Industrial Design Career Outlook

There are a variety of industrial design programs and degrees that will give you the training you need. A bachelor's degree is essential at the beginning of your industrial design career. Most employers require at least a bachelor's for entry-level positions. However, master's degrees are becoming more common in the field and may be necessary in some cases in order to be competitive.

A strong portfolio will also help you win over prospective employers. An impressive portfolio can trump an advanced degree. Document your best work, and show employers your creativity, versatility and technical expertise.

Adding related work experience to your résumé may also help you in your job search. Look for internships that will help you get your industrial design career started. If you're a student, your school may have career resources to help you set up an internship. Take advantage of the opportunity to learn from professionals and gain industrial design career experience in the field.

Several factors influence what you will earn in your industrial design career. Your geographic location, company size, education and experience will play a part in determining your industrial design career salary. The following table shows what the middle 50 percent of industrial designers make at various experience levels:

• _{HR data as reported by Salary.com for October 2009}