A look toward the future was given to graphic design majors on March 31 at Missouri Southern’s Art Expo.

The expo, sponsored by the Southern Concepts Ad Club, brought together a panel of speakers from the graphic design field to talk to students about what to expect from different careers in the art field.

The event began at 1 p.m., with an introduction by Nick Kyle, head of the art department. He was followed by three speakers: Matt Noblett, Robert Sitek and Carol Asher.

“It kind of bridged the gap between the student environment and the business environment to kind of expose some of the people who haven’t been around to what goes on in an actual job,” said Tammy Cady, senior graphic arts major. “It’s good to hear that from the professionals.”

The speakers had a great deal of good advice, said Gayle Castor, treasurer of the Southern Concepts Ad Club, including advice on bad experiences that can accompany the field.

“No matter where you are, even if it’s something like ‘I don’t ever want to do this again,’ at least you know,” said Asher, a Leggett and Platt employee and Southern alumni. “Everything is a learning experience; try it all.”

Not only did the guests make a presentation, but they also interacted with the audience.

“We opened it up for questions, that way ones truly know more of which direction they might be interested in going and to discover where their areas of weakness are,” Castor said. “Perhaps what classes they need to take to help get where they need to go so that their resumé and their portfolio might be appealing to one of these companies that’s represented by our speakers.”

After the speakers finished, the expo adjourned until refreshments were served at 5:30 p.m. At 7 p.m., a roundtable discussion featuring six guests was held.

The second panel allowed students who could not attend during the day an opportunity to learn from the expo, Castor said.

That evening, senior portfolios were also assessed by members of the Downtown Joplin Ad Federation.

Castor is unsure if another expo will take place next year.

“It’s so time consuming to get such a thing together, but I was one of the ones that was instrumental in trying to get a lot of this,” she said. “It does kind of rob a bit of your class time and what not trying to prepare for it, but I think it’s so worthwhile that I’d be willing to do it again.”

The speakers also let students know about current software.

“In this field things change constantly,” Castor said. “When our speakers come, they talk to us about which programs they use at their agencies and what not. So that kind of lets us know what we should get boned up on.”

Overall, Castor thought the expo met it’s goal.

“I’ve heard others say we’re basically clueless as far as exactly how we’re to go about some things,” she said. “But that’s what makes it so wonderful about having this type of thing, because this gives us an idea of where we need to go and what we need to do to catch us up to speed so we can actually get the jobs once we actually get out of school.”