Pursuing a career in design at 36...

[ Deleted ]

I agree with you - difficult, especially at this stage in the game for me. Lot’s of competition out there with limited opportunities. I also need to be honest about my skill set - it can be developed but it will take years upon years due to my huge lapse. Thanks so much for your input man. I took a look at your work as well, amazing man.

Thanks for sharing your experience Mike, its very insightful to hear from someone that’s actually been behind the lines. I appreciate it. My position is, even if I don’t pursue design directly I need to find a career I don’t hate. Its reaching that point with insurance. I would be cool with doing something that maybe I’m not the most passionate about but I don’t hate and like you said, can fund my hobbies. So that’s another avenue of thought for me. Have you ever heard of Cal Newport? He talks about something similar, not pursuing your passion but instead finding a skill set that puts you in demand. Your mechanic sounds like a smart/funny dude!

Finding skills that are in demand is one thing, finding work that you find challenging and rewarding is also valuable, even if you aren’t necessarily in love with the specific work. I enjoy the challenges of helping to manage a business, and on my life long path I’d rather end up a C-level employee than stay in the trenches and just execute on design work all day.

If you have the time you can certainly try to take on personal projects to try and see what kinds of things you might like to do. I have friends who have quit their jobs to go off and just build one off furniture pieces, start a pig farm, start a bar, build custom motorcycles, etc. All of those things started off as potential hobbies that evolved into full time gigs. Sometimes even just looking at your local area and saying “Man, this town would be great if we had XYZ” is a good place to start if you’re willing to take the risk. Designing your own collateral for a business is a great way of designing something that means a lot to you and learn along the way, even if the designing part is just part of the journey.

Good point - I’d much rather have work that I find rewarding these days, regardless of much I get paid as long as I have roof over my head and maybe I can afford to a little hobby or two.

There are definitely some things I’d like to explore on the creative side besides design. I’m learning to code now, so we’ll see how that goes. So I know you mentioned your one friend maxed out credit cards in order to start a bike shop. Every time I hear of someone doing something like I wonder if they had anything to fall back on, in case things went wrong? A spouse that worked, savings, parents etc or did they just completely put everything on the line and risk total and complete failure. If you have a safety net, its easier to make the jump.

I find entrepreneurs are like gamblers. Consider Bob Voulgaris:

He bet his entire life savings ($70,000) on a 6.5-1 bet that would take over six months to decide. Then he waited. Six months later, after many nights of eating ramen noodles, many days of slinging luggage, and a 15 point deficit in the 4th quarter of game 7 against Portland, the Lakers were crowned NBA champions, and Haralabos Voulgaris had a half a million dollars.

I would never be comfortable betting my life savings on anything. Even my own skills and ideas. Some people can do it repeatedly on things that are further and further from their control or ability to analyze. I don’t think it’s a virtue or disability, it’s just different.

Yeah in this case he bet it all. Now the initial investment was probably closer to $50-100k, and I’m not sure what his backup contingencies were (most of that was investment in physical product, which always has a certain level of resale value).

Some people will say “you can always go BACK to insurance” I’m sure with many years of experience you could always find another job doing what you do now if your new plan fell through - you’re the only one who has to sleep at night with that decision.

I took the risk gamble by leaving a comfortable corporate job and moving to a startup. I figured this is the time to do it, not in a few years when I’m trying to start a family. We’ll see in a few months/years how that pays off.

A Petrolicious piece about someone who went back to school for design later in life after buying a DeLorean… I think the primary driver here is going to be deep inside do you feel you have to do this! if yes, then you have to decide how you want to do it. My friend who owns Icon, Jonathan Ward, is not trained as a designer, but is he one? I’d argue he is. But he also founded his own company that works around the way he works.

I can relate to this topic more than I care to admit. I’ll be turning 36 in a week and I have never been so unhappy in my current career path. I’m currently working as a project coordinator for an architecture firm where I manage the production of our project drawing sets, coordinate everything with our consultants and work directly with the clients to do their projects. I have the most responsibilities and more pay then at any other point in my career. I’m also engaged in educating students about the industry in my spare time, but no matter what I do I’m just finding my current career path incredibly unfulfilling.

