With all this talk of scarce ID job opportunities Im looking into engineering school. Since I’m getting close to finishing school in ID I feel as if getting into engineering will increase my chances in a full time job. Don’t get me wrong I love design, innovation, and creativity but I also can’t get enough of engineering. Do you guys believe it’s wise?
I just don’t want to find myself graduating and not being able to find a job many months after school.
I studied engineering, and now I am a product designer. Funny, isn’t it?
In my book you have the best of both worlds, more engineering should be taught to ID’rs…lots more.
agreed.
engineering knowledge never hurts. my BID education (Carleton University, Ottawa, Canada) had mandatory courses in Engineering statics, plus physics, chemistry, algebra, calculus, marketing, psychology, economics, in addition to the usual studio and design courses. and these courses weren’t “physics” for designers (dumbed down), but real first year courses taught by the appropriate faculty.
can’t say i use or remember much of the details of those addtional courses, but im certain it has made me a more well rounded designer and better able to appreciate the input of other professional experts in a teamwork situation.
bottomline. know as much about as much as you can.
R
nice mix, and your from there? 
just kidding
there? where? huh?
R
from that school, a joke…never mind.
yup, from a school. that and playing with my lego as a kid, and what more do you need to be a designer ? 
R
Hockey / Ski boot fitting as a youngster, 1 year project mgmt experience at 17 in a building consultancy, 4year Mechanical Engineering course with 2 CAD / material based summer placements, 1 year break for an internship to engineer performance / concept sports footwear products in germany (which, incidentally has the biggest computational power outside of the automotive and aeronautical industries - Registered & Protected by MarkMonitor ), to old school footwear development…
there is no wrong way to get there, maximise everything you have acheived and enjoy it. I am lucky to be into footwear but have a greater passion for process and material development which saw me through.
most of my colleagues, are now working for shell, exxon etc but you have to make your own path. plus i know at least 7 mech engineers working here now (4 scottish!) and another is heading up performance running.
so dont knock the engineering background!
Oh man I thought I was alone. Im finishing up my studies as a furniture student and I’m starting to rethink things. Whats even funnier is that I worked as a summer intern at an arts center(think haystack, penland, etc) in the furniture dept. The program was very traditional in thought but a large portion of the students were retired…ENGINEERS!
I’m trying to figure out the connection.
Depends on your location. In Hong Kong/China the money is in Design not engineereing.
I am currently teaching Engineering students about User-centered design through lectures and projects. It has been interesting to see them have diffuculty but finally start to understand the idea of understanding the user and designing something for them.