After graduation I was fortunate to be offered an internship (which eventually turned into full-time freelance) with Walter Bernard Design/WBMG (Walter Bernard & Milton Glaser). For me it was the opportunity of a lifetime to work under the art direction of these pioneers. :o)
Of course after a years time it became apparent that I had developed a real interest for design on the web. I had spent the summer before my noted internship slaving to learn as much as I could about web development (and I am far from the title of webmaster—there's so much!!) On that note, I interviewed for a position with mtv.com—where I currently spend my days designing.
As I use one eye to reflect back and the other to look forward, the best advice I can give is to keep your ears open. Pioneer of Design, Junior Designer, Supermarket Cashier... a lot of people have invaluable knowledge and insight that can be applied to design and many other aspects of life.
-Christa
