I was privileged to work with a business partner on an exciting publication project of what is going to be Singapore’s first. Before we launched the official publication online, we made sure we created an online presence via Facebook so as to ensure a smoother transition with ready users already following us on social media (read advice here).

While we had fun seeing the increment of our Facebook likes – naturally – we had a discussion of  how to further plump our likes and came to a solid agreement about one thing – that is, NEVER EVER buy Facebook likes from 3rd party companies.  Despite their claims of getting them “cheaper, faster at huge quantities”, these scams still remain popular among those who seek the easiest way out. Some outrageous claims include getting 1000 likes within 24 hours at $200! I decided to do a self-investigation by writing to some of these companies. Almost non of them were able to explain how their “unique” marketing strategies were able to get so many likes within a short time, not to mention 24 hours. Even if one was to market directly through Facebook, to achieve 1000 likes in 24 hours will cost a bomb, an almost impossible feat unless you’ve got a super-big budget to carry multiple Facebook advertising campaigns on the same day (I know, I’ve tried)!

The results of taking a short cut – fake fans, irrelevant target market, and a non-responsive crowd who are hardly “talking about this”. If you still don’t want to believe that you’ve wasted your money on fake likes, just browse the profiles of the “likes” you got – friendless users whose only activities are liking pages, similar surnames across the news users, new users who are friends of each other, an 8-year-old child liking a product/service reserved for the elderly, and so on. “Oh”, you may think, “no one’s able to check who like my page anyway, right”. True, but hardly anyone’s going to engage in your page. Take for example, if you were to post an event, chances are close to a zero turn up. Why? Fake fans are not interested in your company in the first place. “They” like your page because you paid cheap, and the “they” are probably operated by one person whose only miserable responsibility is to like your page the whole day. A page with 10000 likes and only 3 people talking about this is a fantastic give-away that they have hired fake likes, compared to a modest page of 400 likes with 100 people talking about it. Engagement is the key ingredient in a successful business page on social media.

So if you’re at the crossroads of deciding between taking the short-cut to artificial inflation or the narrow long road to authenticity, remember this wise saying: There is no short-cut to success.

If there’s something that irritates any true blue designer more than anything else, is to be told how the artwork “does not look right” while in the middle of execution.

The matter is made worse when the direction is coming from a non-designer. This is a dire experience that no living designer can ever escape in their working lifetime as long as there are unqualified significant others who think they know better than the trained professional.

Brainstorming and piecing your artwork together directly on your computer come pretty much-hand-in-hand these days, as hand drawing your layout before setting it up on InDesign gets less popular while more clients demand faster turnaround. And while no one gets agitated with a construction worker upon looking at the incompleteness of skeleton structures and bare concrete, this does not a apply to the designer, who receives little grace during execution phase.

“Hey, don’t put the tag here!” or “Why are you using this colour? You know it’s not right!” are some of the little common frustrations hurled mercilessly to the designer as he or she struggles to work with little breathing space under the ever-seeing eye from behind. If the micro-management is not bad enough, the worse I have come across is a non-design savvy ex-boss who threatened to fire if one does not do every inch right under her micromanagement! Better still, the multiple ideas communicated by persons A,B and C who clearly cannot present their ideas cohesively, and end up blaming the poor designer, rather themselves, for the lacklustre results.

This not only frustrates the designer, but also erodes his/her worth as an equal contributor and professional. We are NOT robots so please do not treat us like one. Being “eccentric” people does not make us DAFT.

I came across this article that interestingly brought up a similar subject, regarding celebrities giving hell to graphic designers. I will not provide tips on how to treat the designers right since the article has pretty much reiterated my frustrations and provided solutions.

Remember folks, the artwork is only final when your designer presents it to you, NOT while he or she is still at it!

First, we have our dear Her World magazine, test sending out their EDMs in the masses that are guarantee to irritate users entertaining themselves with the string of repetitions landing in their inboxes:

Then we have popular online fashion store, Reebonz, who clearly thought their user was a test subject:

Our verdict: Your customers’ inboxes are NOT your platforms for beta-testing…bad move, web developers.

Forget about cheap foreign labour when you can get free labour in your own home! That’s right, First World dwellers, you hear me. From the streets of London to the whole EU continent, even up to the Hollywood hills in the USA, why pay cheap when you can get it for FREE? These free labourers are called interns, and if you have not made use of them, you should! You only need to pay for their lunches and transport, and in some cases, non at all! They are young, smart and degree-certified from a credited university in the First World.

