I've been thinking about a career change for a while and I'm wondering about options. During some late night scrolling yesterday I ran across a list of career fields considered by engineers thinking of leaving engineering. Graphic design came up and that seemed like it might be something to look into. Here's my deal;
I like fonts, writing / tech writing (but I do not want to be a Tech Writer), and page layouts.
I have some technical aptitude as an engineer but I'm not sure that I want to work with engineers for the rest of my working life.
I'm in my mid-40's and have decent savings so I could handle a cut in pay from where I'm at now.
I enjoy photography but I don't know that I could make that a career. It looks like a good way to barely get by for most of the people that are trying to make their living that way. I wouldn't mind side work as a photog but I don't get warm fuzzies about that being my sole source of income.
I haven't nailed down an area of interest in graphic design as a career field. I'm curious about how much training / classes I would need to get to an employable place. I'm also really hoping to stay in Wichita for a while which I know probably doesn't help career prospects but I own a home here and my costs are low.
Anyone in this general field, which I know is very broad, want to put in their 2 cents? Very appreciated!
Not specifically my field, but I have some potentially useful input.
Graphic design is traditionally print. Clearly that is an area that is not exactly blooming, probably best not to focus too much on that aspect although I would guess it would be a good idea to know about it.
Graphic design is generally highly appropriate for remote work. Skill is going to be pretty self-evident, so having a portfolio of what you can do is going to be more useful then a certificate or degree.
GD has a lot of crossover to interactive design, information design and training, so pay attention to those also as potential crossovers.
From what I have seen, 90% of businesses could use, and generally highly appreciate someone who would go through their presentations and make them look less like they where thrown together by a hyperactive 4 year old.
For training and learning I would highly recommend seeing if your local library has a tie in with LinkedIn Learning (used to be Lynda.com). If they do, you can get access to all the training, and they have a large collection of training for Adobe products and other (even non-software related) training that would be very useful. Buying a subscription should certainly be a consideration of you can't get it through the library.
In reply to aircooled :
Thanks for the reply. Everything you wrote makes sense. It does seem Photoshop, InDesign, and Illustrator will all be useful tools to learn and use. Good thinking on using my local library for training resources as well.
I think what I'm missing with my current career is lack of creative purpose and flexibility (aircraft engineering & certification is not exactly a great place to stray from what was done before) as well as feeling burned out. I'd like to work with some different sorts of people for a change but I know a career switch like this is not to be taken lightly.
You might want to consider a degree in commercial art. Yes, they offer a degree in that. The big ad agencies hire out of the good schools. Mrs. Snowdoggie did that and she does graphic design for a big firm. There is a lot of competition in this field but if you get to the top you can make 100K a year as an Art Director. You also want to consider that there is less and less print in this business and more and more online design. You want to be very familiar with website design and video. There is a lot of demand for artistic programmers. All the tools are on Adobe. Photoshop, InDesign and Premiere. You need a portfolio online before you start looking for real jobs. School projects can fill that up in the beginning. Add to it when you start getting professional jobs. There is a lot of freelance work. Print shops hire people on the low end of the scale.
To transition into graphic design, be warned that you'll be competing with young/cheap labor for entry level jobs. Anything that pays well requires either stellar talent with a proven portfolio of work--or--solid management chops as a creative services director rather than a designer.
Do you have an interest in/aptitude for management or strategy within your current field?
In reply to Snowdoggie (Forum Supporter) :
Thanks. Not sure how much I want to go in pursuit of a degree in a field where I don't have first-hand experience (did that already, not sure I like how it worked out). Still good things to think about. Agreed that print, while not dead, is not where the growth and money is.
In reply to nderwater :
I know that this will represent a cut in pay but hopefully open up options for remote work as well as be something I can feel more engaged with. I do not have an interest in management or strategy within my current field beyond a group lead position which I have not thought about in a long time. Strategy is handled by folks so far away from my role that it seems like a fairy tale so it's never crossed my mind.
aircooled said:
GD has a lot of crossover to interactive design, information design and training, so pay attention to those also as potential crossovers.
