Transferable skills - Product designer
Discussion
Hi,
So i feel ready to make a career move and i would like to look at other options outside of Product design. Options i might not currently be considering. It would be great if you guys could have a quick read through my experience, skills and strengths and maybe point me in a direction i never knew existed.
Ive been at my current firm 4 years. Entering as a fresh graduate (Product design) I have steadily progressed up the ranks and i am now in charge of a small team of designers, overseeing the whole design process from Initial brief to final production runs.
I have experience in -
Design, Sketching / Renders / 3D modelling / Print / 3D printing
Managing my teams workflows with multiple projects running at any one time, and of course ensuring we hit deadlines on budget.
Working with clients / meetings / presentations etc
Branding / Marketing
Dealing directly with manufactures from around the world
Do you know a job or sector that would appreciate my skills and experience?
So i feel ready to make a career move and i would like to look at other options outside of Product design. Options i might not currently be considering. It would be great if you guys could have a quick read through my experience, skills and strengths and maybe point me in a direction i never knew existed.
Ive been at my current firm 4 years. Entering as a fresh graduate (Product design) I have steadily progressed up the ranks and i am now in charge of a small team of designers, overseeing the whole design process from Initial brief to final production runs.
I have experience in -
Design, Sketching / Renders / 3D modelling / Print / 3D printing
Managing my teams workflows with multiple projects running at any one time, and of course ensuring we hit deadlines on budget.
Working with clients / meetings / presentations etc
Branding / Marketing
Dealing directly with manufactures from around the world
Do you know a job or sector that would appreciate my skills and experience?
Im not specifically looking to move away from design and product development. Im just feel i may be missing out on opportunities that may not fall into my job searches.
I enjoy strategy, planning and managing others just as much as designing. I see myself as an allrounder more than a specialist, i no longer feel challenged in my current role and would like to continue learning new skills.
I enjoy strategy, planning and managing others just as much as designing. I see myself as an allrounder more than a specialist, i no longer feel challenged in my current role and would like to continue learning new skills.
Many graduates start work as designers having spent 3 years doing it at uni because they enjoy it. They go out into the big world of work and start to get involved with everything else, interacting with other departments and meeting new people. They then realise that there is more to work/life than product design and feel they would rather be doing something else, at least for part of the time.
For some of them this works out well as their skills lend themselves to a move into sales where they are able to impart great knowledge to customers. Others make a move up the ladder and find themselves doing more management and less design - Before they know it they've not designed anything for years.
Often, all of this happens without them needing to actively seek an alternative career.
The simplest way for some is to find a job they like the look of and tweak their CV to show what relevant experience they have.
How do I know this? I was in exactly the same position as you several years ago (albeit doing Mechanical Design). I started out as a mechanical designer before changing companies to become a project engineer. This gave me my first exposure to customers and suppliers and I loved it, staying there for 3 years before moving to another role as Mechanical designer. I longed for more of a project engineering role and was lucky enough to be working for a growing company, this meant I could adjust my role slightly as it grew, making sure I kept the right people on-side along the way.
By the time I left that job I'd gone from designer to Technical manager, flying overseas with purchasing, going to trade fairs with sales, meeting with marketing agencies and being an integral part of the company structure, playing a key role in it's expansion.
When we decided to move to Australia I was worried I would miss my job - It was the best thing I had in the UK (excluding my wife!).
However, I found a small company which was again showing strong growth and started as Engineering Manager. Now I'm involved with everything once more because my previous experience brings something new to all aspects of the business. I've introduced many things that have given immediate positive results, shown colleagues new ways to do things - All of which I picked up from my previous jobs.
I've never sought to change the direction of my career, I've simply been keen to explore every opportunity. The skills and experience I picked up along the way have been invaluable but my core skills are still what I did at Uni.
When I was at uni, one lecturer told us that we should be prepared to change jobs every 2-3 years in our 20's to find something we enjoy and pick up a lot of experience. However, by our early 30s we should be looking for something we would be happy to do until we retire. For me this has worked out pretty accurately (without even trying to follow his suggestion).
There is one key phrase that you need to remember when looking for another job in a related field - "Same shi*, different product"
From robotic assembly machines to light switches to Railway Rolling Stock, I found each product type and each business has had the same problems and similar opportunities.
For some of them this works out well as their skills lend themselves to a move into sales where they are able to impart great knowledge to customers. Others make a move up the ladder and find themselves doing more management and less design - Before they know it they've not designed anything for years.
Often, all of this happens without them needing to actively seek an alternative career.
The simplest way for some is to find a job they like the look of and tweak their CV to show what relevant experience they have.
How do I know this? I was in exactly the same position as you several years ago (albeit doing Mechanical Design). I started out as a mechanical designer before changing companies to become a project engineer. This gave me my first exposure to customers and suppliers and I loved it, staying there for 3 years before moving to another role as Mechanical designer. I longed for more of a project engineering role and was lucky enough to be working for a growing company, this meant I could adjust my role slightly as it grew, making sure I kept the right people on-side along the way.
By the time I left that job I'd gone from designer to Technical manager, flying overseas with purchasing, going to trade fairs with sales, meeting with marketing agencies and being an integral part of the company structure, playing a key role in it's expansion.
When we decided to move to Australia I was worried I would miss my job - It was the best thing I had in the UK (excluding my wife!).
However, I found a small company which was again showing strong growth and started as Engineering Manager. Now I'm involved with everything once more because my previous experience brings something new to all aspects of the business. I've introduced many things that have given immediate positive results, shown colleagues new ways to do things - All of which I picked up from my previous jobs.
I've never sought to change the direction of my career, I've simply been keen to explore every opportunity. The skills and experience I picked up along the way have been invaluable but my core skills are still what I did at Uni.
When I was at uni, one lecturer told us that we should be prepared to change jobs every 2-3 years in our 20's to find something we enjoy and pick up a lot of experience. However, by our early 30s we should be looking for something we would be happy to do until we retire. For me this has worked out pretty accurately (without even trying to follow his suggestion).
There is one key phrase that you need to remember when looking for another job in a related field - "Same shi*, different product"
From robotic assembly machines to light switches to Railway Rolling Stock, I found each product type and each business has had the same problems and similar opportunities.
Edited by 200bhp on Thursday 11th July 23:51
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