Advice I wish I had in design school

A few weeks ago I was conversing with my good friend Mun and at one point he asked me what advice I would give myself if I was still in college. He was about to give a presentation to design students so I contributed the below points for aspiring designers. I compiled the list based on my own experience in college and as a professional, things I was glad I did, things I wish I had done, things I have seen others do, and things I look for when making hiring decisions. I hope this is helpful in any way to students and young professionals. If you have advice to share, feel free to add in the comments (I know many veterans out there with wisdom to share! Mun, I'm looking at you too).

In no particular order:

Building your portfolio trumps class assignments: This is a tricky one since you should be aiming for good grades, but in the end your portfolio is what will get you a job. Turn class exercises or projects into something you know will add variety, depth, process and a wow factor to your portfolio instead of simply executing instructions.

Related to the above, push your projects beyond class requirements: Build a brand and packaging for the product, explore POP solutions to retail it, detail how it will be manufactured; show employers you considered the entire product context and solution, not just what was asked on paper.

Explore personal projects, ideas and curiosities for yourself that could add value to users, present clever solutions or fill in gaps in your portfolio.

INTERNSHIPS! These give you real world experience as well as great pieces for your portfolio. Strive to get at least one or two internships. This is also a great opportunity to explore industries you're curious about without pigeonholing yourself.

Look at your competition for a baseline: Check out the skills of new grads getting the jobs you want so you can push your skills to match or exceed them. This includes more senior students and new graduates from your program, portfolios on Behance and Coroflot, etc. Be self aware of your skills and talents and what you need to do to improve them.

Work hard & play hard: Enjoy college life, parties, culture, music and people. This is a formative part of your life and having fun is an important component. Our design world view is based on our experiences as well as theory and data.

That said, do not drink and workshop. We all did it at some point and it is not worth losing a finger on the bandsaw.

Travel or study abroad if you can: Exposure to different architecture, cultures, products, languages and people all add to your mental reference library.

If you know that you want to specialize in something for your career, go for it. Otherwise, keep variety in your work and avoid specializing too early. This will give you the flexibility to switch industries and explore other product categories that may be harder if you are specialized (e.g. trying to jump from powertools to shoe design after 5 years solely designing powertools might be hard - but not impossible).

Keep and grow your network, dont burn bridges: You never know who can give you a good reference or get your foot in the door in a few years time. The design world is small, and everyone talks.

Most of your career will entail collaboration and dealing with stakeholders and clients. Being a good speaker/presenter will be your secret weapon.

Never be afraid to speak up, but always be constructive and solution-focused. Nobody likes a whiner.

There is something to learn from even the worst situations. Use them as an opportunity to grow.

Know your value, and know when to walk away.

Thanks for reading, and best of luck!