Desktop publisher to cartoonist
A desktop publisher already meets 46% of what the cartoonist role asks for. The move turns on 9 required skills not yet in the profile.
56.6/ 100
1 How much of what a cartoonist is expected to do is already part of a desktop publisher’s work. Directional: the figure for the reverse move differs, because moving into a speciality is not the same problem as moving out of one. 2 Every skill the cartoonist role is recorded as needing, required and optional together. What these numbers mean.
Why this move works
A cartoonist role treats 8 of its required skills as things a desktop publisher already does. You would walk in with these on day one.
- adapt to type of media
- consult with editor
- copyright legislation
- develop creative ideas
- finish project within budget
- follow a brief
What stands in the way is 9 required skills the profile does not yet cover. Table 3 groups them; Table 4 says which to take first.
Table 2 · What you already bring
Of the 13 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. A cartoonist role needs them, and most people applying for one will not have them already. This is the part of a desktop publisher background worth leading with.
- already held consult with editor communication, collaboration and creativity
- already held follow a brief communication, collaboration and creativity
- already held perform image editing working with computers
- already held desktop publishing information and communication technologies (icts)
- already held finish project within budget management skills
- already held apply desktop publishing techniques working with computers
All 13 carried skills, including the 8 the cartoonist role treats as required.
Table 3 · What you may need to learn
The 16 missing skills fall into 3 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, numbered in the order worth working in. Areas carrying the most required skills come first, and inside each one the required skills sit above the optional ones. Nothing here is a verdict on you: it is a list of what this particular job asks for that your current one does not.
- still to learn create animated narratives required
- still to learn create sketches required
- still to learn interpret illustration needs required
- still to learn maintain an artistic portfolio required
- still to learn practice humour required
- still to learn select illustration styles required
- optional, not held create original drawings optional
- optional, not held use traditional illustration techniques optional
- optional, not held write captions optional
- optional, not held create 2D painting optional
- optional, not held design graphics optional
- still to learn analyse texts to be illustrated required
- still to learn follow the news required
- still to learn study media sources required
- optional, not held use digital illustration techniques optional
- optional, not held use CAD software optional
Table 4 · Where to start
The 3 entries a cartoonist role is least likely to hire without. The ordering is computed from the skill data, not from what pays.
- 01 analyse texts to be illustrated practise this
- 02 create animated narratives practise this
- 03 create sketches practise this
Each entry opens a course search for that skill. Career Overlap earns nothing from these links.
Appendix · The rest of the record
All 13 skills that carry over
- already held adapt to type of media skill
- already held consult with editor skill
- already held copyright legislation knowledge
- already held develop creative ideas skill
- already held finish project within budget skill
- already held follow a brief skill
- already held follow work schedule skill
- already held graphic design knowledge
- already held ICT software specifications knowledge
- already held apply desktop publishing techniques skill
- already held desktop publishing knowledge
- already held multimedia systems knowledge
- already held perform image editing skill
7 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
- optional, not held create original drawings optional
- optional, not held use digital illustration techniques optional
- optional, not held use traditional illustration techniques optional
- optional, not held write captions optional
- optional, not held create 2D painting optional
- optional, not held design graphics optional
- optional, not held use CAD software optional
31 held skills the cartoonist role does not ask for
- not needed by the target role adapt to artists' creative demands skill
- not needed by the target role adobe creative suite knowledge
- not needed by the target role align content with form skill
- not needed by the target role apply grammar and spelling rules skill
- not needed by the target role assist customers skill
- not needed by the target role computer graphics knowledge
- not needed by the target role develop digital content skill
- not needed by the target role digital content creation skill
- not needed by the target role digital media knowledge
- not needed by the target role digitise documents skill
- not needed by the target role edit negatives skill
- not needed by the target role edit photographs skill
- not needed by the target role grammar knowledge
- not needed by the target role identify customer's needs skill
- not needed by the target role interactive media knowledge
- not needed by the target role perform backups skill
- not needed by the target role post-processing of photographs knowledge
- not needed by the target role prepress processes knowledge
- not needed by the target role printing techniques knowledge
- not needed by the target role problem-solving with digital tools skill
- not needed by the target role proofread text skill
- not needed by the target role reprography knowledge
- not needed by the target role scan photos skill
- not needed by the target role search databases skill
- not needed by the target role spelling knowledge
- not needed by the target role translate requirements into visual design skill
- not needed by the target role typography knowledge
- not needed by the target role use presentation software skill
- not needed by the target role use spreadsheets software skill
- not needed by the target role use word processing software skill
- not needed by the target role work closely with news teams skill
Common questions about this move
Can a desktop publisher become a cartoonist?
Yes, and it is a substantial move. A desktop publisher already covers 46% of what a cartoonist is expected to do: 13 skills carry over, 8 of which the cartoonist role treats as required.
What skills does a desktop publisher need to become a cartoonist?
9 required skills are missing, plus 7 optional ones. They fall into 3 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by communication, collaboration and creativity. The single most important is analyse texts to be illustrated.
How hard is the move from desktop publisher to cartoonist?
Its learning distance is 56.6 out of 100, which is the substantial band. That accounts for both how much is missing and how specialised those skills are.
How this record was compiled
Both occupations are taken from ESCO, which lists the skills and knowledge each occupation is expected to have and marks every one required or optional. Nothing here is a prediction about hiring, and nothing here knows that a particular employer wants a particular certificate. Treat Table 3 as a starting point for your own research rather than a syllabus. The full method states what these figures can and cannot tell you.