Praveen Vajpeyi
Penn Foster
San Diego, CA USA
"Just keep playing. As long as you’re engaging in play—and learning happens through that—it’s a win-win situation."
Career Roadmap
Praveen's work combines: Design, Education, and Building Things
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Day In The Life
Skills &
Education
Advice for getting started
Take advantage of all of opportunities to learn and gain skills in high school. Do as much as you can while in high school to really hone in on your skills and interests. Take all of the relevant classes that you can. When it's time to start looking at colleges, take the time to research which ones match best with your goals. Throughout all of this, just keep playing. As long as you're playing, enjoying what you're doing, and learning from that, you're on the right path.
Here's the path I took:
High School
Bachelor's Degree
Commerce
St. Xavier's College
Graduate Degree
Design & Technology
The New School's Parsons School of Design
Here's the path I recommend for someone who wants to be a Vice President of Product Design:
Bachelor's Degree: Commerce
Graduate Degree: Design & Technology
Learn more about different paths to this career
Life & Career Milestones
My path in life has been direct
1.
I grew up in Calcutta, India.
2.
As a teenager, I started apprenticing with my father at his printing press—the firsthand work experience helped me learn a lot.
3.
I earned a Bachelor of Commerce from St. Xavier’s College in Calcutta, India.
4.
After gaining experience designing for my father’s printing press, I broadened my horizons and started my own design studio, where I designed everything from documentary films to corporate identities.
5.
I partnered with a friend and created the largest informational website in Calcutta at that time—it was a lot of fun, but I eventually started feeling like I needed something more.
6.
I decided to go back to school for a master’s degree in design and technology from The New School's Parsons School of Design in New York—up until this point, I had been a self-taught designer.
7.
It eventually became clear to me that I wanted to focus on designing products and services within the world of education in order to create a multigenerational impact.
8.
I've since held design positions for education companies like McGraw Hill Education and College Board, which all led me to my current position as vice president of product design for Penn Foster.
