Ever Thought of Working as a Coaster/Ride Designer?

[TBpony414]

I have no desire to design rides but it's really interesting to hear the different experiences, thoughts, credits needed, etc. in this topic! I frequently wonder how people get jobs like designing coasters. As far as dreams - work hard to achieve them! You may achieve what you want or you may find out you actually like working in another aspect of theme parks that doesn't have to do with building rides. Or, you could decide to just love rides and create a cool website called TPR where park fans from around the world can gather to talk about awesomeness.

[gerstlaueringvar]

An engineering degree is nearly required to work for a coaster or ride manufacturer as a designer. These firms are often small and the engineer functions as the designer.

 

An engineering degree is preferred, but not required, to work for a corporate or even family sized park when selecting, designing, and installing a new ride or coaster. Again, the group designing and selecting new rides is often very small, so proficiency in the technical aspects of rides and structures is necessary (beyond the internet).

 

Groups like Imagineering and Creative both have strong art and engineering departments. Which area you want to work in is up to you, but you will never escape the mathematical aspects of the industry. Yes Disney, Universal, B&M, Intamin, etc. build rides, but what they really build is complex and often prototypical heavy machinery. Ride design is considered very high risk engineering because of the life-safety aspect. There is no room for failure.

 

There are several universities that have active Themed Entertainment clubs. Many trend toward engineering and less toward art/design. A club like this is how I, and many others I know, became an industry professional. Feel free to PM if ya have any questions.

 

http://www.teaconnect.org/NextGen/TEA--University-Clubs/

 

Good luck!

We have a Theme Park Engineering and Design group (TPED) here at Purdue University as well. We are one of the most active groups in the nation and we have a lot of events including IAAPA, media days, competitions etc. Feel free to PM me for any information about us!

[A.J.]

An engineering degree is nearly required to work for a coaster or ride manufacturer as a designer. These firms are often small and the engineer functions as the designer.

 

An engineering degree is preferred, but not required, to work for a corporate or even family sized park when selecting, designing, and installing a new ride or coaster. Again, the group designing and selecting new rides is often very small, so proficiency in the technical aspects of rides and structures is necessary (beyond the internet).

 

Groups like Imagineering and Creative both have strong art and engineering departments. Which area you want to work in is up to you, but you will never escape the mathematical aspects of the industry. Yes Disney, Universal, B&M, Intamin, etc. build rides, but what they really build is complex and often prototypical heavy machinery. Ride design is considered very high risk engineering because of the life-safety aspect. There is no room for failure.

You speak the troof.

 

To add to this, I think that it's important, regardless of what part of the industry you intend to end up in, to have at least a working knowledge of what the people in the other departments deal with on a regular basis. You don't have to know everything, but I think you at least need to consider, "hey, what would the ___________s think of this?". But that's just me, I market myself as being able to both specialize AND bridge the gap between people of different disciplines (artists and designers, for example).

[canadianparkfan]

An engineering degree is nearly required to work for a coaster or ride manufacturer as a designer. These firms are often small and the engineer functions as the designer.

 

An engineering degree is preferred, but not required, to work for a corporate or even family sized park when selecting, designing, and installing a new ride or coaster. Again, the group designing and selecting new rides is often very small, so proficiency in the technical aspects of rides and structures is necessary (beyond the internet).

 

Groups like Imagineering and Creative both have strong art and engineering departments. Which area you want to work in is up to you, but you will never escape the mathematical aspects of the industry. Yes Disney, Universal, B&M, Intamin, etc. build rides, but what they really build is complex and often prototypical heavy machinery. Ride design is considered very high risk engineering because of the life-safety aspect. There is no room for failure.

 

There are several universities that have active Themed Entertainment clubs. Many trend toward engineering and less toward art/design. A club like this is how I, and many others I know, became an industry professional. Feel free to PM if ya have any questions.

 

http://www.teaconnect.org/NextGen/TEA--University-Clubs/

 

Good luck!

We have a Theme Park Engineering and Design group (TPED) here at Purdue University as well. We are one of the most active groups in the nation and we have a lot of events including IAAPA, media days, competitions etc. Feel free to PM me for any information about us!

Pretty cool to see that they've got a ride design club. The first thing that comes to my mind when I think of Purdue is English courses, not math and Science. In highschool we always used Purdue's website to format our essays.

Edited February 26, 2016 by canadianparkfan

[gerstlaueringvar]

^Haha yes Purdue OWL is fantastic!

[PixelRush]

I'd absolutely love to work in the industry, whether that's a designer-for-hire bounce around job, with a big manufacturer, or even an Imagineer!

[canadianparkfan]

^Haha yes Purdue OWL is fantastic!

Are the names of their varsity sports teams the "Owls"?

Edited February 27, 2016 by canadianparkfan

[larrygator]

The first thing that comes to my mind when I think of Purdue is English courses, not math and Science.

English majors don't make boilers.

 

Since you are Canadian, you are excused.

[canadianparkfan]

The first thing that comes to my mind when I think of Purdue is English courses, not math and Science.

English majors don't make boilers.

 

Since you are Canadian, you are excused.

Ahh... Makes sense

 

...HOWEVER. According to this article, their ride-design club (more like their engineering department), had a hand in their actual team name, so that's cool

 

Article: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Purdue_Boilermakers (most credible source on the web.... *didnt learn much from the OWL website*).

 

 

In all seriousness though, it'll be really interesting to see if any of these college/university clubs actually help anybody make it into the industry in the coming years. Not sure who judges the contests, but if the panel is anything like the design contest I've been following lately (hosted by the CoasterRadio Podcast), or the University one hosted here in Toronto, there's some pretty big industry names involved.

