Making A Career In Design

Design as a career has become very popular amongst students who have a creative flair. With the design industry growing at an annual rate of 23-25 per cent there are a number of opportunities for students who wish to make a career in design according to their skills and education.

The reputation of the college

Design is a vast profession thus proper care needs to be taken when it comes to selecting the right design college. The reputation of the college plays a huge role apart from your skills and grades. If the college you opt for is not credited and is not profound in terms of design as a profession little to no importance will be given to your earned degree. Assessing college before you fill-up the application form is crucial.  

Researching about the college on the internet, finding out about the teaching faculty and their qualifications in their career, if possible, connecting with people who have graduated from the college you wish to opt for to get a clear view of the working and educating process.  

Every college website has a set of alumni, it’s important to research about them and their professional life. The curriculum, faculty education quality, and ratio of academic excellence are all important aspects you need to research to make sure the design college is reputed enough to give you future opportunities once graduated.  

National/International Accreditation

To choose one of the best design colleges in India opting for colleges that are nationally accredited will help you to select the best potential design colleges to graduate from and reduce the hassle of selecting a valuable design college.

NAAC (National Assessment and Accreditation Council) in India has jotted down universities that offer diverse specialized design opportunities for students to choose from. Opting for NAAC credited universities will help you achieve a high-quality design college in India.

In a similar way, opting for universities that are internationally accredited is also available for students. Those students who wish to acquire their degree from a foreign university can apply for design colleges with international accreditation. Graduating from an internationally accredited university provides opportunities to seek employment abroad.

Apart from this, international accredited universities enhance the skills of the students through knowledge and practical experience increasing the potential for foreign employment.  

While selecting a design college opting for colleges that have a student-faculty ratio is beneficial as the level of education catering to students increases. A low student ratio enables a good rapport with the teachers and recognition among your professors.  

Design is a competitive field thus having professors that are experts and can have an equal eye on everyone’s growth acts as a positive aspect of joining a student-to-faculty ratio design university or college.  

Reasonable fees

Design colleges often have fees that are higher and unaffordable for many. However, many design colleges provide financial assistance or scholarships credited to students based on an entrance exam moreover there are accredited design colleges that offer quality education at an affordable range.

Before selecting the college make sure the pricing structure fits into your budget and is beneficial to you. Be cognizant while calculating your annual investment made into your design degree as the same should be reciprocated through your job’s salary.  

Internship opportunities

Receiving internship opportunities is a must to boost to your career as a designer. Students who graduated from reputed colleges and universities are often selected when it comes to hiring purposes as students in reputed design colleges receive vast understanding and acquire knowledge at a far better pace than in a college that does not specialise in design.  

Various organisations also arrange employment drives for students who are often engaged in reputed colleges. Graduates from a good design college are often given first preference as the skill and expertise of these graduates are far better than normal unspecialised colleges.  

Specialised and accredited colleges also engage in internships as a part of the curriculum thus engaging students with practical knowledge even before they hit the market.  

So, choosing the right design college becomes a very crucial step to finding your niche with different skills and talent in the world of creativity.

Industrial connect

Many times, the curriculum of colleges is decades old, which is needed to change regularly especially when comes to design courses which is an ever-changing field. Connection with Industry experts allows a college to update their program structure as per the requirement of the existing industry and prepare students according to the need of the industry. It is important to get connected to industry experts or the people who are working in this to keep up with the changing trends and needs required by the industry.  

Faculty pool

The design industry keeps on changing with every passing year, which was trendy or good maybe not trendy or ethical anymore. With the ever-changing demand for design, a good design college needs to connect with the working professionals to keep updated about the current and updated education with an add-on to their fundamentals and existing curriculum. Working professionals with good experience help a lot to modify the curriculum.

Overall, how passionate and honest a candidate is towards their career is most important. Their dedication to the stream shortlisted will allow them to grasp the knowledge fruitfully. The choice of colleges of national importance and other design university depends on your hard work and learning outcome.

Rekha Kejriwal

Guest Author The author is Academic Director, Academy of Fashion & Art (AFA)