IT was a series of "U-turns" that led former Taree High School student and current New York City resident to his dream career as an industrial designer. When Linden Evans finished school in 2006 he thought he knew what he wanted to do and how to get there.
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"It's a bit of a bumpy ride so bear with me..." typed Linden from his New York home.
"When I think back it started while I was at Taree High School," said Linden.
"I used to take just about every wood and metal working class that was available at school and practically lived in both of the workshops.
"I've always loved to build and make things with my hands so naturally I gravitated toward the practical classes.
"Outside of the wood shop I also took physics, which I loved, and my teacher at the time, Mr Mozejko, saw a project I was working on in class and he suggested that I should look into the faculty of the built environment at University of NSW. I looked into it and the prerequisites for industrial design included the arts, physics and practical subjects so it seemed like a perfect fit."
Linden won entry into the course he wanted, by half a UAI point (the former ATAR equivalent), but five weeks in he deferred.
"At the time I remember sitting in a calculus lecture in first year and thinking, when I finished school I vowed never to do maths again (I really didn't like maths) so I stayed true to my vow and left," he explained.
Linden admits that at the time it was a bit terrifying but looking back it was a great decision.
From there Linden spent the next two years as a ski instructor at the Snowy Mountains and in Japan.
"Living overseas was not only a great adventure but it made me re-focus on what I wanted to do once my holiday was over."
On returning home Linden decided to pursue his love for music, however after the first semester he realised professional musicianship wasn't for him either.
"After yet another U-turn I ended up teaching surfing down on Bondi Beach for nine months to pay the rent and have some fun.
"While standing in the water at Bondi I decided to give university one last go and looked long and hard at the courses that would be right for me."
In his search he found the University of Technology's industrial design course. The course promised no exams, only project based assignments and boasted a huge workshop full of machinery.
"From day one through to my final year presentation that capped my four year degree, I loved every minute.
"Studying as a mature age student and having travelled and learnt a few things about the world, I was super focused on really wanting to be at university so I threw everything at it and got a great result."
During university Linden worked for a packaging company, a design consultancy and a manufacturer of products for the surfing industry.
This experience helped him make a lot of friends within the design industry.
After three years working, he and his wife experienced "itchy feet" with their jobs in Australia.
They both quit, sold all of their things, put their life in a suitcase and bought a round-the-world ticket.
Linden had been sending emails to people he knew within the industry and had a few interviews lined up in the United States.
They travelled from San Francisco to New York where Linden had an interview with his current employer, Smart Design.
While the employers made their decision Linden continued travelling. In Europe he was interviewed for second time on Skype.
He got the US job and one and half years later Linden and his wife are still living and working in New York.
Linden says it has been a privilege to work in one of the most well respected design agencies in the world.
"If I had to sum up the biggest lessons from my whole messy adventure it would be that the path to success is never straight, every time you feel like you've got it wrong, take it as an opportunity to learn so you do better the next time. That way there's no right or wrong answers, just constant learning.
"The second lesson would be that nothing is impossible so just go for it and don't second guess yourself. It's like my grandfather always tells me, there's no such thing as "can't".
"Life rarely goes according to plan so as long as you're willing to change with it, it generally works out."
Linden explains the role of an industrial designer:
What is industrial design?
"The design industry is pretty broad and a little difficult to get your head around. It's plugged into everything that people interact with from the apps on your phone to the car you drive and within that spectrum there are a number of design disciplines that designers can specialise in. An industrial designer works primarily on products. So what's a product? a product can be just about anything from the knives and forks in your kitchen drawer, the chair you're sitting on to the computer you're writing this article on. Our job is to design products that people interact with in everyday life and make the experience of using that product the best it can be."
What has Linden designed?
"I'd say to this day FCSII is one of my proudest achievements, mainly because I love surfing so much and got a chance to contribute so much to it as a sport and how people think about surf equipment. Most of the client work I do now is in kitchen and houseware products but I have a number of exciting projects on the horizon in the technology and wearable space."
See Linden's work here:
laura.polson@fairfaxmedia.com.au
