How ‘microcredentials’ can help advance your graphic design career

There’s an unwritten rule when it comes to tertiary qualifications: the faster your field moves, the faster your training becomes obsolete. If you’re specialising in classical literature or obscure Renaissance art, what you learned at university will probably be relevant for a while – you’re all good. But for a tech-heavy field, like graphic design, the one-and-done nature of traditional study isn’t always helpful. You really need something closer to lifelong learning.  

This is where ‘microcredentials’ come in. A microcredential is a short, focused certification that verifies a specific skill or competency. Unlike traditional degrees, microcredentials are designed to be completed quickly (often in weeks or months) and provide targeted learning for career advancement. In other words, they’re fast, direct and hyper-focussed on a particular skill. Perfect for a fast-moving profession like graphic design. 

Here's how microcredentials can help advance your graphic design career. 

1. Specialisation in emerging design trends  

At a certain point, you have to make the call: stay a jack-of-all-trades, with a broad-based skillset, or specialise. There’s no right or wrong answer here. Some graphic designers enjoy mixing up their week with different skills and job types, and maintaining a flexible portfolio certainly maximises your potential client base.  

On the other hand, specialisation opens up new fields and (often) premium rates. It’s just a fact of the industry: people are generally willing to pay more for specialists.  

For graphic designers, earning microcredentials in things like UX/UI Design allows you to smoothly bridge that gap between traditional branding and digital product design, which (in turn) increases the scope and depth of your CV. Likewise, courses in After Effects or motion graphics can help designers move into anything from film animation to video game design.  

2. Tech skills for a competitive edge  

Graphic design is a competitive field, with a global value over $57.5 billion – projected to reach $78.2 billion by 2030. As such, it’s not really enough to rely solely on your graphic design qualification anymore. There are simply too many qualified designers out there. 

If you want to stand out from the pack, consider microcredentials in future-proof tech skills, like AI and design automation. Mastering AI-powered tools like Adobe Firefly or Midjourney will help you integrate AI into your regular workflow, speeding up productivity and (most importantly) separating you from a stacked field. It’s like the old saying goes: you’re probably not going to lose your job to AI, but you might lose your job to someone who understands AI. Also check out microcredentials in front-end development languages like HTML, CSS or JavaScript. This will boost your interactive web capabilities.  

3. Business and freelancing skills 

According to some studies, roughly 90% of graphic designers in the world are working freelance. This is great for flexibility, but less great for things like job security, cashflow and stable long-term prospects. That’s why you need to treat freelance like any other business. It’s not a hobby, it’s a business.  

If you feel like you have the tech skills down already, consider a microcredential in brand strategy, marketing, small business accounting or SEO. Skills that will help you work on your business, not just in your business. Courses in branding and copywriting can complement your existing skillset nicely, allowing you to move into the lucrative field of brand consulting. 

4. Start climbing the ladder 

Do you want to make the jump from designer to Creative Director? Or maybe another leadership role within the company? C-Suite are going to be looking for more than traditional design qualifications. They’re going to be looking for things like leadership and problem-solving, not to mention project management and people skills. Some of this stuff takes years to earn (and to learn) but you can certainly speed things up with a microcredential in something like creative leadership, project management, Agile, Scrum or creative entrepreneurship.  

Don’t neglect soft skills either. According to LinkedIn, they significantly impact your chances of promotion.  

Top Tips for Microcredentials  

If you’re looking to quickly upskill with microcredentials, there are a few things to keep in mind: 

1. Pick something self-paced and short-term. You want flexible learning that fits around your lifestyle.  
2. Keep it skill-specific. Go in with a game plan and stick to it. Think of microcredentials like personal development (PD). They work better when they’re targeted. 
3. Choose an industry-recognized institution with a strong track-record in graphic design. Bonus points if they have contacts within the industry. 
4. If you want to work your way up to a larger degree, enquire whether your chosen microcredential is stackable. This just means it’ll count towards further study in a given field, maybe shaving some time off a diploma or Bachelor’s Degree down the track.  

Ready to level up with microcredentials? Check out RMITO for graphic design short courses, certificates and heaps more.