I think the last time I looked into this, it would take at least four years to master a skill according to the concept of “Expert Hours”. Being that a bachelor’s degree lasts about four years, I should be an expert by the end. Of course, this is permitting that I’m actively practicing every single day, or at least trying to dabble in a project over time. However, maybe I misspoke — it takes four years to be an expert, not a master. That’s what a master’s degree is for.

I think I have about a quarter of those 1000 hours by now, and I’d have to say that I feel like that’s the case, intrinsically. I don’t feel 100% confident in my abilities just yet, and I feel I have many questions to ask, but I also have a sense of capability. I might need help here and there, but for the most part I feel that I can hold my own, depending on the project.

I’ve started to approach co-workers and friends about graphic design services, mostly in regards to promotional material, business cards, logos, and other things like that. I’ve felt really confident in my ability at least be competent enough to work on small projects like those, and I believe I’m rather good at it, too. Yet, that is still only a small part of what I’m going to learn over the rest of these three years, and I’m excited to really add up all those hours of experience! Hopefully, by the end of this year, I should be halfway done.