Breadcrumb
Careers & Alumni
With a strong foundation in critique, history, and technique, our students are highly prepared for their futures as a positive force in contemporary society.
Art students find a strong foundation in advanced verbal and written communication skills. Students use visual information to inform and explain ideas, problems, events, and people. They also learn to find necessary sources by analyzing, compiling, and organizing ideas within materials.
Film students demonstrate fundamental aesthetically driven technical skills essential to media production and develop films grounded in ethical storytelling. They apply creative problem solving and collaborative practices in their work. Students analyze global film studies and synthesize knowledge through the creation and completion of short films.
Potential Career Paths
The following list is not meant to be all inclusive and some positions may require further education.
- Advertising Designer
- Animator
- Art Appraiser
- Art Center Director
- Art Conservator
- Art Director
- Art Handler
- Art Therapist
- Artist Assistant
- Audio Engineer (Production and Post Production)
- Cinematographer
- Community Programs Director
- Conservator
- Creative Director
- Director
- Display Designer
- Drafter
- Editor (Film/TV)
- Editor (Book, File, Media)
- Exhibit Designer
- Fashion Designer
- Furniture Designer
- Freelance Artist
- Gallery Director
- Graphic Designer
- Grip/Gaffer
- Illustrator
- Interior Designer
- Industrial Designer
- Jeweler
- Landscape Architect
- Marketing Director
- Metal Fabricator
- Museum/Gallery Curator
- Photographer
- Potter
- Producer
- Product Designer
- Production Audio Mixer
- Screenwriter
- Set/Stage Designer
- Sound Designer
- Teacher
- Visual Effects Artist
Meet our Alumni
Alumni Updates
Victor Hernandez
Art, 2007
Victor Hugo Hernandez ('07), inventor of the ErgoFlex Desk, is excited to announce the upcoming launch of his Kickstarter campaign for the first AI-powered ergonomic desk. The ErgoFlex Desk, designed to sit, stand, tilt, and glide, was inspired by Victor’s passion for innovative design, which began during his time at Cal Poly Humboldt. After moving back to Southern California to care for his mother, Victor returned to school to refine his idea, leading to a patented design that enhances health and productivity. Recently featured on How I Built This, Victor’s journey showcases the impact of Cal Poly’s hands-on learning approach.
Harris Fogel
Art Master of Arts, 1982, 1984
Harris Fogel is a staff writer and photographer for Copper Magazine in Boulder, CO. Fogel has authored a monograph called "The Wonder Years 1988–1991, Photographs by Harris Fogel," published in 2017 and revised in 2024, and "Helmut Remiorz, Color 1969–1974, Photographs by Helmut Remiorz,” released January 2023. He presented a lecture on the exhibition "About Who? Andy Warhol" at the Passagen Linköping Art Gallery in Sweden in March 2024. Additionally, he is the publisher of Mac Edition Radio and participated in "Plutonium & Silver - The Atomic Photographers Guild (APG)/Imaging The Nuclear Condition" in Vancouver, Canada, in April 2024.
Rebecca Beard
Art, 2001
Rebecca Beard ('01, Art) is currently on the Privacy Leadership Team at Meta where she focuses on Augmented Reality, Virtual Reality, and Device spaces. She leads a team of global managers who develop privacy practices to protect users' data in the development of the Metaverse. She completed her MBA from SFSU and EMBA from Yale.