Will I have a good chance for a job after graduation?

Ill be in a 1 year design foundations course for industrial design in fall and then Ill do four years for a degree.
In the amount of time how much of an advantage do I have in the economy after those five years?

Will I be needed and will my degree unlock pathways for various careers?

I’m very excited to be a designer its been a dream of mine, but I don’t want that dream to have any doubts for the future

These are impossible questions to answer with many variables. Be the best you can. If you are great at what you do and good to work with, things will sort themselves out. If you are mediocre to not very good, and not a good person to collaborate with, it likely won’t go well, no matter what the state of the economy is.

Focus in on being amazing at what you love. Keep watch on your peers (globally). You will learn the most from them, and they are your competition, so always have a sense of how you stack up.

You have the best five years of your life ahead of you and you’re worried about job prospects… +1 to what yo said.

Focus in on being amazing at what you love.

Youre absolutely right, but what do you mean best in terms of? Like the college years are more fun than the job years?

Like the college years are more fun than the job years?

What does “fun” have to do with anything? You’re an adult now and need to focus on what you intend to do with the rest of your life. It’s called “work” for a reason. It’s your job, for the next four years, to pay attention and learn a trade. You must be technically better than the next student in order to land a position but keep in mind that your technical skills will improve significantly after you gain employment.

But as yo points out, there is more to getting a job than merely obtaining a degree in a chosen field; it isn’t just in your technical abilities. Your social skills will mature as you progress through college (and I am in no way referring to anything you can pick up of Facebook). “Fun” is of course a relative term. If you enjoy learning new things, interacting with people with similar interests, and problem solving then that’s fun…

You are already concerned with whether you will be able to find a job after graduation in five years - that is a good thing. But what you may want to ask yourself is, how much money do you think you want to make. While being a “designer” might appear lucrative, for the vast majority of practitioners it is only an “average” income ($55,000 +/-). And for most “designers” it is as much a labor of love as of income.

Focus in on being amazing at what you love. Keep watch on your peers (globally). You will learn the most from them, and they are your competition, so always have a sense of how you stack up.

It isn’t really a matter of IF you will be needed as an Industrial Designer. It’s a matter of if you WANT to be, if you are driven to be an Industrial Designer. Mediocre only occurs if you aren’t…

Read > COROFLOT Salary Guide
Read > United States Department of Labor, Occupational Outlook for Industrial Designers

I’ll say this, a lot of the students who post and contribute work on here seem to get better faster. Not sure if that is the type of people who are attracted to this corner of the internet, or if the feedback, encouragement, and accountability help, or just seeing the level of other designers and students all of the time. 2 of the 3 designers I’ve hired in the last 12 months have been pretty regular posters here.

I just discovered this place yesterday, My portfolio wasn’t good enough so they put me in a design foundation to do before the industrial design program so that’s 5 years Ill be in design college. In those years Ill build my self up to have what it takes to do well out there.

I love the occupational outlook handbook. Really well done. However, just as I was thinking of a CAD monkey joke, I read this:

Prospects are best for job applicants with a strong background in computer-aided design (CAD) and computer-aided industrial design (CAID).

hehe

I too had to take a foundation course for the same reasons, and if anything it was an extra bonus. It allowed me to discover other forms of art through the various modules which I’d never previously studied in high school, which in turn opens your mind and makes you more creative. The set up with tutors and project / module work also prepares you for the system and set up similiar to what it will be like once you embark upon your degree. So if anything, you are getting a head start against all the other students when you enter into 1st year. And in the grand scheme of things, it’s only one more year…Uni is great. Make sure to apply yourself at each stage but also remember to have fun. After 5 years you’ll be well set to conquer the job market…

burnsie :open_mouth:

You can always get a job making fries.

But as yo points out, there is more to getting a job than merely obtaining a degree in a chosen field; it isn’t just in your technical abilities. Your social skills will mature as you progress through college (and I am in no way referring to anything you can pick up of Facebook). “Fun” is of course a relative term. If you enjoy learning new things, interacting with people with similar interests, and problem solving then that’s fun…

Agree. Excellent advice. If I may add another point or two, one has to prepare their mindset to learn. I think it is easy to get distracted and overwhelmed at the amount of information you have to learn in your particular discipline (whether it’s design school, engineering, etc…). However, having focus during the actual process of learning without distractions will be key. Your success will heavily depend on your intellectual curiosity in not only your field but other fields related to the design process.

While attending school, get into the habit of exercising critical thinking and try to understand how products are made. Reverse engineer existing products in parallel with visual thinking. Understand the components and manufacturing processes needed to make them. The more knowledge you gain, the better off you will be to communicate cross-functionally and gain the respect from your peers.

As some have pointed out, you are now competing with individuals globally but also have full access to tools that can provide you with information to take your skills to new levels(this forum is loaded with inspirational content and the collective knowledge of industry professionals). Use the tools and be determined to perform to the best of your ability.

All the best!

I feel great after reading that, now I’m actually okay with the design foundation

In my school everyone had to take a year of foundation; art history, basic 2d and 3d theory, life drawing… at the time it was super frustrating because I knew I wanted to be an industrial designer. Looking back on it, they were the most valuable classes I took.

Keep the good work and you will be lucky :slight_smile: