Give me a call and i will discuss this in detail with you. Not only do we offer the DTp training course, with a registered Photo Typesetter, we also assist in finding work, once you have completed this course.

Call me on 447-5110 or mail me at: staphcor@global.co.za

All the best!
Yolanda Gibbon

Dear Miss J, your plans for the future can be easily analysed if you would like to contact me at DeskLink Media (we also, like other offer training courses in all areas of DTP, layout and design and multimedia), but more importantly have extensive knowledge in both hiring techniques, the need to have a recognised certification/diploma and how this could ensure you employment in both South Africa and overseas.
I know of many people who have successfully completed courses (by reputable training centres) and after a short time in "active service" have been snapped up by European companies, due to the good name we have as hard-working and dedicated employees.
Give me a call on 787 0252 or e-mail for a more detailed discussion

The courses offfered in general in SA on DTP are terrible. The amount of people I have interviewed with a very bad porti from a very expensive DTP course are enough to make me cry.

Unless you leave SA salaries are terrible. Rather try to work for nothing in an agency etc for 3 months. At least it's cheaper and you will learn more about industry and things relative to it.

Just a thought from someone who has seen a lot of people's money go down the toilet

Dear Miss J
Please make sure you understand the difference between DTP and Graphic Design. Both offer interesting and rewarding careers in South Africa!
Good Luck

I agree with Michael, and would also suggest trying to get as much real-world experience as possible. See what free-lance work you can pick up - there's a big difference between a portfolio of - 'free-range' college briefs and being able to show that you have successfully and repeatedly satisfied real clients and solved their real needs. (Be careful though, mistakes come easy and can be both financially painfull and demoralising) Freelancing also forces you to start networking and building relationships, get to know people at bureaus and printers etc.

From my own experience, I often wish i had learned more about selling and business in general much earlier in my career. Especially when starting of in your career you may find that dtp and design often exists quite low down the hierarchy of clout - being able to make sense of- and build rapport with the decision makers and other 'suits' can be invaluable.

In my (+-10year) experience what’s going to matter is you as a personality as much as you as a portfolio – if potential employers/clients experience you as someone they like to work with you are off to a good start – so your social skills need to be a least as sharp as your layout and colour management, and some strategic thinking will go a long way as well. I know some people who absolutely love the industry, what they do and find it rewarding, others despise it and feel stuck. Most of us, I think, it depends when you ask, this industry definitely has it ups and downs.

Enjoy!

50% depends on the course. 50% depends on you. The course should be long enough to enable you to make the kind of mistakes in real-life projects that your future employer would fire you for. The hidden part of the DTP iceberg is repro. Many educators help you create a pretty cd portfolio but don't guide you through the process of preparing your designs to be printed on a commercial printing press.
I believe a good course lasts about 6 months and involves internship (supervised). There are quite a few courses offered in DTP, some seem attractive in terms of fees but cut corners in terms of content.

The other 50% is up to you. DTP AND repro are not simple nor quick to learn properly. No course provider can tell whether you have what it takes to excell in this field when you are being interviewed.
I have been wrong on both counts during the last 13 years. A young man who struggled to learn DTP started his own company and is very successful. Another, very competent, but not prepared to put in the effort, is still bumming around.
Then there are special jib-hunting skills. Did you know that only 15% of all jobs are advertised? 65% are got via networking using friends are relatives. Do you have good networking skills? Then you may just land the wrong job without sufficient preparation to ask the right questions — we offer a job-hunting workshop for no extra charge. But we also test theoretically and practically during the course and send those who pass to internships where the employer knows what he/she is getting — a well-trained, but novice dtp operator.

I rekon the best place for a DTP course is the Print Collage in Honeydew, Jo'burg.