What if you are at school (high or uni/college) and have killer design skills but no scores on the board with which to show you can follow through on a project?

What if you are at school (high or uni/college) and have killer design skills but no scores on the board with which to show you can follow through on a project? Competitions such as this aren't for everyone but there are plenty of opportunities to be had in participating. Design (or coding for that matter) for its own stake is one thing. But if I am working with someone I want to see that they can do the job even when it isn't something that necessarily gets their blood rushing.