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Is It Better to Find a Niche in Design or Keep It Broad?
Core77's discussion topic of the week
This week we bring you our pressing topic of the moment straight from our reader-controlled discussion boards! This week's question is for students making their way into the professional world or simply for those ultra-multidisciplinary designers looking for more direction. Core77-er pagewithanii asks:
"I have recently become really frustrated because I am 2 months from graduating with a bachelors and I still don't know what I want to do. In the 4.5 years I have spent in the ID program I have not fallen in love with any one project. I may have enjoyed parts of some projects but nothing so much that I knew that's the direction I wanted to head in. I have a job lined up at a small start up firm that does a little bit of everything—the most exciting part of working there is I know there is room to grow and being one of the founding members, I know I will have a say in what steps we take in the future[...]the problem is that I don't know what I want those steps to be. I have an awesome opportunity and I want to make the most of it.
Who here has been unable to find your niche? How did you find one? Or did you?"
Have any firsthand experiences that might help readers, or simply strong-rooted opinions on the topic? Contribute in the comment feed below and help get the conversation going.
(Also feel free to check out the original post and contribute on our discussion board!)
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Comments
Find your niche through your interests which persist over the long term. There are certain hobbies, areas of research, and specific activities which wont get old. Those are where you want to focus your career. You won't know right away, but pay attention to yourself and explore in the first part of your career. As soon as a pattern begins to emerge, start making the transition.
It depends on what one is looking for through design. One can choose to go deep in one direction or opt to increase the expanse of his/her experience in various domains. I choose horizontal growth over vertical. :)
Sorry - got a bit deep there... "but trust me on the sunscreen!"
In my experience, it's less finding a niche and more niche(s) finding you, or presenting themselves to you, as you progress through your career. Every decision you make in your career takes you somewhere different. That's life. Worrying about a decision is actually a decision in itself, and never worry about a decision you have already made... you can't change the past.