So where I stand now I figure I have a few different options to consider. I either need to go back to school and get another Master’s or PhD to change careers. I could transition to a different market sector that may or may not provide better project types or opportunities. I could go out on my own and start going after the projects I really want. Or I could work towards starting a home goods company that I’ve had interest in for years. Becoming a full time educator/writer/researcher also has some appeal. I’m weighing the pros and cons of all of this and I’m still not sure what I should do. Ultimately my strongest desire is to make cool sh*t and continually grow as a designer/educator/business person. So how do I get there while providing a sustainable career and manage to be happy doing what I do?

If I had a great answer for you I’d gladly give some better advice. For now, just know there are others out there considering some of the same options.

Ross, sounds like you know what you want to do, the challenge is doing it. Please do not read any snark into that, I have total empathy for how hard it is. A friend of mine asked me last night why I don’t start my own design consulting firm… I don’t have a great answer. What I know id that everyone I’ve ever talked to who has gone out and did the thing they wanted to do seems to not regret it, regardless of the level of success.

No snark read into that at all. :smiley:

I was a co-lecturer yesterday where we discussed entrepreneurship in the design world. The girl I teamed up with runs a small company that designs/builds chicken footstools. Pretty interesting story for her stuff.

Definitely worth checking out. She has a pretty fun story with her stuff. Kind of makes me want to toss my hand in and get something going.

I’ve considered myself a gambler/risk taker, although when I do its usually calculated. For me, now is the time to put up or shut up. Not getting any younger. Never heard of that guy Voulgaris but reading about him now, interesting story.

You’re absolutely right on that one, I can always go back into insurance. No problem. So I guess that’s my safety net at this point, begrudgingly hahahah.

Time will tell but I think you made the right move dude.

Thanks for sharing that. Goes to show you’re never too old to pursue your passion. Mid 40’s and enrolled as a student at Art Center. Definitely some inspiration.

Yea! I’d say for sure Mr. Ward is a designer. That’s a friend of your’s? Wow. Can I get a discount on the Bronco?? I love the vehicles he turns out, absolutely amazing.

Ross - thanks for sharing your story man. I probably should show more gratitude and not say this but recently I’ve been hoping to get fired! That’s where I’m at currently with my job. I really do consider it a job in every sense. Definitely not a career that I want to be in. So we’re in the same boat and I figure even if we don’t have the answer we can at least bounce ideas off of each other and contribute that way. The answer will be different for all of us of course but I really like hearing what others have to say, soaking it up like a sponge and then make an informed decision.

I think with your skill set the door is wide open for whatever you consider! I mean everyone that has contributed in this thread has an amazing portfolio of work. I have a long way to go! I really don’t have much to show at this point but that will change.

You could start that home goods company on the side and then build it up to a level where you can transition into it full time.

I went to College (CCS, full time) for the first time when I was 32, I was 36 when I graduated. I was married, had a small farm and a two hour one way drive to school. I wanted it bad enough that I got up at 4:30 am to feed the animals, then made that drive twice a day for four years. It was rough, my wife thinks the school is really a cult, (because we disappear for 4 years, talk in an odd designer language and dress funny). It was a huge hit on us financially, my school worked suffered because of the 4 hours a day I spent driving, I dropped out of the transportation design program, into product design in the second semester of my junior year because of it. It has not been a perfect career, but if I had not done it I would be constantly telling myself I should of done it.

But, it paid off, I was hired before I graduated, I have started three internal design studios over my career, am the senior ID for global innovation at my current job (started their design studio too) and even get to design some concept car lighting on the side. I love what I do, I like going to work and don’t want to do anything else. I realize this post is all about me, not really any good advice, I just wanted you to know there are others out there that were in your position. If you want your life to change, you have to do something you have never done before.

Only you can decide how bad you want it, and if you go for it, make the commitment in full!

Wow, great background story design61!

1 Like

Your story is absolutely inspiring Design61, thanks for sharing it.

1 Like

I know this was a long time ago, and somehow I’m now “design611” instead of “design61”. Wondered where you were carrier wise. I retired at 59 to take care of my artist parents who had dementia, now both passed, and I’m a docent at the Gilmore Car Museum part time.
Thank you YO and MT for the compliments.

3 Likes

That looks like a great place to spend time!

1 Like