I have been interested in art and design since I was a child. However, here in Taiwan, if you can be an engineer or a doctor, you are encouraged to be one, and I was no exception. During my high school years, I was influenced by my peers, changing my career path to engineering. In 2016, I selected mechanical engineering as my major. It didn't take me long to realize that I was not good at the discipline I had chosen. Not knowing what I was capable of doing, nor did I know what I like, I could not be more lost and frustrated.
Luckily, by the end of the semester, I signed up for a design workshop. During the workshop, I felt the passion lay within my heart for the first time. As I dived down deeper in the following semester, it became apparent that I was meant to be a designer. However, I struggled. Setting my career in design implies giving up the smooth path which staying in engineering guarantees. There was a voice inside telling me to follow my heart, but the people around me all told me that it was absurd. The two forces were tearing me apart, and under the pressure my performance only got worse.
One day, it dawned on me that doing what I liked was the only way to optimize my career development. As a result, I signed up for our school design program to help me broaden my horizon. I also took on the role of a design teaching assistant, tutoring students in basic design principles, and helped them carry out their own projects. Although engineering was difficult for me, I consider it as a complementary support for my design. At the very same academic year, I joined in a competition with my friends, to have my first tryout of combining engineering and design.
Yet, it was not enough for me. I wanted to test the limits and break through. Attending graduate school is a perfect opportunity to help me integrate all my skills better. Thus, it became my ultimate goal of my college years. It took me a long time to get myself prepared. To have my own portfolio, new products had to be designed, and there are so many design tools that I had to be familiar with. Simply attending courses was not enough. Therefore, to challenge myself, I became a freelance graphic designer. After two years of hardworking, last Christmas I submitted my application.
I can still remember the day I received the admission letter from California College of the Arts. I woke up and check my smartphone as usual, and a notification popped up. For the first time in my college years, I was finally relieved. This is not the end of the story, but the beginning of my journey. Although the future remains unknown, I shall let the things I have learned guide me and embrace whatever comes next.
I have
been interested
in art and
design
since I was a child.
However
, here in Taiwan, if you can be an engineer or a doctor, you
are encouraged
to be one, and I was no exception. During my high school years, I
was influenced
by my peers, changing my career path to
engineering
. In 2016, I selected mechanical
engineering
as my major. It didn't take me long to realize that I was not
good
at the discipline I had chosen. Not knowing what I was capable of doing, nor did I know what I like, I could not be more lost and frustrated.
Luckily, by the
end
of the semester, I signed up for a
design
workshop. During the workshop, I felt the passion lay within my heart for the
first
time. As I
dived down
deeper in the following semester, it became apparent that I
was meant
to be a designer.
However
, I struggled. Setting my career in
design
implies giving up the smooth path which staying in
engineering
guarantees. There was a voice inside telling me to follow my heart,
but
the
people
around me all
told
me that it was absurd. The two forces were tearing me apart, and under the pressure my performance
only
got
worse.
One day, it dawned on me that doing what I liked was the
only
way to optimize my career development.
As a result
, I signed up for our school
design
program to
help
me broaden my horizon. I
also
took on the role of a
design
teaching assistant, tutoring students in basic
design
principles, and
helped
them carry out their
own
projects. Although
engineering
was difficult for me, I consider it as a complementary support for my
design
. At the
very
same academic
year
, I
joined
in a competition with my friends, to have my
first
tryout of combining
engineering
and design.
Yet
, it was not
enough
for me. I wanted to
test
the limits and break through. Attending graduate school is a perfect opportunity to
help
me integrate all my
skills
better.
Thus
, it became my ultimate goal of my college years. It took me a long time to
get
myself prepared. To have my
own
portfolio, new products had to
be designed
, and there are
so
many
design
tools that I had to be familiar with.
Simply
attending courses was not
enough
.
Therefore
, to challenge myself, I became a freelance graphic designer. After two years of hardworking, last Christmas I submitted my application.
I can
still
remember the day I received the admission letter from California College of the Arts. I woke up and
check
my smartphone as usual, and a notification popped up. For the
first
time in my college years, I was
finally
relieved. This is not the
end
of the story,
but
the beginning of my journey. Although the future remains unknown, I shall
let
the things I have learned guide me and embrace whatever
comes
next
.