This was posted on the c77 main page today and I thought it might be of interest.
Deeply flawed story. Deeply flawed analogy. If the premise is that becoming a car designer has similar odds as that of becoming a pro football player or fighter pilot, the author needs at least a couple of data points:
- How many people are actively pursuing the career
- How many available career positions exist
This will result in a simple ratio that allows an accurate comparison. However, the author does not research or provide how many available career positions there are in automotive design or the air force, nor does the author share how many people are actively pursuing careers in football or the air force. So how can the author make such claims, and why should any alert reader believe the analogy is accurate or relevant?
There are other innaccuracies and missing details as well, but to make a long story short, this is just a happy fluff piece for CCS that will excite gullible junior high school students - nothing more. Is that Autoweek’s target reader, or is that the knowledge level of Autoweek’s writers?
not to mention that most designers who even do get into the auto industry are not much more than detail guys like Mr. Rearview Mirror. The number of guys who actually style a complete car are likely less than 5 worldwide.
I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again…I think there is something fundamentally wrong with the profession when almost all new cars that come out are terrible. I dunno it if its a disconnect between school education and reality, but I do think its fair to judge the school/process on the final product.
R