What’s more, they are willing to clock in the full hours just like a fully-paid professional (without the min. wage, of course), and if that is not enough, you can also get them to serve you coffee in between.

Why?

Because they are dying to for a job. They thirst for it. Give them countless of empty promises of a full-time position, and they are sure to stick around longer. Perhaps you can even coax them to work overtime, all without pay! Isn’t that fantastic news for all you exploitative bosses out there who are unashamed to fatten your profits while these little minions can simply starve for all you care!

And if this is not enough to make you sick, I don’t know what else can. Even cheap, unqualified foreign labour gets paid, but not fresh graduates in the First World nations. Graduate Fog, a UK-based website dedicated to the cause of the youths while shaming companies that benefit from unpaid internships, has religiously updated any happenings regarding youth employment and internships.

I personally wished I knew all the good advice much earlier in my fledgling years rather than now. Honestly, some of the repercussions from my previous experiences of exploitation can still take an emotional toil on me from time to time even after all these years, and I am too ashamed and angry to name them as references. Waste of my potential, time, money and energy. Not to mention that their names are not worth mentioning in the first place, so no free publicity for them by me.

And why these sick politicians legalise exploitation in the guise of “free internship” for a reason so obvious that is non other to please those fat elites so that they can retain their attractive tax contributions.

Just recently, I was updated by friends that some of them were still doing internships on end after graduating 4 years ago! Studying masters was a way of escape from the dreadful unemployment rather than for knowledge sake. How much time can young people afford to waste?? And as they get older and still out of a job, they will more likely be pushed away as potentials when the next batch of fresh youths graduate each year. Job centres are getting over-crowded and depressing for many who do not get a single call from them.

Gone are the notions that exploitation only happens in the Third World. We are seeing countless of talented, smart young people working for nothing in bright day light, and still pretend that its alright. How much can we afford to stamp out their morals and brainwash their conscience?

It’s about time we say NO!

With the full-scale of youth employment at an all-time high that the world has ever seen, finally the truth is out that having a degree does not necessarily guarantee success. While this does not mean that having degrees are completely useless and are required in certain industries, moms’ and dads’ beliefs that having a degree will guarantee that open door certainly do no justice to the millions of unemployed graduates whose life’s ambitions and motivations get eroded by the day while painfully confused by the contrary. It’s time to break the myths that we have for the longest time embraced:

Myth 1. A degree can easily land you a job.
My…my…how (un)true that is. If it were so, we should be finding many graduates working in their fields of study, NOT serving in the coffee shops or claiming unemployment benefits!

Myth 2. A degree from a more expensive and prestigious university will land you a more prestigious job.
That’s where lots of students get conned for their money. Sure, a prestigious degree gives you that wow factor, but you are no different with the other interviewees from the what’s-that-name universities. Start from the bottom!

Myth 3. Study hard for a degree, and you will not lose out in the working world.
Street-smartness, soft skills, working experience and network can still help any Tom, Dick or Harry get their foot on the door. It’s all about self-marketing, dear.

Myth 4. It is a status symbol to have a degree.
That would be applicable in the Industrial Age where degree holders were still rare. Now is the Information Age, and degree holders world-wide are clogging the entry pipe. Status? I’m afraid the only status a graduate can be proud of is a paid, full-time job.

Myth 5. With a degree, you will never go hungry.
Ha…ha…ha. Tell that to the millions of unemployed graduates in Europe and Middle East, not forgetting those who were propelled to do unpaid internships. Is it the elitist fat cats or the graduates who are in debt to their student loans getting filled? You decide.

Myth 6. Degree-holders have greater advantages than those with a lower education.
Even diploma holders who command lower salaries are just as attractive. As most of today’s bosses echo in one voice: “Cheaper, better, faster!”. Did I forget to mention that Bill Gates, Steve Jobs and Mark Zuckerberg were all college drop-outs?

Myth 7. Having a degree means you are smart.
I don’t think the politicians who got us into this financial mess in the first place were any smarter than the conmen on the street.

Myth 8. You’ll need a full 3-year degree in order to succeed in the working world.
Most employers ask for relevant qualifications, not how long you earned them. Working experience and smart ideas beats qualifications most of the time!

Myth 9. Once you have a degree, you have finished your education.
You will never stop learning for the rest of your life. Real life experiences will be your best teachers.

Myth 10. A degree will serve you a lifetime.
Yes, unless you decide to change your profession completely.

Why hasn’t anyone given me a chance? Am I not qualified enough? Maybe I’m still too expensive even after I have slashed my wages? Is there any more meaning to this life? And so on.

