to was A List Apart, which more than likely would not take your writing even if it was awesome, simply because you’re still a student. Now, with Smashing Magazine Six Revisions (my site), Noupe, Fuel Brand Network, there is a lot of opportunities for students that are great writers to write for some extra income. Again, this circles back to experience even before getting a degree and is more helpful to you as a student, than say, taking a part-time job that is unrelated to your interests (and more money too).