Notions of self: Becoming a 'successful' design graduate

Higher Education graduates have access to employment in the Knowledge Economy. Data suggests that competition for graduate jobs is currently fierce. Research suggests that understanding theory related to the construction of identities (i.e. ‘notions of the self’) may aid graduates in becoming employable in the Knowledge Economy. Worryingly however, when compared to other graduates, design graduates are at a disadvantage when it comes to finding graduate positions in the knowledge economy. Identities are discursively constructed in relation to others. Consequently, this paper uses results from an international cross-institutional student project to propose that design students may benefit from communicating with students from such settings in order to gauge difference. We conclude by proposing that design students may benefit from understanding the importance of ‘notions of the self’ as a way to aid employability in the Knowledge Economy.