Where do I go from here?

Design Discussions design employment
1

Do I keep going for PD / ID, or try something different like space planning? - I don’t want to be a CAD monkey anymore!!

  • Keep Trying for a PD job
  • Call it a day and do something else that still affords a bit of creativity

0 voters

Hi Guys,

As some of you may know, I’m extremely unhappy with my current position, which is basically a CAD operator where all I do is fit blocks together to fom assemblies (the company is currently having a system developed to make this part of my position redundant - but there’s nothing else that I do!!) I don’t ever create anything from scratch, it is all contained in a library, this is the second job I have had which is like this since graduating with my degree in Product Design about 3 years ago. Neither position has allowed me to design anything, I have worked/am working in complete isolation with no other designers etc. so I am not gaining any experience of the design process, working to briefs etc.

I’m currently 28, I live with my GF, and we would like to buy a house and start a family in the next few years. The money I’m on at the moment isn’t bad, but it’s not great either and with being so unhapppy (bored!), I have been considering 2 options at the moment and need any advice I can get:

1: Do I continue bashing my head against what feels like a brick wall and try to get a job in a design consultancy? These jobs seem few and far between so competition is fierce, plus even the junior roles ask for 1-2yrs relevant consultancy / studio experience and I haven’t got any and I’m not getting any, so often I don’t even get a reply to my letters/emails.

2: I knew a guy who I’ve mentioned before, and we used to be good mates, he graduated from the same uni and went into space planning for an office furniture company, he worked in a medium sized team where he learned from others, learned 3D Studio Max and has gone on to be a very successful visualiser (James if you’re reading, I have a lot of admiration for you). He has the kind of life I aspire to where he is valued by his company, works as part of a big team and has a lot of fun at work.

I know that your own personality comes into play hugely and he can find opportunities almost anywhere, but (as I can’t ask him about it) do visualisation roles allow people much in the way of creativity or a challenge? I need something a lot more than putting sodding shelf blocks against the inside of vans!!

What do you guys think about this? I’m not getting any younger and from what I’ve seen, the ID and PD industries in the UK are almost impossible to get into. Now I could start blaming people like the uni I went to etc. but that isn’t constructive, so can anyone give me any ideas what to do next? I need to know what I need to do before I spend money on stuff like Wacoms, laptops etc. if this is going to be a waste of time. I also need to know that if I can get a job as a Space Planner that it isn’t just going to be more of the same isolation and boring monotiny.

I’m sorry about these posts guys, but as I have no contacts you are the only people who I can ask for help.

Stewie

2

I’d like to give you some meaningful advice, but there’s too little to work with.

  • I’ve not seen your portfolio.
  • I don’t know how you think.
  • I don’t know if you have any other related interests/talent/experience.
  • I don’t know how open you are to the different areas within product design.

and most of all

  • I don’t know how passionate you are.

Let me say this not just to you but to every person who essentially does the same thing: if you want advice on what to do you’re already in trouble. And if you want meaningful feedback you have to provide sufficient information for people to consider.

Maybe you’ve posted stuff elsewhere, but I’ve not seen it (and I just checked where you’ve posted on this forum and didn’t notice anything in the “portfolio” section).

I’ve said it before, I don’t understand why people post these threads and don’t link to their portfolio in them. Why bother? I hate to say this, but people who do this sound like whiners. Don’t apologize for asking; apologize for asking without giving us anything to evaluate. There are plenty of people here who would be happy to give you feedback and advice, but you’re making that difficult. It’s almost as if you’ve already given up and don’t want anyone to tell you something you don’t want to hear; as if it’s better to be ignored and then be able to blame your situation on things outside your control.

Take control of your own situation.