Looking for advice on getting into Industrial Design

Hello,

I live in Canada and I am interested in pursuing a career in Industrial Design but, I don’t know if I can. I have a college diploma in Graphic Design and I am currently nearly done completing a University degree in Print Management. My degree does focus on the business aspect of the print industry but it also includes graphic design, publishing and packaging design. I noticed that some of courses kind of related to Industrial design such as material science, 3D printing and prototyping.

I can’t switch out of my program due to personal reasons but, I want to try and become an industrial designer. I was planning to self study as much as possible and build a portfolio to apply for a masters program.

Would my plan work?

With your background in design, getting into an ID masters program would likely not be a problem. There has been much discussion here on the pros and cons of ID masters. Many tend to be more theoretical. This is more of an issue when candidates come from non design backgrounds. Some masters programs offer a three year path where you can spend most of your first year taking ID undergrad skills classes.

Short answer is it is doable. It is more about spending some time to find the right program. I highly recommend visiting schools if you can. Also, I know some friends who did masters who benefited from working for a couple of years in between undergrad and grad programs.

If you can show through your initial portfolio that you can create tangible products that make sense, you have a good chance to enroll in an ID Masters. I would definitely focus on core skills, your vision and design process before going into great depths on specific topics.

This question keeps coming up.
Reverse the roles: Imagine I’m an Industrial Designer and want to get into Graphic Design. Do you think I could self study and apply for a masters program?
What are some of the challenges you think I will face? Do you think I can compete with people who have a BA in Graphic Design?
The answer is always, yes it’s doable but you will face challenges. It will also depend on your skill as a designer. A title/degree is worthless if your portfolio is not up to par with the rest.
Do you have any other more specific questions?

Whether this would be feasible enough to happen on the first.

Thank you all for your responses.

I forgot to mention that my college diploma in graphic design is equivalent to that of an associate degree in America plus one extra year (three year program). My current degree isn’t a design major (tech major) but, has quite a bit of design classes and is heavily related with graphic design as stated in my original post.

I’ve read quite a bit of articles, posts and videos on skipping an ID bachelor and going directly for a masters. A lot of it is quite mixed with most responses leaning towards doing a bachelor as a better option (I can’t do another bachelor) but, it seems that self studying and doing a masters is also possible but difficult.

I believe I want to get into the electronics side of industrial design if that is even possible. Aside for education, I don’t have much work experience in graphic design (a contract position and a few side gigs).

With this I am somewhat faced with a dilemma on whether I should start a career in Structural Packaging Design first and then shift over to Industrial Design via masters program or I should just focus on self learning some aspects of industrial design and then going into a masters program?

Also in terms of specifics, would you have any books or online tutorial recommendations that could help me get started in learning about Industrial Design?

Thank you.