By Rekha Kejriwal
There was a time when students had only a few conventional choices in their life but in today’s time, youth look at careers through different lenses than their parents used to do. Parameters such as security, steady income, no breaks, and tenure have now become boring and old fashioned. Youth is now more bent toward offbeat courses rather than conventional courses and take the creative route for their careers.
There has been a recent trend among students moving away from conventional careers to pursue opportunities in the design industry. This is likely due to the ever-growing importance of design in the increasingly digital world. Designers are needed to create user-friendly interfaces, engaging experiences, and visually appealing products.
One possible explanation of this shift could be, the depth of knowledge required for many design careers is much greater than it used to be. The decision to go into a Design Career comes from a deep understanding of design, not just a superficial knowledge of design and typography. Students who have gone through the Design Academy have gained an incredible depth of knowledge in both theory and practice.
Secondly, in this new digital economy, there is a radical shift in the job market. Now people don’t get educated only to secure a job but to learn and contribute to showcasing their skills and talents. Global exposure through exchange programmes, the niche in skills, and specialisation in different streams are filling the designing sector.
With the advent of technology, the ability to think outside the box and use innovative technologies is essential in order to succeed in the design industry. Design is not just about coming up with physical objects. It is about problem-solving, conceptualisation, and designing something outside the box. Designers solve problems by creating original ideas and products that can be mass-produced and sold to consumers.In addition, many design careers require life skills such as teamwork and problem-solving that are not typically taught in traditional classrooms.
The workforce is changing and many companies are now looking for employees with creative mindsets who can think outside the box to solve problems. The life skills, learning, and understanding you gain from a design career will be critical for any career path. If you do not develop these skills now, you will be at a disadvantage with other young people when it comes time to make decisions about future education or careers.
In terms of turnover and the number of employees, the design industry lags behind the other services domain. Currently, Fashion Design, Animation/New Media, Interior design, and Architecture are the only leading domains in the design industry at present, but with changing economic scenarios, domains such as industrial design, human-computer interaction, and graphic design are also growing at a fast speed. Many multinational companies are focusing Indian market as an important market for their product, to understand the need and demands of consumers in India, companies need assistance from Indian designers, which is opening the gate for many jobs in design sectors.
The author of this article is academic director, Academy of Fashion and Art (AFA). Views expressed are personal.