Treefolk

I know that the title is very broad but I'm a rising senior in high school and I need to make decisions this coming fall and I have many, many questions.

I wanted to become an architect ever since I was young. At this point, everyone I know is telling me not to do it; not enough jobs, too demanding, stressful, underpaid, whatever. I started to consider other majors after researching and I found engineering to be interesting despite it lacking the creativity I liked in architecture. Though I would consider myself a good math student, I can't see myself doing calculations for all of my academics. This lead me to industrial design, which seemed like the perfect balance for a person like me who is technical yet very much creative. The program I'm looking at (NJIT) has a more technical industrial design program than typical art schools which is what I want. NJIT: School of Art and Design: Industrial Design Curriculum. But coming from a family with well-respected degrees, I feel like I'd be a "disappointment" if I pursued a design-oriented career, not saying that I personally believe that it holds any lesser value, but they definitely do. Despite all of this, I still have a place in my heart that wants to do architecture.

Now for my questions...

Is architecture like what everyone says? I know it will be demanding. I know it requires lots of hours. But is it not rewarding as everyone seems to tell me?

Is it possible to do mechanical engineering with industrial design in college?

What kind of creative freedom do engineers generally hold in their work?

Any personal experiences with industrial designers? Their line of work, job opportunities, etc.

How can I tell my family about the industrial design option so that they can take it seriously?

Thanks so much, I will probably think of more questions later.

turbo93

Let me answer as someone who works closely with MechE's and Industrial Designers, and whose D1 is starting Architecture this fall.

To a great extent, ID is not as easy to outsource piecemeal as, say, software. Plus, as Apple so amply has demonstrated, ID sells the product, or a good chunk thereof. So, it is a good choice career wise if you end up in an industry where stuff is still designed in the USA. ID's have lots of studio time, and lots of creative time, but the skill sets are a bit different than Architecture. Depending on where you end up, you may be asked to do a bit of 'Human Factors Engineering' simply because it's kind of baked in to ID.

MechE does blend with ID to the extent that one needs to understand how to build what they design, or the constraints of what they're designing. Can one do both? maybe, but the Venn Diagram between MechE and ID is not all that big from my experience (single company, consumer electronics).

If you like to design stuff and still want to follow engineering, check out Human Factors Engineering. Not as math intensive as MechE, obviously, but incredibly fun. A second specialty (ID) would come in handy (I'm a Software AND Human Factors Engineer and practice both). In NJIT terms, something like NJIT - Undergraduate Programs: Human-Computer Interaction

Having said this, I would not rule out Architecture. Maybe you can look into Architectural Engineering?

Other engineering specialties do enjoy creativity, depending on where you end up. Not all of it (how creative can Mining engineers get :-)) but it all depends where you end up.

rick12

"Is architecture like what everyone says? I know it will be demanding. I know it requires lots of hours. But is it not rewarding as everyone seems to tell me?"

If I had a dollar for every time a successful person came up to me and said that they really wanted to be an architect and they regret not doing it because their parents told them they would not make money, I could take my wife out for a nice dinner. Do you or your parents know any architects? Try to visit some of the better firms in your area and bring your parents. Call your local AIA office , they may be able to suggest some people to call. The numbers you can find on the net (or DI publishes a good compensation survey every year), but you need to visit some offices to get a feel for the profession.

"Is it possible to do mechanical engineering with industrial design in college?"

My daughter just finished her ME/Product Design degree at Stanford. It is an interesting hybrid degree. She is off on an international professional exchange/internship to Germany for a year so I can't tell yet what the impact of that degree will be.

What kind of creative freedom do engineers generally hold in their work?

Not a lot in a broad design based way, but a lot in a problem solving sort of way.

"How can I tell my family about the industrial design option so that they can take it seriously?"

Would your parents take a Stanford degree seriously? I'm sure it's not the only fine university with such a program. Tell your parents to stop worrying about the status of your degree and to let you pursue the things you are passionate about.

rick

oscarcl

hey I just read your post o architecture vs mechanical engineering and i founded very similar to mi life story, since i was a kid i wanted to study architecture but as you, they told me better not to, there are no job opportunities, not a lot of future...so mi dad encourage me to study a engineering he is a civil engineer, they convince me that as an engineer there are more job opportunities and that i will have a better life, so i started studying mechanical engineering last year but i have never felt secure that i am doing something that i like, i tray to convice myself that this is the right path to choose, i will have a better future, earne more money... but i dont know if i will really like it, it has pass a year and i have had mi ups and downs and still i dont know if im doing what i want and not sure if i even want to be an architect, i found your post today as i was looking for advices, and wonder... i want to ask you what you did with your life? and how are yo feeling with it??