As a high school student, Think Company design lead Drew Christiano was not captivated by formal education. He knew that after he graduated in 2001, he would be done. But in his design career that has spanned more than 20 years, he’s never stopped learning.

Christiano already spent much of his free time researching design online by the time he left high school, but at the the time there were not many opportunities for prospective designers hoping to learn more about their craft. To earn income, he did freelance design work for friends and held blue collar jobs, including shift management at a pizza parlor and general contracting, where he assembled bathrooms.

Searching for a way into the industry, Christiano explored for-profit education opportunities, many of which, he told Technical.ly, he now realizes are scams. At the time, he thought a certificate program would give him knowledge he needed to land a design role. Eventually, he found a job listing for a web and graphic designer position at Apple Vacations in Newtown Square. Using his freelance portfolio of work, he got the job and immediately discontinued the degree program he was in after he realized he could do the work without it.

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