"We encourage students at CCA to follow their passions," says Dean. Two recent graduates of CCA's master's in design program, for instance, were part of a team that developed and launched an at-home heart scanner for those who require daily health monitoring. You can also develop aesthetic and functional improvements to existing products, processes, and systems that help make the world a better place.Ī good example is the design of medical devices, which is an expanding field for product and interaction designers. Designers find creative solutions for complex issues related to accessibility, climate change, human rights, pollution, medical care, and more. With a career shift into a design field, you can make a meaningful impact. A master’s in design is a pathway to more meaningful work "It encourages us to think widely and wildly."īecause of their training in design thinking-which encompasses questioning assumptions, deep research, prototyping, user testing, and iterating-many graduates of design programs wind up leading research and development teams: their ability to challenge the status quo and imagine new kinds of products and systems makes them desirable job candidates in this space. "Design thinking is human-centered and forward-thinking-it generates innovative ideas by identifying both existing constraints and new opportunities," explains Dean.
This design thinking approach is highly valued across sectors, in any field where creative problem-solving is key. In an MFA design program like CCA’s, you learn to reframe questions to formulate innovative solutions. "For those looking to shift into new careers, design thinking is an important tool to add to your toolkit," says Nugent, "and immersion in design thinking is unique to a design education." Design thinking is valued across industries
Recruiters understand the value of the skills taught in a graduate design program, including user research and testing, visualization, prototyping, and iterating. You have access to faculty mentors, leaders in the profession, a network of alumni, and peers who are also passionate about the subject."īecause design impacts every part of our lives, a master’s in design can lead to careers in many fields, not only design jobs in graphic design, interaction design, or industrial design. "Instead, it is the ideal time to fully engage in the community you want to be a part of. "Graduate school is not a time-out," says Sara Dean, interim chair of the MFA (Master of Fine Arts) in Design program at California College of the Arts (CCA). A graduate education provides you with the most up-to-date knowledge and skills while immediately connecting you to a community that shares your interests. Pursuing a graduate degree is a perfect way to put yourself on a fast track to a meaningful, and often lucrative, new career. Other key reasons include a desire to increase their salary, dissatisfaction with opportunities for growth in their current job, and the hope of making a meaningful impact. Maybe you are reassessing your career choices and reimagining your relationship to work and the world? Many career-switchers report that they decided on a career shift to align their work life with their values and goals. For many, the global shutdown was the push they needed to make a change they had been quietly contemplating for years. workers under 40-and one in five overall-have thought about switching careers since the start of the pandemic. She was educated at the University of Toronto and received a Master’s in Design from Central Saint Martins College of Art and Design, London.As COVID-19 brought normal life to a screeching halt, many people had time to reconsider their work lives: according to the Washington Post, nearly one in three U.S. Her previous collections have received four ICFF Editors’ Awards. In 2016, an exhibition of Johnson’s work produced in collaboration with Wendell Castle’s Icon Furniture and master craftsmen in Rajasthan was featured at Rossana Orlandi Studio during Milan Design Week. She is currently working on a project with furniture manufacturers in Barbados to develop and implement a new long-term strategy for the industry. She also designs product lines for established manufacturers worldwide, including Keilhauer, Nienkamper, David Design and Mabeo. Johnson has developed multi-year, government-funded programs in countries like Botswana, Guyana, Mexico and Haiti. Based in the US and Canada, she collaborates with start-ups, manufacturers, governments and other designers to create unique design programs and product collections.
Patty Johnson is a designer and educator who is interested in the interchange between research, design, commerce and culture.
0 kommentar(er)
