Chief Vs Autocad

[William H Lynch]

Apparently you don't see the irony here. "Real world" experience can also blind you to new and innovative design solutions. One of the main points of going to school is to immerse yourself in pure design for a while, learn the history of your profession, etc. before your creativity gets bogged down and you start thinking it's all been done and there is never anything new.

I started in the school of design at NCSU, And yes, It was exactly as you said, I was immersed in pure design for two years , but I found it lacking, I felt like something was missing, the science behind the creativity was void....

I transferred to engineering to learn the science behind the design, and yet there was still something missing, and that was real life experience.

I found that 'practical' creativity is best 'learned' from real life experiences gathered from the wealth of knowledge surrounding you. The people who use or build your designs are a valuable resource. There is a economic limit (in most cases) on what is creative vs. what is practical. It is a dilemma I was not taught in school.

My first job was with a large Power Utility as an engineer. I spent a month with a line crew, high school educated guys out there in the field implementing the 'designs' and 'procedures' we engineers provided. These guys were a resource that I learned quickly to respect and value.

Long story short, creativity alone is somewhat subjective (everyone has something to contribute, we just need to listen) the vast resources out there are immense, regardless of education level, regardless of background, put your education on hold and listen to the voices of 'real life experience'... we can all benefit! So I have to go with Perry's comment "Life experience is king!"

Bill

PS: My brother is battling Parkinson's disease and severe dementia associated with it. But sometimes he makes remarkable statements about life and how to live it that leave me totally dumbfounded and in awe...