hmm dilemma

[Sasquach]

So I have 2 avenues of schooling i can persue. One is pretty much guaranteed at this point (got acceptance letter, have to pay a tuition deposit soon then deal with full tuition by the deadline), while the other is a higher tier education that isnt guaranteed. (still have to send in a few transcripts and a portfolio).

The guaranteed one is a 2 year diploma for Engineering design and drafting technology. It'll be my second diploma in this field (My one diploma is Mechanical Design Technology) and more specialized (not to mention theres accredition with a respected organization) as opposed to what i have now. I can go do this, get a decent job and be done with school forever.

The second option would be for a 4 year degree in Industrial design. It'll cost more and its in another city. Its not guaranteed and i still have to send in things. A decision wont get made until after April. I tried applying last year and didnt get in but i think thats because of me procrastinating, misreading the information and sending in my portfolio too late. Initially i thought if i dont get in im not gonna bother to try again but i decided to give it another go this year because i felt the rejection was more of a 'you were late so you fail' rather than a 'you suck we dont want you', basically kicking myself in the butt.

Both programs are somewhat related. industrial design basically focuses on the visual design of products and things (how they look and feel) while the design and drafting focuses on blueprints and engineering aspects of designs of components (how, why things work and can it be made for x cost).

I applied to both basically thinking If i get into the degree program i'll go do that but if not ive got the diploma program as a backup.
I know that nothing's guaranteed and degrees and diplomas arent necessarily better than one another.
The diploma i have now feels useless as its more or less in between the two aspects while not really providing enough knowledge of either to be useful. However it did provide me a good idea of what i liked to do (preferably the industrial design side)

Im a bit old for school now (28 this year) but i dont care about that.
Which one would be a better or smarter path?

[ASCI Blue]

hard to say, not familiar enough with Canada. If you were in the US I'd say go for the 4 year cause that's what most good employers here are looking for. For some stupid reason it's not 4 years of total education which you'd have with a 2+2 but they want that 4 of a single thing if not more. Again not knowing about Canada the first couple years of a 4 year program here is fluff it's not until the third and forth you get to the proverbial meat of the program.

[Sasquach]

Originally Posted by ASCI Blue

hard to say, not familiar enough with Canada. If you were in the US I'd say go for the 4 year cause that's what most good employers here are looking for. For some stupid reason it's not 4 years of total education which you'd have with a 2+2 but they want that 4 of a single thing if not more. Again not knowing about Canada the first couple years of a 4 year program here is fluff it's not until the third and forth you get to the proverbial meat of the program.

i think its mostly similar.

The 4 year deal i think is more a difference between degree vs diploma. Since degree is usually 4 years here and diploma is 2 years. Honestly up until recently I was under the stigma that a degree is definately better than a diploma but over time ive learned that it may not always be the case. I think its really more dependant on what type of degree or diploma is achieved, but it seems like a degree nets you more theory type knowledge whereas the diploma gets you more hands on general knowledge. In the end though i think a degree still ends up having more potential to a higher pay or 'better' job than a diploma.