Dave, you're absolutely correct regarding the 6 year med school programs (as well as e.g. combined bachelors/MBA programs). Same for the architecture programs as mentioned by Christine. A motivated high school senior will have no problem making that commitment.
The difference is the perceived value of of the hypothetical IxD degree. For the purpose of the comparison, it's useful to put yourself in the shoes of the target audience - obviously, to an enthusiastic and successful IxD practitioner, the value is quite clear. In the eyes of a high school senior, the 6 year med school program or the 5 year architecture program would lead them to a career in a field that is prestigious, well-publicized, and well-compensated. The student's parents and other adult figures, who may well be involved in the decision making process, may also note that these fields are regulated (hence fewer worries about outsourcing) and the demand is not cyclical (hence fewer worries about a dot-com crash repeat). IxD, by contrast, is not generally known to be any of the above - or, to be more precise, is just not generally known about, period. So I agree with Jeff's point about the importance of high school outreach, and would extend it to outreach to society in general. Only with a greater level of public awareness about our profession do I see 4+ year IxD programs becoming viable. Dmitry On Sun, Jun 22, 2008 at 7:40 PM, dave malouf <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > dmitry, a common degree in the US is the 6yr. med program. Many > students enter undergrad "knowing" they want to be doctors. Why not > IxD's? If I can get an MD in 6 yrs (including summers I think), why > not a Masters of IxD in 5 years including some intensive work (or > required internships) during summers? ________________________________________________________________ Welcome to the Interaction Design Association (IxDA)! To post to this list ....... [EMAIL PROTECTED] Unsubscribe ................ http://www.ixda.org/unsubscribe List Guidelines ............ http://www.ixda.org/guidelines List Help .................. http://www.ixda.org/help
