Hi all,
I’ve decided not to raise the “is it too late to became the industrial designer” issue as my first topic here since it seems to be pretty common, so appreciate if you guys can help a 32-year-old student with some advices on specific questions.
Some background beforehand. I’ve just completed my pre-degree course and planning to start the BA program in September. In Moscow we have a very poor amount of education options that allow to combine my current full-day work (not design related), studying at university and allocating some time to family but I’ve managed to find one place (they offer 3,5 years to complete the BA instead of 4,5 - 5 years for young students). Unfortunately, it is not the Pasadena University or Royal College of Art but I hope that this education would be at least a basis for obtaining fundamental skills and competences supplemented by individual courses, self-learning and enthusiasm.
So here are the questions:
- I like shaping different stuff (transport, instruments, electronics, toys etc.) but my real passion is car design. Given this addict, would you suggest focusing the education and seeking for potential internships/jobs in this particular area OR focusing on the industrial design in general will allow to be more flexible in terms of passing junior roles quicker (considering the age issue)?
- For the industrial designer is it better to become a professor in a specific skill (e.g. 3D modelling) or just to be good at all majors?
- In practice, how common are paid internships in the ID (US, Europe, Asia)?
- Currently I have BA, MA degrees in economics and a 10-year work experience in Finance. Will it be a potential benefit or simply helpful for the industrial designer? Competences in cost analysis, optimization methods etc.
Thanks for your answers in advance!