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Is formal art/design school necessary to work in the design industry?

To go or not to go
So you recently discovered design industry and wondering if going to a formal school is necessary. Or you've know about the industry a while now and you're about to enter college and nothing else interest you except art and design, but wondering if self-education is sufficient to break into the industry.

 Where do you want to land
The answer depends on where you want to work. If you want to work as product designer or transportation designer, then yes. You should go to college because product design or transportation design involved a lot more understanding of the trades beyond just drawing. Drawing skills alone is not enough to break into those fields.

On the other hand, if you want to work in the entertainment industry like film and video games, probably not, as long as your work is competitive. Those jobs are broken down into a efficient pipeline which breaks up into very specific specializations. So either you know someone that can you in and get really good very fast to stay in or you have to be very good and also know someone that can get you in. These jobs is easy you land if you know how to network with the right people and is good enough. To stay in the business you have to be very good because everyone wants to get in. 

 College is a safer route
As for me, I went to formal design school during different era where the resources on information and tutorials were limited. But if I were to do it again now, I would still try to do a formal education. The reason is because it is a safer route and more fast tracked than learning on your own. There is a huge advantage when you have a proven curriculum to follow and guidance from instructors. It would be much harder to be self educated, at least for me. 

 No money no honey
If money isn’t a problem, then go to college. If money is a problem, I would suggest to first try to get a partial or full scholarship and take out loans to cover other expenses. If option 1 and 2 are not on the table, then you ‘re back to base one. Then self-education is your only option. 

 Going alone
If you are doing the self education route, at some point I would suggest to find an artist you like and try to do a mentorship and study under that person. You can learn a lot from one artist on a one on one mentorship structure. Good luck on your art journey.

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