Jeremy Duran

The reason I chose the Product Design program in MSU is because I had decided that is what I wanted to pursue as a career in the future and nothing less. Over many years I was always conflicted about choosing a career that would both pay financially well and make me happy without regretting my choice after a long time. At first I started with art and wanted to become an artist when I was in elementary school but I soon realized that getting an art degree wouldn’t get me anywhere when it comes to opportunities to become financially stable, this wasn’t just from research but also the experience from someone close to me. I was conflicted with the idea and gave up art and then got into high school and spent a year in robotic engineering. This is what I decided was my new career path but it became increasingly difficult working on components and having a strict regimen when it came to working with engineering such as material use or lack of communication and relationship building with other students which made me lose interest all the more.

The following year I had to register for an industrial design course (product design) which I had no expectations for whatsoever and thought it’d be the same for my engineering course. Although to my surprise I was put into an environment that was both lively and had many students that brainstormed creative ideas. I never thought that this course would make me wake up everyday in the morning and make me smile after a long time of desperately finding what I wanted to do in life. My dreams were crushed so many times I never thought that I would actually become happy with whatever work I would do in the future. It was a mix of what I love about art and engineering together giving you many options for a career involving logo, print, furniture, fashion, web design or simply redesigning or creating new products for the benefits of society in which everything is made from a product designer. 

Even things so simple such as the design of a scissor made a great change in the world that we could not live without or even the iphone which revolves around the world because a designer made it that way. Coming to MSU gave me the opportunity to pursue my dream that I will keep following for my whole life without any regret. My resolve becomes even harder with the guidance of the professors of the program who tell my classmates and I their experiences and hardships that make us feel comfortable to be around but also help us become our best selves. They assist us with our goals and definitely want to see us bloom in the community they themselves pursued. It’s amazing to see those who have faced the harshness of reality but still continue the path they decided because it’s what truly makes them delighted and it’s very invigorating to see that. 

When my classmates and I heard the news of the program shutting down we all were devastated and were emotionally impacted. We students of the program felt targeted and that were being pushed away by the school from what we heard from prior years before. I can say that I love the program as it starts to prepare me for the future but what about others? How about students that are undecided and don’t know what they actually want to do? What about students who struggle like I and want more options to be different and show their creativity in different ways? Even till this day many of the graduate students are still in contact with the professors and they willingly do zooms to discuss what they do on their own time. They don’t need to do it but they loved the program enough to share with the undergraduates why they dove into the program and explain what they are currently doing to help society. That’s inspirational and I even hope that one day I could possibly do that myself. Something funny is that not many people know what product design is but when you talk about it they become interested and want to know more; I can confirm that since I’ve been asked that very often and yet I never get tired of explaining but am excited it because it’s what gives me joy in life and I wouldn't want it to be taken away from others especially when product design the job itself is in demand nowadays and there our countless ways to give into it so you begin to learn more about the world around you. I hope the program can stay and can become the light that envelops the life of others as well.