So if I could give any advice at my young age, I would say definitely have a good positive attitude and make sure you work as hard as you can to put yourself out there as someone that really knows what they’re doing, despite the age.

I’ve found that if I walk in with a swagger and talk with a confident voice, they won’t doubt me one bit. I suppose it helps that I look like I’m an easy 3-5 years older than I really am. What’s more, in going with advice from FSW, it seems that as I ask for higher rates, the more they trust me. Of course, there’s a ceiling for that. I’m even starting to get into corporate freelance work, when it seems like all odds are against me in that environment.

The only thing I lament is that I’m stuck in an increasingly difficult balancing act of Work vs. School. Hopefully, I’ll be able to build a business to continue to grow my income while I pitch more of the work to sub-contractors, freeing up my time for school.

I’m actually in the middle of writing a series of articles about this very topic. Its entitled “Young Business - How to Start Your Own Business as a Young Person.”

I’d like to add a few comments about my exact experience at VCU. I did actually have one class on the business of design. It was not required, it was very brief but it did teach me quite a bit. However, just like any other class we might take it only touched the surface of what we experience in the “real world”.

I’m glad to hear some of you say that you’ve been taught a lot of business practices in school. I think its an important part of any education because in the end, business is a necessary evil that we must all face even if we don’t start our own business.

Also, on the issue of age: anyone out there who is being over looked because of being young - just carry on. No matter how old or how young you are, when you’re art gets to a certain level, you will get noticed. Keep trying to improve every day and eventually the work will come. Never let anyone tell you (or imply) that you’re too young to achieve your goals.

Good luck to everyone!

There will be clients that will pre-judge you based on age (or other factors), however the only thing you can do is bring your A-game (always) and focus your energy on building relationships with the clients that want to work with YOU.