Is my path a good one? Feeling uncertain, need your advice...
Hi there! Before my question, here's a little about me: I'm 28 years old, and I previously worked since undergrad (almost 10 years ago now!) in education—specifically social-emotional learning (SEL) curriculum and tutoring. So basically helping kids emotional regulation, social functioning, executive life skills, etc. Anything short of official certification (outside of being a certified elementary ELA teacher, which I was for 2 years!)
After that, I pivoted basically to a career as a wearable art designer in Los Angeles. Was able to intern under the Academy (aka the folks who run the thing called the Oscars) and work speedily on-set in costume and makeup (I have an extensive portfolio in these two things, and by the time I left, I was making about $3k for a three-day shoot). This was 2022.
However, life hit me hard after that. I experienced a traumatizing divorce, went through the sudden death of my adoptive mother (she committed s*icide), financial desperation (lost my entire life savings due to aforementioned divorce), and various traumas made me move over 8 times across 3 cities in the span of the last 3 years.
The fallout majorly wrecked my credit, and I'm navigating C-PTSD like you wouldn't believe, nightly nightmares, and so much emotional baggage.
It's made me stronger, but also made me realize I want to finally be financially powerful and stable. Hence why I'm looking at a career in ID, which I feel utilizes all my skills but with far greater stability than just teaching (which I hate) or gig-work in Hollywood (too unstable, and on-set work is a dying arena).
My goal is to use what I enjoyed from past work—my artistic design experience, combined with teaching children SEL experience—and become an industrial designer making developmental toys that nurture the social-emotional health of young children.
To me, this feels sort of like a destined path, and I know there are many toy companies that specialize in this. And here in New York, I know LaGuardia (AAS Industrial Design) and also FIT (BFA Toy Design) can help me pivot toward this career.
And I also figure perhaps I can build a second, more "versatile' standard portfolio on the side that's devoted to ergonomics or something like that outside of toy design...
But do you have any advice for me? I currently am thinking of doing an AAS in Industrial Design and a BFA in Toy Design, or (Option 2) maybe doing a 4-year B.S. in Mechanical Engineering first and tinkering with my own creations on the side? What do you think?
I've been reading I should combine ID with a second hard skill, like mechanical engineering or something. Is my career path I described above not enough? What do you think?
I also perhaps want to move back to California not anytime soon, and figured I could use my ID to help prop design on the side if my connections ever need me.
Thank you all for reading, sorry for the vent </3