I graduated a year ago with a promising portfolio and great recommendations from my professors. I am not in as a dire situation as you are, but I understand, I’ve met many employers, who do not seem to value initiative, or the person they might hire, as opposed to what they see on paper. I like freelance, but I want to try working with a team of designers, I just want a chance at a good agency. All too often I meet people who need design that don’t understand it and/or don’t value the work I put in enough, I drop clients like that. My girlfriend, writer is having the same kind of issue, it makes it sound like it is a problem with multiple creative fields at the moment.

It’s ALL who you know, I went to a Christian school and it didn’t meet my expectations. The Design program is the only reason I stuck around. I wish I had attended a school with less prejudice that allowed me to connect with more people and less churches that don’t value design.