Careers in Design Technology

The “age of the technologist” has arrived, nowhere more so than in areas related to “design.” Many fields traditionally dominated by experts are becoming “democratized” as highly specialized design technologists perform more and more of the visual, structural and creative design work traditionally handled exclusively by licensed “professionals.”

Design technology has emerged as a vibrant and important career field, especially computer aided design (CAD), sometimes also called “Computer Assisted Design” (don’t worry about the acronym, just use “CAD” and everyone in the design fields will get it).

If you have the ability to combine a sense of the visual with computing skills, your opportunities for a career in design technology are nearly unlimited. By honing a few specific skills and by combining your knowledge of design with software capabilities, you can launch the career of your dreams in design.

New Opportunities in Design Technology

Nearly every firm involved with design is desperate for skilled design technologists. We use the term “desperate” very carefully, as it sounds like hype. But if you visit with leaders in design firms, “desperate” is exactly the impression you get, especially when you ask them about their human resource needs.

That means unprecedented opportunities for you, if you visualize, anticipate, plan, and take action to build your skills in design technology. Among many others, you will prepare yourself for:

• A career in product design
• A career in architecture and architectural design
• A career in facilities design
• A career in landscape design
• A career in product lifecycle planning
• A career in engineering support and design

There are many, many, many more. It is nearly impossible to overstate the importance of design. Literally everything that is made, constructed, created or otherwise brought into existence begins with a design. And literally everything that is designed involves a design technologist.

Develop your design skills and you can create. It’s that simple. If you can design, you can help build the world!

Skills You’ll Need for a Dream Career in Design Technology

The skill set you’ll apply in your successful design technology career is exciting and dynamic. If your brain yearns for a challenge and your heart thrives on creating something entirely new, you’re all set. To prepare for your design technology career, you will hone some unique and powerful skills:

• Skills in visual and spatial design - to learn the principles and applications of visual design; simply, to learn what “looks good” in any design
• Skills in CAD - nearly everything that gets built starts as a computer drawing from a CAD program. CAD skills integrate premium computer operations with steady visual design skills. CAD is an incredibly exciting area of computer operations, and people with CAD training open up amazing career opportunities.
• Skills in your chosen design field - as you learn visual and spatial design, you will be exposed to the vast array of options for applying your skills. You might find product design fascinating. You might be magnetized to landscape or faclities architecture. You might not be able to resist the urge to build bridges or create next-generation teapots. In any case, you will delight in the variety of options open to you. And you will enjoy the freedom to explore until you find the niche made just for you.

Where to Get Training in Design Technology

Traditionally, “design school” has been limited to an exclusive few. Getting into any sort of design field required not only extraordinary and specialized talent, but also, well, lots of money.

Today, it is possible to go to design school for much, much lower cost than in the past. It is even possible to “go to design school” via distance learning, as more and more schools are putting their design programs online.

One of the most exciting options, though, is to completely bypass design school, at least for now. If you are aggressive about it, you can find CAD tutorials online. You can find design forums online, where expert designers post their insights, ideas, and opinions about design issues. You can even find inexpensive --even free!-- design tools that will help you hone your skills.

Remember, the field of design is dominated by smaller firms who are interested in results. They don’t necessariy care where you went to school. And you may or may not actually need a degree in design. For them, taking design tutorials and proving yourself as a self-taught designer may even be better than going to design school! You will establish yourself as a self-starter with high goals, one willing to take initiative and make a difference.

And that’s exactly what today’s best design firms are looking for!

The Entrepreneurial Edge: Freelance and Self-Employment Options for Design Technology

Freelance and self-employed designers enjoy a nearly limitless bounty of projects and opportunities. Increasingly, design teams assemble, tackle incredible creative projects, then disband and move on. In the process, they learn new skills, amass fabulous experience, and make themselves even more valuable for the inevitable next project.

Freelance and self-employed design technologists are, by their very nature, intriguing and innovative people. They enjoy great status among their peers, and among those of us who wonder just “how they do it.”

And, of course, they make great money! Check out rentacoder.com or elance.com and see.

You can join them. Make the commitment today. Hone your skills and join the incredible design technology revolution.