Becoming an Industrial Designer via Online Education?
At the very least, online education can help you lay a foundation and/or open up alternate career paths.
Kaplan University, one of the highest ranking online
schools,
is a US school (accredited) offering design courses to train individuals
to become top-notch
interior designers,
architecture designers,
designers,
graphic designers,
fashion designers, etc.
Currently, according to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics there are 65,460 people employed as
industrial engineering technicians alone in America, and their average annual salary is
$49,030.
Commercial and industrial designers make on average $61,400
per year and there are about 29,170
of them employed today.
Colleges and universities like Kaplan University that provide online education are successfully launching workers into
this
field.
Typical Work Locations for an Industrial Designer
- corporate offices
- factory offices
- consulting firms
- interior design companies
- architectural firms
- remotely from home
- construction firms
- publisher's offices
- drafting offices
- engineering firms
Potential Advantages and Benefits of Working as an Industrial Designer
- brains behind the innovations
- chance to show creative skills
- work closely with businesses and manufacturers
- determine the design requirement
- brainstorming ideas and creating models
- designing products according to the needs and wants of the customer
- working with design technology
- participating in product testing
- get to execute and work through own ideas
- make the products user friendly and attractive
Potential Drawbacks
- work late hours
- travel often
- work through meals
- your ideas may be infeasible and get rejected
- large work load during the busy projects
- tastes of consumers change and you need to be constantly monitoring those changes
- teamwork can be difficult with people from different disciplines with different goals
- you may not get credit for your ideas
- the creative process involves many people and can be time consuming and slow going
- you wont get to make the final decision about your work
Related Professions to Consider
- CAD Specialist
- Industrial Designer
- Web Designer/User Interface Designer
- User Experience Interaction Designer
- Substation Designer
- Electrical Designer
- Case Product Manager / Designer
- User Experience Designer
- Principal UI Designer
- Graphic Designer/Marketing Analyst
Possible Interview Questions When Applying to be an Industrial Designer
- How did you discover you had a talent for design?
- If you had to define yourself vocationally in one sentence what would it be?
- What has been your key (or keys) to success?
- What are the different specialties within the field of industrial design?
- What was your greatest success and biggest setback?
- What are your favorite projects that you've completed in your career and why?
- Would you do anything differently if you could re-live your career up to this point again?
