What has been the trend in the last twenty years to present day in terms of jobs in the industry? Has it been increasing or decreasing? What do you forecast in the future?

Art Center is now only a good school by name, not in reality.

Everyone I know that is currently at Art Center hates it. The school's administrators are more preoccupied about themselves than with the students. Everything is falling apart. DO NOT TAKE CLASSES AT ART CENTER! PLEASE READ THE FOLLOWING:
http://www.thepetitionsite.com/1/educationfirst

It is easy to relate to the change of the economic environment and how it is translating to academic campuses across the nation. LTU is a very serious design institution by the fact that their Transportation Director is in touch with both, students and industry professionals. Don't take my word for it, contact them.

Hay gang, LTU program is showing off their Freshman work - check it out, pretty damn good!
That's my top pick.
http://www.cardesignnews.com/site/process/college_exhibitions/

So what IS your screen name, wickedcar or carnutty?
Personally I am highly skeptical of your incessant promotion of this school.
The reason other (established) design schools don't show freshman work is because it's not good - and it creates a bad impression.
On the other hand, if that's all you got...

Honestly aflo, I read a lot of your posts and I respect what I believe are your opinions stemming from what was a long automotive career. (Maybe I mis-read you)

I'm a little dissapointed by this comment you make.

What's to be skeptical about and what is incessant about a guy who makes less than 4 posts?

Are you suggesting by this that our freshman work is not good? (In your opinion, for freshman students?)

In the nature of honesty and truthfullness, I'll be the first of the six of us to reveal my identity then. I'm the designer of the red Epoch at the top of the page.

Yeah, LTU's program has only been around for a year, so it IS all we have. Should we not be showing it off so we can recruit more students like all the other schools on this site?

Regardless of what the educational industry norm is on freshman work, we decided to show it because we're damn proud of what we accomplished in 15 weeks. And why shouldn't we be? We stayed up through the night on multiple occasions sketching, rendering and sculpting these ideas into something we wanted to show. A lot of us put relationships and carrers in jepoardy to do it.

These cars were designed in our winter semester. 15 weeks! Hopefully this fall our vehicle project will run a whole year and we will then have 30 weeks to do work that's at an even more superior level to what you see here.

This thread includes a lot of "we'll see" and "time will tell" comments. Well, it's time. Now you can see what we're doing. Here's what the FIRST YEAR students do at OUR school.

I can't wait for next year. And oh, we'll probably post THAT work too if the editors at CDN approve so I hope that's alright with you. I know it's not what CCS and Art Center do, but then again, there's a lot of that at LTU.

My posts on CDN have always been in the spirit of cooperation between students and furthering people's skills regardless of talent or age. This website is a fantastic tool for furthering skills and learning about the industry. ALL the industry. This includes the future for careers in automotive as well as the institutions that prepare you for them. ALL of them.

Guitarslinger,
I respect the fact that you have, from the start, identified yourself as a student at LTU. There is nothing wrong with talking about your own school. On the other hand, in rereading the other person's posts, there is nothing that he or she wrote that would suggest this kind of relationship. On the contrary, there is an implication that he/she is a neutral observer. That is enough to make me skeptical because I don't believe it for a second.
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The work is probably typical for freshman level although I am disappointed to not see any package drawings in the presentations. This is rather fundamental and is important to SHOW, if only to prove you really considered these basic issues.
Secondly and very important: sponsored projects are an unfortunate epidemic at ACCS and CCS. I certainly do not believe that FRESHMEN should have their first trans experience be "taught" by some industry guys from Ford or any other company. These people are doing this as a public relations effort and that is their entire goal.
This is NOT the way to learn the basics of design. This makes me question the general thrust of the LTU program. The net result of such an approach is to try to emulate the kind of work one sees at all the other schools upper level programs, rather than concentrating on fundamentals of design.
I think successful schools will acknowledge and emphasize the idea of a "foundation" year.
If this school is to be successful in breaking into this difficult arena, it has to have its own unique point of view and I do not see it yet. More importantly, the tack they are taking is not likely to lead them to a unique path since it seems to be preoccupied with what the other schools have been producing as an end result.

Aflo,
I've read your Blogs on CDN. You are the retired and disgruntal Nissan employee that was forced out. If anyone should question the sincerity of opinions, it should be yours. Let's see your work. Let's see how much better you are than the LTU Freshman or other design school students so you have some bragging rights. You like to pick on amatuer or high school or college kids - why don't you show us what real design is?

How about teaching CDN students how to draw - after all, you are a professional designer. Do something positive for those that are interested in cars regardless of the school they decide to go. Carguys are still carguys because of their design quality, not the school name. If you are into Brands, why did you go to Nissan when you should have been working at Audi or BMW?

So there we have it... no denial of the fact that you are a LTU student or employee and trying to act like you are not. I would guess "student" based on the tone of your post.
As for me, I did retire (at age 64) a year ahead of the normal schedule - entirely on my own initiative. I was not one of the unfortunate people who were pushed out this spring. I feel very bad for those guys, who deserved much better and were among the best people there. When I left in 2005, there was no pressure to bail out, in spite of my salary - which I'm sure was an obligation they were glad to save. I certainly wasn't forced out under any interpretation.
Secondly, I don't (never had) a "blog" so get with it please. At least you can learn the internet terminology - it really isn't that hard. If I can do it at my advanced age...
Third, why don't you do a search for my work on this website. I have posted lots of artwork, both old and fairly recent for you to see. Check "vintage drawings".
I am sorry you see me as "picking" on these kids. That is not the case, just honest and direct feedback which most people appreciated.
And, at the time I left GM, Nissan WAS the hot place to go, maybe still is one of the better ones. Audi and BMW didn't even have US studios at all at that time.
ps. use your spell check next time

quote:

Let's see your work. Let's see how much better you are than the LTU Freshman or other design school students so you have some bragging rights. You like to pick on amatuer or high school or college kids - why don't you show us what real design is?

Hey Aflo you dont want to mess with these guys; havent you seen In The Line of Fire?