Tag Archives: spec work

One quality you’ll see employers calling for in many job descriptions is “self-starter.” If you’ve completed a couple internships, you’re likely qualified in that regard.

But what if you went a step further and started your own internship of sorts, where you are both the supervisor and the intern?

If you’re looking to add more “meat” to your portfolio, speculative work (or “spec work”) is a great way to learn-while-doing, and you’re completely in control. I’m not referring to the controversial spec work in the graphic design field. The spec work I’m advocating is where you come up with an idea from scratch, plan the project, complete the tasks and evaluate the work all on your own time. You aren’t working within the limits of company protocol or a class rubric and you aren’t answering to a supervisor or professor. You can tailor the project to fill any holes you …

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