Designing for a living?

[sawyer1370]

I was curious how many people actually work full time as designers, or are people kind of weekend warriors with designing. By full time, I mean making enough to actually pay the bills (mortgage, food, car etc.) I ask because I was doing some designing a few years back for a large Financial company, but with the econony, I had to switch back to doing Project Management. Now doing PM work pays better, and it's easier to get work, but I would rather design.

If I don't keep up my skills, I know I will lose them. I'm curious who actually works for a firm or design company, and who does it on the side on their own. Please sound off.

[nocrapchurch]

I am an Interface Designer for a commerical mortgage company. My job includes documenting the interfaces that I design.

[madzigian]

i work as the creative director for a RE/MAX real estate office. For now...that (sorta) pays the bills...I build quickie Flash property sites for the agents in my office (among other things) and I do some Flash and web design/graphic design freelance work. If I had a choice...and the skills to back up that choice...I would be doing Flash web and application design for a living. But I am a self-taught Flasher...still with A LOT TO LEARN!!! But learning a little more each day. ActionScript is like a foreign language to me....and I have a hard enough time just speaking english sometimes!!!!!

[bgalvan]

I'm a part time warrior. I own a bakery distribution company that pays the bills. Flash work and designing I do for fun. Sometimes I actually get paid for it! Half the time I'm just trying to keep up with whats new.

Sallie Mae loan knowledge went extinct the moment I stepped out of school. lol.

Regards
Brian

[defuzz]

Full time web developer for a mortgage brokerage company, we were recently bought out by a multi billion global corporation but I'm still only working on projects our branch of the company.

About 99.999% intranet stuff, reports based on stats etc and general info pages on the internal network, pretty much all technical, with just enough designing to make the pages functionaly and easy to use

[crunge82]

I got my BFA in Graphic Design in May 2004, and since then I've been working as the only designer on staff at a PR firm. The pay's decent, and I love what I do--I hardly call it work. Most of what I do is print work, but I've got a couple of websites too. By night, I freelance out at $40, and I stay pretty busy. I know a lot of freelancers who do well on thier own, and a lot who don't. It's just extra cash for me, and I enjoy it. (shameless self promotion: http://kkelly.threefound.com)