Aspirations

My goal for this semester is to try to expand my artistic side.  As I finish up my 5th year of engineering school I feel like my technical knowledge base is pretty solid and well rounded.  Despite this we have seen time and time again that design is more than just the technical side of things.  Successful products must be both functional and beautiful.  I feel like I am on the right track to accomplish this as this aesthetic design class gives me opportunities to practice the artistic side of design that does not get addressed in most other classes.  Additionally I have started sketching and playing music more frequently as these things help to stretch the creative mind.

After completing the Advanced Product Design class I became very interested in the idea of user centered design.  The process of creating quick and dirty iterations of preto/prototypes with the intent of showing them to potential users for feedback is both fun and effective for creating a better product.  My dream job would be to work for a consulting company that practices this style of design as it would allow me to design all different kinds of products.

When I was a freshman here at CU I remember a recent graduate coming to speak to one of my classes and asserting that we should aspire to be “rock star engineers.”  I interpreted this to mean  a couple of things:

• Be the best at what you do,
• Have hair like a 70’s rocker
• Don’t be afraid to break some rules, and
• Always support your team.

If I can accomplish these things I believe I will have a bright and fulfilling future.