JOB PLACEMENT AT DAD
You come here to get hired.
THE WHOLE POINT
You don’t spend 15 months at DAD just to graduate with a nice portfolio and figure out the rest on your own. We spend the first four quarters helping you become the kind of creative agencies want to hire. Then, in Q5, we start teaching you how to actually get hired.
Because making great work and getting the right people to look at it are two very different skills.
01 / THE QUESTION EVERYONE ASKS
97.5%
Almost every DAD grad who went looking for a job in advertising found one.
The number above measures graduates who actively pursued employment in advertising. And it isn’t coming from one unusually strong class. Placement has stayed consistently high across every graduating year we measure.
PLACEMENT RATE BY GRADUATING YEAR / 2020–2025
100% 75% 50% 25%
HOW WE COUNT IT
Placement data covers DAD graduates from 2020–2025 who actively pursued employment in advertising. Employment outcomes and timing vary by graduate and market conditions. Denver Ad School does not guarantee employment.
02 / WHERE THEY LAND
SHORT ANSWER
Yes. DAD grads have landed at some of the most recognizable agencies in advertising, from global networks to agencies making some of the most awarded and talked-about work in the business. Here are just some of the names that have appeared on DAD grad résumés.
THE POINT
A DAD portfolio isn’t built to get you some job. It’s built to give you a shot at the places you actually want to work.
03 / WHERE YOU CAN GO
NOT EVEN CLOSE
DAD Grads get hired all over the country.
WHERE DAD GRADS HAVE LANDED
BIGGEST HIRING MARKETS + REGIONS
DENVER IS THE STARTING POINT
Come to Denver. Build the portfolio. Then go wherever the work takes you.
04 / THE INVESTMENT
DO THE MATH
Portfolio school is an investment. So the question shouldn’t just be what DAD costs. It should be what that investment can put you in position to earn once your creative career starts.
TOTAL DAD TUITION
$27K
The full 15-month DAD program.
AVERAGE DAD STARTING SALARY
$65K
What DAD grads earn on average when they begin their careers.
CAREER TRAJECTORY
$100K+
A common milestone for working creatives several years into their careers.
2.4×
That’s the relationship between DAD tuition and the average starting salary.
The point isn’t that your first paycheck magically pays back school. It’s that a relatively short investment can put you onto a professional creative career path with substantially higher earning potential.
A TYPICAL CREATIVE CAREER DOESN’T STOP AT ENTRY LEVEL
Invest in building the portfolio, skills, and network that get the career started.
The average starting salary for a DAD graduate entering the industry.
A six-figure salary becomes a realistic career milestone as creatives gain experience and responsibility.
SO, IS IT WORTH IT?
You’re not paying $27K for 15 months of school. You’re investing in the career that comes after it.
Salary figures reflect DAD graduate data and historical career outcomes. Individual compensation, career progression, and timing vary by graduate, role, employer, market, and economic conditions. Denver Ad School does not guarantee salary or employment outcomes.