- Who were the biggest inspirations for your career?
- What are some common myths about industrial designers?
- What do you consider to be the most important result of these efforts?
Common Collaborating Professions
- Management Consultant
- Manufacturing Manager
- Quality Engineer
- Systems Engineer
- Production Manager
- Computer Engineer
- Operations Manager
- Healthcare Manager
- Quantity Surveyor
- Plant Manager
Industrial Designer Training books
Industrial Designer (More) Popular books
Potential Companies to Work For
Common College Majors
- History of industrial design
- Industrial design CAD skills
- Introduction to industrial design
- Introduction to marketing
- Materials and processes
- Model making
- Visual communication
- Precalculus
- Physics
- Computer-assisted drafting and design
Industrial Designer Salary Information
Category: Commercial and industrial designers
| Total # Employed in the US |
29,170 |
| Average Hourly Wage: |
$29.52/hr |
| Hourly Wage Range |
| PERCENTILE |
| 10% | 25% | 50% | 75% | 90% |
| $15.29 |
$20.21 |
$27.92 |
$37.16 |
$46.11 |
|
| Average Yearly Salary |
$61,400 |
| Yearly Salary Range |
| PERCENTILE |
| 10% | 25% | 50% | 75% | 90% |
| $31,810 |
$42,040 |
$58,060 |
$77,300 |
$95,910 |
|
| Employment Demographics |
| % OF WORKERS WITH |
| < High School Diploma |
High School Diploma |
Some College |
Associate Degree |
Bachelor Degree |
Master Degree |
Doctoral Degree |
| 2.7% |
13.0% |
19.3% |
14.1% |
42.5% |
7.1% |
1.1% |
|
Commercial and industrial designers — WAGES BY STATE, SORTED BY SALARY
| STATE | Average Hourly Wage | Average Annual Salary |
|---|
| Massachusetts |
$35.15/hr
|
$73,100
|
| Missouri |
$35.04/hr
|
$72,880
|
| Maine |
$34.67/hr
|
$72,100
|
| Montana |
$34.45/hr
|
$71,660
|
| Oregon |
$33.43/hr
|
$69,540
|
| Colorado |
$33.16/hr
|
$68,970
|
| North Dakota |
$32.54/hr
|
$67,690
|
| Oklahoma |
$30.38/hr
|
$63,190
|
| Michigan |
$29.29/hr
|
$60,920
|
| Guam |
$29.28/hr
|
$60,910
|
| Hawaii |
$29.2/hr
|
$60,740
|
| Idaho |
$29.18/hr
|
$60,700
|
| Nevada |
$29.15/hr
|
$60,640
|
| Virginia |
$28.77/hr
|
$59,850
|
| Arkansas |
$27.87/hr
|
$57,960
|
| New York |
$27.84/hr
|
$57,920
|
| Wyoming |
$27.73/hr
|
$57,670
|
| Puerto Rico |
$27.69/hr
|
$57,600
|
| South Carolina |
$27.67/hr
|
$57,550
|
| Delaware |
$27.61/hr
|
$57,420
|
| Tennessee |
$27.45/hr
|
$57,100
|
| Connecticut |
$27.29/hr
|
$56,770
|
| New Hampshire |
$26.46/hr
|
$55,040
|
| Utah |
$26.14/hr
|
$54,370
|
| Alabama |
$26.11/hr
|
$54,300
|
| Nebraska |
$26.08/hr
|
$54,240
|
| North Carolina |
$26.06/hr
|
$54,210
|
| Kentucky |
$25.52/hr
|
$53,080
|
| Wisconsin |
$25.45/hr
|
$52,940
|
| South Dakota |
$25.41/hr
|
$52,860
|
| Kansas |
$24.87/hr
|
$51,740
|
| Indiana |
$24.55/hr
|
$51,060
|
| Washington |
$24.41/hr
|
$50,780
|
| Maryland |
$23.29/hr
|
$48,450
|
| Louisiana |
$23.09/hr
|
$48,020
|
| California |
$22.89/hr
|
$47,610
|
| Mississippi |
$22.19/hr
|
$46,160
|
| New Mexico |
$20.55/hr
|
