I am an older student who took many years off, now i am at CCNY to finally finish my bachelors degree. In the end I would like to be employable and have always thought industrial design would be a good fit. The thing is… i transferred so many credits to city college (got very lucky) that it will be fast to get a degree, they don’t have an industrial design program. Around here, people seem to think grad school is a waste, but in my situation, it seems to make sense… because I believe an art BA and an ID masters will be better and wont take much longer, any ideas… or things to watch for?
This is a hard topic. I would have to say the hardest thing tends to be a persons age. I have worked with people on this track and older people tend to have the most trouble with attaining a design degree. If you come in with a lot of natural talent you tend to do better then younger students. But if you struggle especial with drawing you will have a lot of trouble in design. Getting a degree in industrial design will push you harder then you might have ever been pushed in your artistic life so far. It will make you stay up all hours of the night completing work week in and week out. This can be very hard for people who have gotten on a routine. the rewards are great but getting there is very taxing and hard.
I can certainly understand the need to get on with your professional life and make some money.
But I don’t think you will be well served by “simply” obtaining a Masters in ID, without the specific background, culture, and technical training that the BA/BS in Industrial Design provides. Industrial Design, per se, is so much more than just “art” and drawing, although both are essential communication tools in ID.
Simply put, I think you will be cheating yourself out of the valuable experience that the undergrad course work provides. What immediately comes to mind is the portfolio of work that conveys what you have done, which is an indicator of what a prospective employer may be able to expect from you if hired.
My personal take; It would be hard for you to convince me of your mastery of a subject that you have no practical experience with. “Education” only goes so far in this field; performance rules.
Of course there are always exceptions…
ID is very pragmatic, the Masters has little advantage except for teaching in University settings. and for someone without a Bachelors it’s a 3 year degree, at least at decent schools. Go for the full undergrad degree’s training is best.
However, post your portfolio as-is and ask for some feedback, we may be better able to advise you if we know where your starting.
interesting, i guess it may be best to finish this degree, we have some furniture building and design classes at ccny, which is great… and see what happens. i will finish this first, and maybe go get a second degree from pratt after… i really don’t understand what is needed to do this work, i have artistic talent, and was always good at math/science… and have always thought in a very ergonomic way… so i thought this would be a great fit, i am a little bummed at the responses, but we will see how i do after my bfa
that this is the common consensus on these boards is very unfortunate.
I do not want to turn this into another “why masters” discussion but their are many other good reasons why a student would benefit from pursuing a masters education.
It is true that being able to more easily get a teaching position is one reason, but another great aspect is the opportunity to develop during these years. Depending on the program, the school will give you a lot of freedom and maybe even funding (like in my case) to develop projects on your own for yourself.
Their is no better way to start your own studio, than to do it out of the convenience from grad school with knowledge, facilities and contact network all at your disposal.
Of course, I can not speak for all programs, in fact I can only speak for mine, but for me, skipping senior year in undergrad and heading to grad school, was a great decision.
Some of my classmates have done the one-year course at Umea University in Sweden before starting the masters. These guys are absolutely up to par with anybody who went through the full 3 years but they are also a bit older and know what they want.
For anybody who is a bit more experienced, the undergrad can be a very frustrating experience with teacher who basically have to babysitt, pointless busywork, crowded classes.
If you do go through the Bfa education, make sure you look at the class structure.
I don’t want to discourage anyone from pursuing further education, as long as your clear on the goals an benefits.
the primary role for most entry-level designers is “sketch monkey”.
A Masters is a great way to broaden your horizons, refine or learn new methodologies, explore purely academic interests, but not start (yes at the bottom of) a new career.