Degrees are not completely useless, and in certain industries, they are very important. But our society has led us to believe for years that this expensive paper will open multiple doors of opportunities fluttered with high-paying cheques. We studied and fought hard to get those papers, and when we fail to see those promises crystalise, we are accused of being lazy and demanding! Have we not heard these many times now?

I cannot stop being angry that this cycle of blame keeps coming back to the youth, who have been shielded most of their lives from hardships by the baby boomers who swore in their time that the next generation would be better off than them. Well, guess what mums and dads, the Industrial Age is over. We are now in the Information Age that has churned out too many degree-holders that have crowded the labour supply, and let’s not forget the advancements in technology and globalisation that has produced readily available cheaper foreign outsource just an email away. How are we going to compete??

I can imagine what a typical employer must be thinking under his or her smirk these days: Too many qualified graduates to choose from? I can hire a MA grad for a penny. Want to be paid the minimum wage? Well, there are others who can do it for free. Graduated from the Royal College of Art? Sorry mate, start from the bottom and go serve us coffee. Only graphic design? The other interviewee can do graphic design AND web coding AND video, plus I still pay the same wage.

No wonder youths these days are having their ambitions deflated each day. Com’on people (yes, I am referring to you, baby boomers), these are the young who will one day be paying your pensions, who will one day be paying the taxes to maintain the mechanics of society, who will one day be firing you once you get too old, and yes, who will one day lead you in the next generation government. If you don’t invest in them and motivate them now, how will society ever forward to a brighter future as we hope? We are facing a generation of lost talents, and the grave is no different.

Best selling author Robert T. Kiyosaki of Rich Dad, Poor Dad and Business of the 21st Century, quotes:

“We go to school to learn to work hard for money. I write books and create products that teach people how to have money work hard for them.”

“Financial intelligence has little or nothing to do with academic intelligence. You can be a genius when it comes to academic intelligence, but a moron when it comes to financial intelligence.”

I can’t agree any better. Kiyosaki is well known for taking his mind outside the traditional mould of working hard to embracing working smart. That’s why he is a rich man today. Street-smartness is something that cannot be found even in the best schools. It only can be found through taking risks in the real world. It is no surprise that many of the richest people of the world are school-dropouts – Bill Gates, Mark Zuckerberg (why, he’s my age!), Jim Carrey etc. You name it. School has been lying to us (Yes, I have taken this too far)!

Let’s check out some of the most common myths:

Myth 1: Degree will open doors of opportunity and great salaries
Really? The last time someone asked for my educational background was yonks ago. Now most people ask if I can work fast, deliver on time, and on budget. If I am a nice person who offers value-added services, fantastic!

Myth 2: Work hard, and you will get a good job.
I scored top grades, couldn’t get a job straight after graduation, and was retrenched. I was expensive too. The cheaper, less-experienced designer replaced me instead, not to mention those mean office politics. Many people prefer to work with people whom they know and like. It’s called NETWORK.

Myth 3: Branded schools can help land you a good job.
I wished that was true, so I would not have to suffer in my first few years of working life.

Myth 4: If you want to be paid higher and get promoted, you will have to work even harder.
Yes, to a certain extent. But if you are more expensive than the junior and getting older too, expect to be replaced one day. It’s easier to hire and fire a freelancer or temporary worker than to get a full-timer on board these days.

Myth 5: You must be lazy if you are not getting any chance.
Tell that to Vicky Harrison and to those who cannot afford the disgustingly high tuition fees. Not to mention, the new hell called crowd-sourcing where price-undercutting is the norm, plus the relaxing of immigration rules that allowed cheap foreign influx into many First World nations. I wonder how “lazy” spells it in situations like these.

Sigh…so how does one be street smart? The answer: Take risks!

Yes, I mean it, that was how it started for me and ever since, I have never looked back. I stopped working for free. I started telling the mean boss, enough is enough. I never said never, because I would never have made it this far. Taking risks means getting out of your comfort zone, and stop being scared of failures. It means painfully taking in the most nasty of experiences without losing your cool, or even surviving an unsuccessful marketing pitch. It requires taking the initiative to learn, research and discover, even when those around you think you are wasting time. Taking risks challenges you to take the extra mile when no one wants to, and not follow the crowd all the time. It demands a lot of sacrifices, sleepless hours to search for more opportunities, even having to do away with relaxing Saturdays altogether. Taking risks will mean dreaming big, planning out how you are going to achieve those dreams and setting it out with a right attitude that never dies. It also involves hanging out with the right people who can and will build you up, while cutting out those who plan to tear you down. As the saying goes, if you want to soar like an eagle, you can’t hang around with turkeys!

