rizzrazz

hi there!

well im all very new to this website and forum, although i have been keeping my eye on proceedings for quite some time here as ive had a personal mission in mind to move abroad on completion of my degree studies here in the uk.

As some of you probably may know, as a product designer the job market and career is a truly global one, and along with a few international internships under my belt im hoping to apply direct to a few design consultancies outside of british shores.

I feel im good enough and have a strong enough portfolio, and am well aware of the difficulties of obtaining a visa for the USA - despite states such as california being the hotbed for industrial design-

the purpose of this post is a call out to anyone here who has experience in this field or know of anyone who has, how they went about the process, any pitfalls and sticking points and what i should keep in mind in going for this, as theres very little on the web.I have a basic grasp and snippets from my university tutors (some who have links to the us and contacts) but any help on here would be much appreciated!

Just to quickly flesh out myself, im single, 26, already a graduate from another degree (in biology) and not tied down to the uk in the housing sense.

thank you everyone, and please go easy on me! im not someone who has a pipe dream or not aware of the difficulties, and ill take all your help and critique on board!

rizzrazz

Noorah101

For many, it seems like the best route to go is to work for a company in the UK that has locations in the USA. After a year of service, you can perhaps be transferred to a USA branch. This seems to be a better way to go in the current economy.

Rene

scrubbedexpat099

I am going to guess that it is the same as in most trades, no US company is going to go to the hassle of employing somebody straight out of Uni, so you need to get a good rep first.

Awesome Welles

Internships aside (not suggesting they are valueless, of course), have you any real-world work experience in this field?

This, I believe, is becoming more of a requirement - a classic Catch 22.
Unfortunately having made the investment in higher education no longer means you can walk out of college straight into industry - as competition for jobs with progression potential grows, employers have become ever more choosy. Faced with an experienced designer, with a solid portfolio and a novice in a job interview, the cards are somewhat stacked against the novice.

This is not good news for those who saddle themselves with the additional disadvantage of having to prove themselves so superior to the competition, that an employer will go to the added expense and trouble to import them from overseas.

If you're determined, you won't be put off by the hurdles - just be realistic about what you're facing here - it's not easy. But, if it was, everyone would be doing it....
Merry Christmas.

rizzrazz

thank you for your responses.

on the basis of my real world experiences, i would count my internships within that sector as both of my placements were within multinational corporations with (Nike in Beaverton and Sony in the uk) a strong international design ethos.

Experiences there were of value as they were equivalent to the current employees of each studio in terms of work load (albeit in a junior position with related pay).

I agree with the current climate as well as the exceptional difficulty of hiring a "novice" like myself than any home grown talent, but I think be situation calls for proving my abilities and offsetting my lack of work experience (if a company decides the internships are not of great value which of course i would vehemently argue against ) with a case to be put forward that in relation to the current graduate pool, I have skills and potential that outweighs the inherent risks and costs of overseas employment; ive seen it done in a number of cases with previous graduates at my school (coventry art and design) so its not out of the realms of possibility.

i think determination and a strong inner desire to see it through will lead me to arrive at my destination in the usa, however long it takes!

but yes, its a long road ahead and im prepared to prove myself!

again thank you for your replies

meauxna

When you first posted, I wasn't clear on what you 'do' and I started to write a humorous/snarky post about how, where I live, when someone says 'product design' it means athletic apparel/gear (to encourage you to expand on your job). Then I thought 'heck with it' and googled and didn't post.

Yours fondly, from Portland Oregon.

(there's a boatload of design stuff going on here right now.. and I would certainly encourage you to network your contacts from Nike & any Adidas ones you picked up. Adidas also acquired Reebok, in the Boston area & have a campus there)