Agency, In-House or Freelance?

Not only do I have to think about what I want to specialise in within graphic design for when I graduate but after a conversation with my tutor about where she has worked I realised there were three types of business I could work for.

Agency

In-house

Freelance

And I've been exploring what each of them mean and what I think I would be best suited for.

Agency

Works for multiple different companies on a variety of projects.

In- house

Working with one company for all their design needs.

Freelance

Similar to agency but you're the designer they want.

From research, agency work is a very exciting yet high pressured job. Many, many different projects to do and pitching ideas to companies to win their contracts. In-house for one company yet still working to deadlines there is a constant need for graphics with the correct branding guidelines for one company. I would love to have that structure within one company, however the excitement of agency work and the pressure is something, whilst young, I think appeals more to me. Freelancing has the lifestyle I want, working for yourself, picking your hours and project and being your own boss! Yet I want to gain experience in a variety of sized firms before considering working for myself, the experience and knowledge I would gain would be invaluable towards my career.

However, I need to experience both of these different businesses till I find the one I'm comfortable with (I already have experienced working for myself with projects like Trent TV). I am currently applying for internships to explore the difference and I don't think I will know the answer until I find my dream job!