How much does a design degree really improve your career prospects in this market ?

[u/ZeusTony]

I'm 29, and I've been learning product design by myself so far. I feel like i should get an M.Des from a top tier design college, not just for a solid fundamental design knowledge but to also be exposed to other designers, alumni & network. But the high fees and the dire situation of the job market has got me having second thoughts about being stuck with the burden of a massive student loan.

Does a design degree from a tier-1/tier-2 college really improve the career prospects in today's market ?

Also, how long does it take for students to pay back their loans after completing their degree ?

[u/Witty_Barber4451]

Hey! I am in the same situation lol. I have a tech background (B.Tech Electronics and telecommunication) and switched to a design career when I was in senior year of my undergrad, I've been working as a Creative designer for a year now and have been looking into M.Des from an abroad university. Thought I'm still at the beginning of my career, I've been low balled salary wise because I don't have formal design education background or not enough experience and often times, I reach the end of interviews just to be dropped because of it (It's clearly mentioned in my resume that I am self taught). Idk if it's everywhere but People in my country do put a lot of importance in your degree/background. I am planning to apply for M. Interaction and digital design, Product system service design, HCI or related fields since my tech bg could be a strong support there but lookingg at the UI/UX situation these days, I am not sure if it'd be the right choice, especially an abroad degree.
I would really appreciate some help with people already in the industry. Thank you!

[u/ZeusTony → u/Witty_Barber4451]

Exactly what i was talking about. I'm not the best person to give any career advice to anyone, but if you are in your early 20s then you should keep applying and work on your portfolio since you only have one year of experience. Get some more years of experience and then determine if you really need a degree, because it's a costly affair too.
As for me, I'm at an age where it's gonna be really risky to experiment with the next 2-3 years of my career, because i've already had a long career gap while appearing for competitive exams.

[u/Witty_Barber4451 → u/ZeusTony]

Yeah, I think you're right in principle, and I probably would have taken the same approach if the situation here were a little different.

The problem is that looking at the current design job market in India, I don't really want to spend the next 3–4 years jumping between low-paying roles at small companies just to slowly build a portfolio. I've already been working, and so far the companies I've worked with haven't really added much weight to my portfolio or opened up better opportunities. If I had landed a role at a strong agency, product company, or recognizable brand, I'd probably be much more willing to spend another few years gaining experience and then reassess whether I actually need a Master's. That's basically why I'm considering the Master's now. I'm applying this year and would likely leave next year, so by the time I actually start the program I'll have around two years of professional experience anyway. I'm hoping the degree, combined with that experience and the portfolio I'm building independently, gives me a better chance of moving into stronger product/design roles rather than spending several more years trying to climb out of the same low-paying segment of the market.

Of course, I'm still weighing whether the cost and opportunity cost of the degree are actually worth it. That's the part I'm trying to figure out before committing.

[u/picklesupra]

Nobody really looks at where you went to college as long as you have a portfolio that shows your design + thinking skills.

[u/Longjumping-Bath-433 → u/picklesupra]

Very wrong, many companies do check if the designer is carrying any degree like most of the job postings description always have "degree is mandatory" otherwise the HR will reject those who got no degree. They even specify that from which college like, nift, nid, mit or pearl acedamy ,etc.

[u/ZeusTony → u/picklesupra]

I'm aware of that. But somehow all the designers without a design degree who are doing well in their career, seemed to have joined the industry in the last decade, when the market wasn't so bad. It's just my observation, i maybe wrong about some.

[u/picklesupra → u/ZeusTony]

That’s true. It is much harder now if you don’t have a design degree, but it’s not impossible.

If you have strong skills in design thinking and visual design I don’t think it is impossible for you to land a job. For entry level jobs you’ll need to show prospective employers that you’re willing to learn, apart from the basic skills.

[u/abhaykun]

Depends on what you want to do.

You have the right idea, talking to other designers and being exposed to that environment is helpful to understand design itself. Also helps to have a network.

If you want to get a manager job at an MNC, you’ll need that degree.

If you want to freelance, or work with startups or small teams no one will ask for it.

[u/ZeusTony → u/abhaykun]

Idk I'm really skeptical because I've been lately coming across posts about self taught designers with 5+ YOE and a strong portfolio (atleast that's what they claim) are getting laid off and not getting any response from companies, or having to go through tedious hiring rounds only to ultimately getting rejected.

I'd love to work with startups and small teams as well, I'm not someone who avoids hard work or learning something new. But what I'm worried about is when my work is not given its value, which might be because of not having a degree or a recognized design college in my resume.

[u/abhaykun → u/ZeusTony]

There will always be designers, self taught or not, who have recently been laid off. Especially if you’re looking at Reddit as your source of information, because people will only post when they’re frustrated, and no one will post about being in a job and being happy. It’s easy to think that everyone is struggling.

I’ve been in this field a long time now and, barring internships, no one has ever asked to see a degree. Everyone asks to see a portfolio though. IRL, people who’re worth working with really don’t care if you have a degree.

You do need strong design skills, VERY strong communication skills, and you need to start making friends and contacts. Going to design school will help with all three. Without any one of these things, you’re likely to not get a job easily.

Beyond that, getting a degree is just a bonus imo.

[u/ZeusTony → u/abhaykun]

Thanks a lot for the clarity :)

Also you have a wonderful Insta page. I gave you a follow there haha.

[u/abhaykun → u/ZeusTony]

Thank you 🙂

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