Those are the basics many successful entrepreneurs have adopted. Yes, basics, because success is a long, long journey. You can read up more tips on how you can build yourself up during this time of financial meltdown in previous posts of this blog. Opportunities do not knock on your doors; hunt them down and grab them.

One of the most influential entrepreneurs who is successful is Hermione Way, sister of millionaire Ben Way. I had the opportunity to meet her in person once and had a great chat with her. She is the founder of Newspepper, a social media enterprise devoted to created vlogs and online videos, and reporting on the tech world while devoted to training fresh graduates. Being the same age as me (and I am proud of her), she took the risk to start her own company in the second year of her degree in journalism. Today, the company boasts helping hundreds of interns getting their feet in the door, as well as expanding to new markets and working with huge clients. She is one example of a graduate who took the risks to make it because she refused to bow to the norm of working for free. She embraced street-smartness.

Be street-smart, and exchange your worries for a better tomorrow. Have a Merry Christmas & a great 2012.

Half a decade of freelance for so many industries and companies, and the experience has truly been an eye-opener. Some good, some bad, some worst! I could count more than my fingers and toes lumped together, the number of times that I have been framed, made the scapegoat, back-stabbed, exploited…you name it. I can basically write a whole book dedicated to my experiences which I am sure can turn into a great drama script! And still, it never fails to amaze me how others have endured much worst (OK, the Foxconn suicides are out of the question).

From the mean MNCs to the struggling SMEs, the cycle of office politics just continues to amuse me. If my previous post on one of the worst working experiences is not enough to set one thinking why I would continue this journey, just a few months before, I was freelancing for a design agency that frowned upon “unfinished” work (ie. BOO to white space). Designing 1-page layouts on Illustrator rather than on InDesign was law. I was “tested” for a month (honestly, a month is not enough for a designer to settle down in the style and footsteps of the company) to determine whether I would fit for a full-time position, along with another freelancer who was the same age. Sadly, most of our times were spent doing almost nothing as a full-time minion (also same age) hesitated suspiciously to give us work, but was happily offering them to the cheaper, junior staff who were on a 3-month probation (unsurprisingly). We found out later from the director that this minion claimed he had “no confidence” in handing us the projects because “he questioned our abilities”. I was later called in to the director’s room, and was told that I and the fellow freelancer would not be offered the jobs (looking back now, thank GOD!). As much as he was really nice and extremely respectable, my ears could not help ache at his words despite that it was out of good intentions (at least he thought so): “I cannot pay you at the rate you are asking for. Your skills don’t match it…. Most agencies would not hire you because you are a parent…you should seek your dad for financial help, or find another job other than graphic design as you are not cut out for graphic design.”

Slightly more than a month after I was let off, I was hired by another agency which I thought was God-sent: way cooler with much more exciting projects, 70% of the staff are parents (thank you!), and of course, a much higher pay with OT (yay!). Meeting angels are indeed rare. I couldn’t stop being thankful enough that God and the circumstances have time and time again, prove the critics wrong, especially those who have tried to pull me down, unintentionally or not. As I write with glee at the thought of a recent big project I completed for a huge client in Singapore which will be projected at a TV screen at an upcoming big event, my parting words for those have been victims of unfair office politics:

Never give up and never believe entirely what you hear. Listen ONLY to good advice that will build you up. Believe in yourself and you will make it!

Adobe’s announcement created a feeling of loss, nostalgia and frustration mixed with the numb, expressionless of “face it, just move on” in me, making Flash harder to let go. After all, I breathed Flash, ate Flash and slept with Flash, despite after it being sold to Adobe by Macromedia (oh…thanks), not forgetting the awful transition from ActionScript 2 to ActionScript 3 which created shudders down my spine at the sight of its almost unfamiliar and longer coding (I admit I have yet to learn AS3, but I guess that does not matter anymore). Right now, the trend is in favour of HTML 5 and CSS 3 as the next big thing after Flash for the mobile and the world wide web, which do not require an additional plugin to play them, despite their developments still at its fledgling years.

The question for us designers is, is Flash still a skill necessary to master? For now yes, if not for the web or mobile, it is still pretty useful for TVs and projector screen presentations. But I worry it may water down that way unless Adobe can come up with something to make Flash remain competitive. We have no choice, but to head in the direction of HTML 5 and CSS 3, and (painful) JavaScript as dictator technology, whose ever-changing evolution that many of us minions do not take charge, commands us to.

Flash will not die off for now, but its suicide bomb has just began to tick…