Hi all,
Similar situation to the one alexandros described here. Currently doing my homework to put together a portfolio and gathering information on design firms (satelite or in-house).
@cuototo & @lestrock76, you shared great information!
I am somehow puzzeld cause i think i get the atmosphere that you describe as sometime in the recent past i had the chance to visit one of the firms you mention here and i have mixed feelings. The people there, when we were a big group, were a bit “cold” however, afterwards when i had 1 on 1 discussion and was given a walk in their studio people were much more friendly. I noticed also some sort of marketing/mood/inspiration boards (in contrast to what cuototo mentioned about the shotgun approach) that i found quite interesting as an approach but i do not know if they actually use them…
During my visit in Taiwan i also had the chance to meet some people from an independent (5-10 people) studio in the outskirts of Taipei that were very friendly and i felt immidiately as part of them…
I do not know… i mean working for a “big” name like the ones you both mentioned, it is tempting right? But on the other hand, working in a smaller studio with (maybe) more varied projects i may be more involved in different parts of the project and situations and even allow me better contacts within the manufacturing industry?
Another concern is that i am not so proud about my engineering skills as my background is mainly artistic. In a design scene which as you mention is rather engineering oriented and fast paced i am a bit concerned about my chances of penetrating there.
As for the language, in my home-country i have already started some chinese classes but i am thinking that it would be quite useful if i would attend a 3 month intensive course during summer (while i will job-haunting). In this way i hope i will be having solid foundations of the language and then with 1-2 days/week courses and practice i will improve…