Education · 1 of 5
The path
A four-year degree and a portfolio. The degree gets you the interview, the portfolio gets you the job.
- 1
High school
Grades 11 and 12
Art, shop, physics and any computer drafting class. Build things with your hands and photograph everything you make.
- 2
Portfolio for admission
Final year of high school
Most design programs review a portfolio alongside your grades. Sketches, models and finished objects, not just finished drawings.
- 3
Four-year degree
4 years
Industrial design or product design. The federal profile lists a bachelor's degree as the usual requirement, plus a portfolio of design projects when you apply for jobs.
- 4
Internship or co-op
Summers or a full semester
One or two placements inside a studio or a manufacturer. This is the single biggest factor in getting hired afterward.
- 5
Junior designer
2 to 3 years
Sketching options, building models, fixing details on somebody else's project. Two or three years before you lead your own.