Industrial Design Alumni Spotlight
May 1, 2022
Cristian Loria
Bachelor of Industrial Design, Class of 2020
Industrial Designer, Myant Inc.
Delivering progressive Industrial Design insights to develop electronics for wearable technology in the health and wellness industry.
How did your time at Humber FAST prepare you for your future success?
My four years at Humber produced the most growth and development of self, character, and identity I have ever experienced. The Humber College Bachelor of Industrial Design program is known for being very technically demanding and strenuous. The challenges of the program pushed me during my formative years as a young adult and helped me greatly improve my work ethic, determination and ingenuity which are abilities that I will carry with me for the rest of my life.
During my time at Humber I certainly gained many technical “hard” skills that have been essential for my day-to-day job performance. Now that I am in the world of work, what I have come to recognize is that the most valuable lessons I learned from the program are not actually directly taught in the classroom. It is the demand and intensity of the workload that induces constant growth and improvement. The continuous challenges while in school is what instills and shapes the “essential” skills that provided me the most value today. It is my ability to apply these “essential” skills in life, and in my work, that has allowed me to set myself apart from others.
Another aspect of the program that provided great value was the community of people it connected me with. I do not believe I would have been able to complete the program if it was not for the lifelong friends and colleagues I met through Humber’s Industrial Design program. The opportunity to work with like-minded, driven individuals has taught me about the importance of teamwork and my role in a dynamic group. The ability to see problems from a new perspective of fellow classmates and professors cannot be understated. Building your network and community with people who will push you to enhance your work is yet another incredible by-product of my time at Humber.
Do you have any advice for a soon-to-be graduate in your field?
For soon-to-be graduates, I would re-emphasize the importance of “essential” skills to better relate to others in the world of work. Your education may have helped you obtain and develop the important “technical” skills to be a professional but that is no different than other graduates from other programs all around the world. Those technical skills are the minimum of what you can do and can be learned with practice. The result is you blend in with thousands of individuals with the same qualifications.
To stand out, to make a better impression, it is the “essential” skills, like your ability to communicate your ideas and interact positively with various people who have different perspectives that will set you apart. From co-workers, managers, and people from other departments to your clients they all have various points of view. Listening and understanding those points of view is a skill set that will help you stand out in today’s competitive workforce. That is why from my perspective what you do outside of the classroom will set you apart from others and ultimately help you achieve success in the future.
