I read the posts we received in response to my original post and quite honestly, I wasn’t certain whether I should take them seriously. In fact, I still can’t determine whether they were maybe tongue in cheek.
The proliferation of design schools hasn’t been a positive thing for the industry. There are schools that are located in areas that aren’t noted for their vibrant arts communities. There is an imaginary Ivy League of Design Schools. I went to one. Those that strenuously object to that notion just plain didn’t go to one. ID is far more than a trade school experience taught off the beaten path in a vacuum or in a community college.
The proliferation of people claiming to be able to do everything for everybody is very concerning as it devalues talent. It’s hard to imagine how one can have expertise in any one field when you also claim expertise in others that use very complex software regardless of “talent”. How many hours are there in your day?
You either are or are not an ID expert. You may have exposure to other fields but exposure and expertise are very different things.
As Generatewhatsnext says – the world has gone from an appreciation of talent to the baseless and barren “just gimme the file” approach. Deliverables without content fostered by the “I can do it all” school of design.
The same thing has happened in law. You can be on trial for murder with an attorney from an Ivy League law school (who’s a dinosaur) or you can have an attorney from a store front night school who is an expert in it all.
The plane is on fire. Do you want a dinosaur / expert in the left seat (with 18 or more years experience) or someone who “can do it all” ?