What were be the hardest part of being a graphic designer?

The hardest part of being a graphic designer, right now, is convincing potential customers that "eating" and "living indoors" are things graphic artists like to do too.

This is what you should do: Go to Craigslist and look at the "graphic artist wanted" ads. Half of them are "payment is portfolio samples. Project requires (insert web 2.0 technologies that require $10,000 worth of software to accomplish) and if done well additional work might follow," (More work for free? Oh joy!) The other half are "I'll pay you $20 for a logo for my band. I want five different logos to choose from and I need it by Wednesday so we can print t-shirts for Friday's concert." How's anyone supposed to survive on that kind of pay?

I'm sorry that I sound so bitter, but I'm almost 46 years old and I have watched the career that I liked very much go from being a really good-paying career to being something people expect you to do for them for free. And the funny thing is, the people who want YOU to work for free don't work for free themselves.