7 Reasons Why Students Should Not Pursue Design Courses

In India, design courses are trendy and appeal to the artistic mindsets willing to pursue a career in fashion, graphic, product or interior design. However, there are some factors which students must keep in mind before choosing to pursue a Design Degree out of  FOMO or wrong perception of one' s skills. Here are seven reasons as to why certain students might not find design courses suitable to them even though they feel they are made for designing. 

The Absence of Real Passion and Interest

Design requires imagination, critical analysis and a passion in aesthetics and usability. Lack of interest in design concepts usually causes the students to lack motivation, and thus, can adversely influence their academic work and career development.

Wrong Expectations 

Stats of design students in India indicate that the dropout rates in specialized courses such as design are more than other technical and non-technical courses. This is an indication of the discrepancies in the expectations of the students and the reality of the course and many end up dropping studies half way through.

Biases toward Structured Learning

Design education is not as fixed and more investigative in nature and it demands self-directed learning and exploration. The design courses can be frustrating and overwhelming to students who prefer learning in strict and predictable environments, and not knowing what is right and wrong.

Financial Limitations and ROI Issues

Design degrees may be costly, particularly when pursuing the course in private institutes that have studio and material tuition fees. The payback period (ROI) is very diverse and students who do not have excellent portfolios might also struggle to get gainful employment right after graduating.

Poor Technical and Digital capability 

Contemporary design extensively uses digital resources and applications (e.g. Adobe Creative Suite). Students who feel uneasy or unconversant with technology might not be able to follow at a pace that will impact their confidence and achievement.

Little Stress Tolerance of Subjective Feedback

Design is often subjective and iterative, with peer criticism, faculty criticism, and client criticism. Students that are stressed or demotivated by repeated subjective feedback might not succeed in the design discipline.

Incompatible Career Expectations

Most students anticipate high paying glamorous design careers without a full understanding of how intense the industry could be. In the absence of achievable career aspirations and readiness to face entry-level challenges, it is usual to be disgruntled and switch careers.

All-in-all, if a student is not crazy about designing, creativity, and wishes to do everything to build a lucrative design career, he/she should not pursue this course. Because designing is not everyone’s cup of tea, it is better  to look for alternative career options and not waste months studying something you don’t feel passionate about. 

Thus, before taking design courses, students must think hard about their eagerness to be creative, their wheel of comfort with ambiguity, their financial preparedness, and their career expectations. Reflective self-assessment may also avoid ineffective enrollment and help students to pursue courses and programs that match their stronger and intended aims.