Has anyone else here noticed the increasing number of 2 yr schools offering a AA of Industrial Design. Was courious when I applied for a job and the company said they ussually only hire graduates from the local CC with the Associates degree, “How could you streach that degree into four years”. I checked it aout and it was 2 yrs worth of AutoCad. So I did a search and found more, many many more. Most offer different CAd packages, some even support thier programs by running RP model shops allowing students to work on SLA, SLS, FDM, RTV, and Z-Corp models.
How can they get away with calling this Industrial Design, last I checked it was drafting…with some RP work thrown in. Can the IDSA do anything about this, before people start thinking of us as CAD jokies more than they already do!!!
Seriously, we need to be better about stewarding our profession.
A community College couldn’t get away with offering an Associates in Neurosurgery. “Yes I have my Associates in Astro Physics, I worked on that NASA probe that crashed into Mars last year, as well as the one that crashed back to Earth this year.”
They should call the programs mentioned and Associates in 3D drafting or something.
Or maybe we need to update the terminology of our own field. A lot of people say Product Design is a more accurate and telling title as it entails all things related to the product: manufacturing, usability, marketability, and aesthetic. While semanticly, industrial design reffers more to the manufacturing of the product.
I have seen this as well. This firm has even been contacted to have someone visit the classes and give a “professional” seminar on the importance of Industrial Design in the development of Parametric CAD models. I went just to see what the program was… Well 8 years ago when I was taking similar classes at the local CC in my home town (early HS graduation program) it was called CAD Drafting, and the graduates were reffered to as design engineers and/or Draftsman.
I actually gave the seminar, but focused on how Industrial Design uses CAD as a tool, but not the only tool in our box. I walked the students through our firms biggest project, from the initial market research, user demographics, and focus groups…through to the FOT inspections. Many of the studdents late asked about how they would get job doing that…reffered them to IDSA site and varrious schools.
Proffessiors and the school administration were pissed and have reffused to pay me the $1000 that they agreed too. Said I made thier program look insufficent in the eyes of the students, and felt that by illustrating such projects as being conducted by design firms gave the students false views of the profession. My response pissed them off more…“Your program is giving the students a false view on the profession by giving them a faulse title, they are draftsman not designers. They will assist designers and engineers by converting concepts into CAD. What’s next changing the name of the CNA program to Associates of Nerological Surgery?”
I totally agree that something needs to be done about this as I recently heard about a lighting design firm in the STL area who let go 3 Industrial designers, and hired 4 of these associates from the UM Rolla campus to create SWX drawings (2D from exiting 3D) of lighting fixture that have been designed by outside design firms. Happened to run into one of these so called Designers at a SWX workshop, also found out he was pulling in a wopping $7.25 an hour…actually asked so what does an artist like your self think of that kinda dough…Just looked at him in astonishment, how do you answer that.
I’ve gotten inquiries from headhunters trying to place me in fields looking for those types of “cad ID” draftsman jobs. Sucks when the name gets perverted and screws up the expectations of the field. Like the online computer cert guys that call themselves graphic designers.