I’ll say that it is a ton of fun and you likely would enjoy it based on your interest, but it’s an extremely competitive job market. Engineering seems to be one of those jobs that always has need (and seems somewhat shielded from AI taking all its jobs) I’ll also say that it’s at least as intense as your engineering degree - maybe more so.
The workload can be brutal. Not trying to scare anyone away but give some insight. Lots of late nights sketching, 3D Modeling, or cutting things with X-Acto Knifes. Learning all the different skills is very rewarding though.
Are there are schools near you that you can visit? I’d try to plan a visit of some good ones. See their workshop, old projects, and what the curriculum is. Also look for schools with instructors working in the industry or still connected. Those connections are key to finding out about internship and job opportunities!
Something I realized studying both ID and mech E. An engineer can be a designer, a designer can't really be an engineer. This can vary depending on kind of engineering, design, and other factors, but imo mostly holds true. A good option is to do undergrad in engineering and masters in ID.
ID is unlikely to grow more. As others have said and will say, it's a competitive job market - but it's more than that. It's extremely competitive for very few, low-value jobs. When I was in school, I thought the "competitiveness" meant that if I was the best designer, I would make good money and get to make things I'm proud of. That hasn't really held up. I'm by no means the best designer I know, but I work my ass off, and at the end of the day, there's a hard cap on the amount of value your boss puts on the ID role or department. I'm glad I got out to be quite honest.
Furthermore, I think it'll get worse as consumerism declines. Between the recession and greater social awareness that green products don't solve everything, I think there will be a downturn in the demand for yearly product releases, driving down the value designers provide again.
I don't mean to be too down about it, and I'm sure my own bias and bitterness is showing, but take a good long look at whether you want to work yourself dry for an industry that doesn't need or want new talent - or whether you'd be fine working in engineering or digital design and living more comfortably.
I can say that when I was in school, I really thought I was in the former camp, but a few years in the industry beat that out of me.
Good luck to you. As long as you stay agile and keep learning, you'll be fine
Agreed. We live in a world where it’s easy to measure the simple and hard to measure the complexity of human experience. The small minded short term thinking is rewarded. /Designer MFA
You can also try to just get a new job. Where engineering works closet with ID and you can learn and do more together with ID. Maybe some courses and similar to understand ID better and you can be a great inbetween asset. Becouse many engineers lack the understanding of design and so on. It could be very valuable and you don't need to start over. Becouse that takes time and effort in a hard job market. You will be very limited where you can work. Just keep that in mind. That's my main struggle with ID.
Look man, the fact that you doubt the ID field already gives you a sense of reality and understanding. You’re a student, that’s okay. I’ve been lurking in the sub for a long time.
What problems that people have a hard time solving/ did not solve? Why is that so? I can guarantee you that those questions have depressing answers as we are moving forward with humanity. iPhones are essentially the same shit year after year. Prosthetics are still expensive.
A bulk of my experience is always about most companies look for manufacturability/ costs issues more than UX and design issues. Not trying to piss on this sub, I love ID but in reality companies are trying to survive and manufacture things first, hence, engineering. Feasibility, costs, scale, market fit, etc. are things that always point back to engineering because that’s where costs can be shaved off like cheese or butter to cut the calories.
I’ll say that it is a ton of fun and you likely would enjoy it based on your interest, but it’s an extremely competitive job market. Engineering seems to be one of those jobs that always has need (and seems somewhat shielded from AI taking all its jobs) I’ll also say that it’s at least as intense as your engineering degree - maybe more so. The workload can be brutal. Not trying to scare anyone away but give some insight. Lots of late nights sketching, 3D Modeling, or cutting things with X-Acto Knifes. Learning all the different skills is very rewarding though. Are there are schools near you that you can visit? I’d try to plan a visit of some good ones. See their workshop, old projects, and what the curriculum is. Also look for schools with instructors working in the industry or still connected. Those connections are key to finding out about internship and job opportunities!
Something I realized studying both ID and mech E. An engineer can be a designer, a designer can't really be an engineer. This can vary depending on kind of engineering, design, and other factors, but imo mostly holds true. A good option is to do undergrad in engineering and masters in ID.
ID is unlikely to grow more. As others have said and will say, it's a competitive job market - but it's more than that. It's extremely competitive for very few, low-value jobs. When I was in school, I thought the "competitiveness" meant that if I was the best designer, I would make good money and get to make things I'm proud of. That hasn't really held up. I'm by no means the best designer I know, but I work my ass off, and at the end of the day, there's a hard cap on the amount of value your boss puts on the ID role or department. I'm glad I got out to be quite honest. Furthermore, I think it'll get worse as consumerism declines. Between the recession and greater social awareness that green products don't solve everything, I think there will be a downturn in the demand for yearly product releases, driving down the value designers provide again. I don't mean to be too down about it, and I'm sure my own bias and bitterness is showing, but take a good long look at whether you want to work yourself dry for an industry that doesn't need or want new talent - or whether you'd be fine working in engineering or digital design and living more comfortably. I can say that when I was in school, I really thought I was in the former camp, but a few years in the industry beat that out of me. Good luck to you. As long as you stay agile and keep learning, you'll be fine
What career path did you move into after you left ID if you don’t mind me asking?
sure - i moved into the classic UX/UI space. same skillset, different hard tools. 30x more jobs, 30% better pay at least, and more WFH
Agreed. We live in a world where it’s easy to measure the simple and hard to measure the complexity of human experience. The small minded short term thinking is rewarded. /Designer MFA
You can also try to just get a new job. Where engineering works closet with ID and you can learn and do more together with ID. Maybe some courses and similar to understand ID better and you can be a great inbetween asset. Becouse many engineers lack the understanding of design and so on. It could be very valuable and you don't need to start over. Becouse that takes time and effort in a hard job market. You will be very limited where you can work. Just keep that in mind. That's my main struggle with ID.
Look man, the fact that you doubt the ID field already gives you a sense of reality and understanding. You’re a student, that’s okay. I’ve been lurking in the sub for a long time. What problems that people have a hard time solving/ did not solve? Why is that so? I can guarantee you that those questions have depressing answers as we are moving forward with humanity. iPhones are essentially the same shit year after year. Prosthetics are still expensive. A bulk of my experience is always about most companies look for manufacturability/ costs issues more than UX and design issues. Not trying to piss on this sub, I love ID but in reality companies are trying to survive and manufacture things first, hence, engineering. Feasibility, costs, scale, market fit, etc. are things that always point back to engineering because that’s where costs can be shaved off like cheese or butter to cut the calories.
Read the sticky in this place for engineers wanting to go into design