This has been my career path so I'll offer you my perspective for what it's worth. I started my career as a graphic designer covering branding, print, and web. While I know there are talented individuals who have made a good career out of traditional graphic design, I found that those types of deliverables started trending towards commodification instead of skilled services about 10-15 years ago. Big companies still need custom design from individuals, but gone are the days when every small business needed a designer/developer to get a brand and website off the ground when they have sites like Squarespace, Wix, and a million cheap logo design services. Social media has also made "brochure sites" a secondary concern for a lot of businesses.
From that perspective I moved towards a career in what's now called User Experience (UX) design. UX is a huge and varied field and includes user research, information architecture, interaction design, usability testing, etc. If you look up user-centered-design it'll give you a good idea of what is (supposed) to be involved. It focuses more on problem-solving and workflows for applications compared to the communications-focused design I did previously for the web. In that regard, it's well suited to people with an aptitude for engineering. The working environment is typically geared towards software development rather than marketing.
In the end, I couldn't be happier with the choice I made to switch direction 10 years ago. The skillset is in relatively high-demand and there isn't a reason to believe it'll drop off anytime soon pending Skynet. There are plenty of ways to educate yourself, plus formal education that isn't a traditional 4-year degree.
Traditional Graphic Design is not a great paying field especially starting out and is dominated by younger crowd. I've been a Graphic Designer working with mostly print media, not much opportunity there anymore.
Matt B makes has some very good advice, UX and UI are some areas to look at.
One avenue you may want to consider, with your technical knowledge is interior design. Not for everyone, but is still a strong field. I looked at going that way but didn't want to go back to college again.
I'd branch out from graphic design and do subject matter beyond genitalia.
Everybody and their dog thinks they're a graphic designer. One more vote for proper UI/UX, it's a lot more valuable IMO and it's better suited to an engineer type mindset.
Thanks to the folks who have made additions to this thread. I actually tried to get involved in what we call "human factors" at the aircraft corp I currently work for. Didn't happen, unfortunately. In any case, UX does seem like an interesting field. Matt B, I might want to touch base with you outside of this forum to hear more details if you are open to discussion.
Thanks again everyone. I really love this forum.
LATE EDIT: I asked around and I don't think I want much to do with the human factors group here for a variety of reasons. Is what it is.
Keith Tanner said:
Everybody and their dog thinks they're a graphic designer. One more vote for proper UI/UX, it's a lot more valuable IMO and it's better suited to an engineer type mindset.
My Border Collie is smarter than your graphic designer. 
Most advertising is about web sites and social media now. Yet my mailbox is always full with print advertising. Somebody has to be doing all that.
I would also encourage a similar thing. See if you can take what you do now, or something similar to what you do now and add design skills into that, then you at least have a good foothold and something to work from rather than go head on against others who are specialized in the field. E.g. there are a lot of graphic designers out there, but very few (aviation engineer?) with good design abilities. As I noted, there are many people in many businesses who could benefit greatly from some design expertise.
Rather than fight the tide / flow, try swimming at an angle, if you know what I mean.
Maybe look around where you are now and see if you can apply some design skills to your job, or a similar one. It will make it FAR easier to actually get hired for such a job, although it will still be a bit specialized so it might be harder to find one.
In reply to pres589 (djronnebaum) :
Happy to discuss it with you. Feel free to PM me and we can hop on a call sometime.
SWMBO is an experienced graphic designer with 10+ years pro experience.
It is an extremely, breathtakingly competitive field with a massive labor surplus of hungry young people, and with the increasing adoption of remote work it is becoming even more competitive than it has traditionally been. Wages are low unless you are very specialized (UI/UX, exhibits, motion graphics, etc) and it is also a very offshore-able job which drives down the pay scale further.
She pivoted to interior architectural design (think "branded spaces" like fancy corporate HQ lobbies and very elaborate trade show setups) but moonlights as a college design teacher. I cannot stress enough how many fresh college grads are devouring each other for graphic design jobs.
I would not tell anybody to enter the field unless they have a very specific game plan or absolutely dream of doing the work. Happy to try and answer any specific questions you might have.
In reply to Matt B (fs) :
Hey, did you get my PM?
Bumping this mostly to get Matty's attention. He could text me at seven85-six33-six490.
Anyone else want to chime in, please do so!
Whoops, I did not. I'll text you.