$42,750
|
| Pennsylvania |
$20.15/hr
|
$41,920
|
| Iowa |
$18.76/hr
|
$39,030
|
| West Virginia |
$17.13/hr
|
$35,630
|
| New Jersey |
$15.85/hr
|
$32,960
|
Category: Graphic designers
| Total # Employed in the US |
200,870 |
| Average Hourly Wage: |
$22.99/hr |
| Hourly Wage Range |
| PERCENTILE |
| 10% | 25% | 50% | 75% | 90% |
| $12.71 |
$15.93 |
$20.76 |
$27.95 |
$36.75 |
|
| Average Yearly Salary |
$47,820 |
| Yearly Salary Range |
| PERCENTILE |
| 10% | 25% | 50% | 75% | 90% |
| $26,440 |
$33,130 |
$43,180 |
$58,140 |
$76,450 |
|
| Employment Demographics |
| % OF WORKERS WITH |
| < High School Diploma |
High School Diploma |
Some College |
Associate Degree |
Bachelor Degree |
Master Degree |
Doctoral Degree |
| 2.7% |
13.0% |
19.3% |
14.1% |
42.5% |
7.1% |
1.1% |
|
Graphic designers — WAGES BY STATE, SORTED BY SALARY
| STATE | Average Hourly Wage | Average Annual Salary |
|---|
| Florida |
$32.74/hr
|
$68,110
|
| Colorado |
$27.49/hr
|
$57,180
|
| Oklahoma |
$27.25/hr
|
$56,680
|
| Delaware |
$26.82/hr
|
$55,780
|
| Mississippi |
$24.94/hr
|
$51,880
|
| Missouri |
$24.66/hr
|
$51,290
|
| Virginia |
$24.6/hr
|
$51,170
|
| Kansas |
$24.56/hr
|
$51,080
|
| North Dakota |
$24.45/hr
|
$50,850
|
| District of Columbia |
$23.28/hr
|
$48,420
|
| Idaho |
$23.13/hr
|
$48,100
|
| Indiana |
$22.76/hr
|
$47,340
|
| New York |
$22.35/hr
|
$46,490
|
| Nebraska |
$22.22/hr
|
$46,220
|
| Connecticut |
$21.68/hr
|
$45,100
|
| Wyoming |
$21.32/hr
|
$44,350
|
| Arkansas |
$21.3/hr
|
$44,290
|
| New Hampshire |
$21.24/hr
|
$44,180
|
| Tennessee |
$21.23/hr
|
$44,150
|
| Alabama |
$21.22/hr
|
$44,130
|
| Montana |
$20.67/hr
|
$42,980
|
| Ohio |
$20.62/hr
|
$42,890
|
| Utah |
$20.61/hr
|
$42,870
|
| Puerto Rico |
$20.5/hr
|
$42,630
|
| Guam |
$20.46/hr
|
$42,550
|
| Oregon |
$20.45/hr
|
$42,540
|
| South Carolina |
$20.39/hr
|
$42,410
|
| North Carolina |
$20.24/hr
|
$42,100
|
| Hawaii |
$20/hr
|
$41,600
|
| Alaska |
$19.83/hr
|
$41,250
|
| Maine |
$19.29/hr
|
$40,120
|
| Wisconsin |
$19.19/hr
|
$39,910
|
| Washington |
$19.07/hr
|
$39,660
|
| Michigan |
$18.89/hr
|
$39,280
|
| Kentucky |
$18.64/hr
|
$38,780
|
| Louisiana |
$18.62/hr
|
$38,730
|
| New Mexico |
$18.41/hr
|
$38,290
|
| New Jersey |
$17.99/hr
|
$37,420
|
| Massachusetts |
$17.52/hr
|
$36,440
|
| California |
$17.32/hr
|
$36,030
|
| Maryland |
$17.26/hr
|
$35,910
|
| Iowa |
$17.24/hr
|
$35,860
|
| South Dakota |
$17.12/hr
|
$35,610
|
| Nevada |
$16.64/hr
|
$34,610
|
| Pennsylvania |
$16.17/hr
|
$33,630
|
| West Virginia |
$15.44/hr
|
$32,120
|
Category: Set and exhibit designers
| Total # Employed in the US |
7,940 |
| Average Hourly Wage: |
$24.33/hr |
| Hourly Wage Range |
| PERCENTILE |
| 10% | 25% | 50% | 75% | 90% |
| $12.32 |
$15.5 |
$21.83 |
$31.39 |
$39.81 |
|
| Average Yearly Salary |
$50,600 |
| Yearly Salary Range |
| PERCENTILE |
| 10% | 25% | 50% | 75% | 90% |
| $25,620 |
$32,250 |
$45,400 |
$65,290 |
$82,810 |
|
| Employment Demographics |
| % OF WORKERS WITH |
| < High School Diploma |
