Hi everybody. I recently decided that want to study design. My passion is athletic footwear. I have BA in music, but I always designed on my own. I’m originally from Serbia, but I live in NY last 3 years. I still can’t afford to pay for good school nor I have option for getting a student loan. I need an advice about schools. Do you know what schools give scholarships based on the portfolio? Also, do you know anybody who enrolled in Industrial Design program having already a BA in some other major - maybe I can enroll Masters program? I’m posting my first digital rendering and I’d be great if anybody replies with the feedback. Thanks.
Good for you. It’s a good mark that you spend your free time working on self projects, and a portfolio. Realize that design is process of problem solving, and it doesn’t really matter what your degree is in. But an degree does help with getting doors open.
While NY might be VERY expensive, there are other programs all over the country, many are listed here from the IDSA site (http://www.idsa.org/absolutenm/templates/?a=118&z=49). Not all the best designers, or the rest of us that find employment nice come from highly praised schools. There are plenty of state schools that can provide an incredible education and experience.
Personal dedication comes through no matter where your education is from.
And yes… some of us do have degrees in other things too… a couple 
Good Luck
Ilya_
I’m glad to see you posted your work up in here.
It is common for people to get a design degree as a second degree.
hey man.
if that is what you can do without school, i surely am scared to see what you can do WITH school and maybe some internship experience.
i guess my advice to you is simply…do whatever it takes to get into school and this profession. it is just incredible.
david
it is definitely not out of the ordinary to pursue design with a degree in another field…have you given thought to enrolling in part time design courses a pratt or even f.i.t. (i think they have some footwear related courses}
Thanks to everybody for the reply, it really meant a lot to me. You mentioned internship - do you have to be student in order to enroll any internship? I know that NIKE requires you to be a full time student (minimum level - junior) and of course - good portfolio. Is it the case with other internships? I’ll post more stuff tomorrow for some feedback. I’m not a student yet, but I will be soon! Thanks. 
Looks very good. Very simple and clean.
Looks really good, IN! Just stay focused on your goal and do something to improve or learn everday. You can do it!
-TH
If you have some skill, and it looks like you do based on the sample above, you should be able to get an internship. It might take a little more work to find an internship when you are not with a school yet, but you should be able to do it.
I did a footwear internship before I began my ID studies. I had a contact in the company which made it easier. Something interesting to note: they told me they rarely get people coming to them that say they are interested in designing men’s shoes. Keep in mind this was not an athletic footwear company – they did traditional shoes and lifestyle/sport shoes so there were not a lot of art school fan boys trying to get in to work there. I could draw and was proficient in Illustrator and Photoshop, so I got to do a fair amount of work + unpack boxes from time to time. No it wasn’t Nike or Puma, but it might help you get there next.
FIT (which is a state school and inexpensive) does have footwear classes. In my brief experience it is not that important that you know anything about how shoes are made – they will teach you. You need to be able to come up with the visual ideas, and to bend your style to the project… also, an FIT class would be taught by someone in the industry so you can get advice and connections.
good luck!
IN: as Vivavoom suggested, check out Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT). I received my BFA in accessories design from there.
You would probably be better off with a degree in industrial design but if you need a cheaper alternative try FIT. They also offer a one or two year associate degree and night courses if you have to work during the day.
I wish you the best. feel free to ask more questions if you need help.