High School Diploma |
Some College |
Associate Degree |
Bachelor Degree |
Master Degree |
Doctoral Degree |
| 2.7% |
13.0% |
19.3% |
14.1% |
42.5% |
7.1% |
1.1% |
|
Set and exhibit designers — WAGES BY STATE, SORTED BY SALARY
| STATE | Average Hourly Wage | Average Annual Salary |
|---|
| Missouri |
$30.1/hr
|
$62,600
|
| Colorado |
$29.33/hr
|
$61,000
|
| Florida |
$28.93/hr
|
$60,170
|
| Mississippi |
$27.83/hr
|
$57,900
|
| South Carolina |
$27.02/hr
|
$56,200
|
| Oklahoma |
$26.49/hr
|
$55,100
|
| Tennessee |
$26.06/hr
|
$54,200
|
| Ohio |
$24.47/hr
|
$50,900
|
| Nebraska |
$23.41/hr
|
$48,700
|
| Delaware |
$23.19/hr
|
$48,240
|
| Kansas |
$22.98/hr
|
$47,800
|
| New Hampshire |
$22.92/hr
|
$47,680
|
| Hawaii |
$22.66/hr
|
$47,120
|
| Alabama |
$21.49/hr
|
$44,700
|
| Guam |
$20.93/hr
|
$43,530
|
| Oregon |
$20.85/hr
|
$43,360
|
| Kentucky |
$20.82/hr
|
$43,310
|
| Wyoming |
$20.43/hr
|
$42,490
|
| Montana |
$18.97/hr
|
$39,450
|
| Utah |
$18.91/hr
|
$39,320
|
| Idaho |
$18.48/hr
|
$38,440
|
| Connecticut |
$17.96/hr
|
$37,350
|
| Arkansas |
$16.66/hr
|
$34,650
|
| Washington |
$14.38/hr
|
$29,920
|
| South Dakota |
$10.44/hr
|
$21,720
|
Category: Designers, all other
| Total # Employed in the US |
10,510 |
| Average Hourly Wage: |
$24.24/hr |
| Hourly Wage Range |
| PERCENTILE |
| 10% | 25% | 50% | 75% | 90% |
| $10.18 |
$13.84 |
$21.16 |
$31.5 |
$43.22 |
|
| Average Yearly Salary |
$50,420 |
| Yearly Salary Range |
| PERCENTILE |
| 10% | 25% | 50% | 75% | 90% |
| $21,180 |
$28,780 |
$44,020 |
$65,520 |
$89,890 |
|
| Employment Demographics |
| % OF WORKERS WITH |
| < High School Diploma |
High School Diploma |
Some College |
Associate Degree |
Bachelor Degree |
Master Degree |
Doctoral Degree |
| 2.7% |
13.0% |
19.3% |
14.1% |
42.5% |
7.1% |
1.1% |
|
Designers, all other — WAGES BY STATE, SORTED BY SALARY
| STATE | Average Hourly Wage | Average Annual Salary |
|---|
| Kansas |
$30.67/hr
|
$63,800
|
| Virginia |
$29.09/hr
|
$60,500
|
| Delaware |
$28.31/hr
|
$58,880
|
| Oklahoma |
$27.06/hr
|
$56,280
|
| Oregon |
$25.94/hr
|
$53,950
|
| New York |
$25.9/hr
|
$53,860
|
| Idaho |
$25.53/hr
|
$53,100
|
| Utah |
$25/hr
|
$51,990
|
| Montana |
$24.13/hr
|
$50,180
|
| North Dakota |
$23.85/hr
|
$49,600
|
| Massachusetts |
$23.34/hr
|
$48,560
|
| Tennessee |
$22.89/hr
|
$47,610
|
| Nebraska |
$22.72/hr
|
$47,250
|
| Colorado |
$22.45/hr
|
$46,690
|
| Wisconsin |
$21.42/hr
|
$44,560
|
| Maine |
$20.95/hr
|
$43,570
|
| Hawaii |
$20.26/hr
|
$42,140
|
| Michigan |
$20.2/hr
|
$42,010
|
| North Carolina |
$20.07/hr
|
$41,750
|
| Alabama |
$18.97/hr
|
$39,460
|
| Louisiana |
$18.65/hr
|
$38,790
|
| Wyoming |
$18.58/hr
|
$38,650
|
| Mississippi |
$17.5/hr
|
$36,410
|
| Kentucky |
$17.32/hr
|
$36,030
|
| South Carolina |
$17.01/hr
|
$35,370
|
| Connecticut |
$15.25/hr
|
$31,730
|
| California |
$13.77/hr
|
$28,630
|
| Maryland |
$13.62/hr
|
$28,320
|
| District of Columbia |
$13.47/hr
|
$28,020
|
| New Mexico |
$11.34/hr
|
$23,590
|