[A.J.]

In all seriousness though, it'll be really interesting to see if any of these college/university clubs actually help anybody make it into the industry in the coming years.

Mine has and still does. Very proud to be an alum from that organization, even if I haven't actually broken into the industry myself as of yet.

[BeansproutMidget]

While a roller coaster designer would have been a great thing for me to dream about, math and I do not mix well; well enough for me to want to go into engineering. I plan on working in the industry though, more on the corporate side.

[BuffaloWingRider]

I can handle math pretty well and I am also a pretty creative person so I think it's a possibility. I would like to work for Premier or RMC. I have signed up for two advanced math classes next year in High School so time to see if I can handle math at it's worst.

[xChris125x]

I have signed up for two advanced math classes next year in High School so time to see if I can handle math at it's worst.

 

Study hard! Engineering math gets even worse once you're in college. I do not miss it at all lol

[KBrylczyk]

High School

 

math at it's worst.

 

[A.J.]

...even if I haven't actually broken into the industry myself as of yet.

Just adding to this, as of a few days ago I finally broke in. It's an internship, and I'll still be searching for a full-time job at this time next year, but I'm on my way.

 

If I were to think of the thing that allowed me to break through, it's the combination of having a wide knowledge of a bunch of things you could potentially do in a job, and that one marketable thing that makes you stick out from the crowd.

[ajfelice]

My dream until the end of my Freshman year of college was to design wooden roller coasters. Unfortunately my dream got shot down in a three month span of barely getting a C in Calculus I and dropping physics before I could fail it in a craptacular way. I had a "Come to Jesus" moment realizing that my mind wasn't programmed for those kinds of mathematics. So come Sophomore year I was a Marketing major excelling in academics thinking I will someday be promoting products for a company selling rides. Summer of 2011 I worked as a Ride Operator just to get my feet wet in the industry to make sure that working in the industry didn't make me hate it. I ended up ascending the Operations ladder and eventually making a career out of it. In the meantime I got an MBA to make myself more well-rounded in business as I was clearly not headed for a marketing degree field. Finally, I turned out to have a job title that focuses on Operations, with seasonal duties of Sales/Marketing.

 

Yes I did think I was going to design roller coasters, but I realized in the early stages of college that I just didn't have the skill set to become qualified for the job.

 

My bit of advice for anyone seriously considering a career in attractions engineering is to understand their skills and keep all options open. As they explore the industry, internships are available through organizations like IAAPA, ride manufacturers, and various parks that will put someone in contact with the right people to open doors to future careers. The industry is small, so staying close to it and working within it (even in non-engineering roles) will lay the foundation to the dream engineering job. If someone realizes (like me) that designing attractions isn't their forte, their experiences gained in the industry will keep doors open to other rewarding careers. The educational background is just one element of becoming an attraction engineer.

[coloradocoasterguy]

I grew up wanting to design roller coasters and had even thought up some of the more revolutionary roller coaster elements that we all now take for granted long before they actually debuted. Unfortunately I didn't graduate high school until 1995 and by then many of my ideas had already been had by someone else. Then a traumatic head injury the summer after high school graduation took away the dream of becoming an engineer. It didn't effect my mind as I kept dreaming up amazing rides, but it did take away my ability to comprehend equations and even affected my coordination and depth perception. Over the years I've regained much of my coordination and my hands no longer shake as much, but every once in awhile I misjudge a doorway and glance off the door jamb or miss the last step at the bottom of a staircase, and anything beyond simple algebra and geometry is beyond me. Oddly enough the injury actually enhanced my artistic mind. I can picture my ideas fully realized in my mind. Unfortunately shaky hands and poor hand eye coordination don’t make for a good conceptual artist so I put my dreams aside and did the one thing I was still good at. I became a fitness instructor.

 

Among my ideas that someone else invented first were the electromagnetic launch coaster, the VR coaster (think New Revolution), the inverted looping coaster, the interactive dark ride coaster (think Wonder Mountain's Guardian), and the 4D coaster. I have many more ideas that no one else has invented yet, but I think I will keep those to myself for now. You never know, maybe one day...

Edited April 27, 2016 by coloradocoasterguy

[CPGemini08]

I know this may be a bit out of the loop on the question, but I actually have my degree in Supply Chain Management. It's not engineering, nor marketing, but it can certainly be useful in the amusement park industry. Anyone have an idea of how someone with my major would be best to get my foot in the door?

[coloradocoasterguy]

I know this may be a bit out of the loop on the question, but I actually have my degree in Supply Chain Management. It's not engineering, nor marketing, but it can certainly be useful in the amusement park industry. Anyone have an idea of how someone with my major would be best to get my foot in the door?

 

Ride manufacturers and theme park have massive inventory warehouse departments. If you live near one or are willing to relocate then simply go apply.

[canadianparkfan]

Found this on a local University's Reddit page.

 

With all the hate for math on this thread, thought some of you might enjoy this:

 

First of all, you need to know that staying in CS or math means your social life will go to shit (if it already hasn't)... No, no it does not get Better...

 

Your best bet would be to transfer into arts, move into the party form, and party 24/7. If you are unable to find parties at UW, you're best bet would be to hang out around Laurier/Ezra. If this doesn't work, and parties are a no-go, plan B is to head out to one of the various bars or clubs in the neighbourhood (Phill's, Chainsaw, Kickoff, Wilf's and Bomber are all recommended).

 

No matter what you choose (plan A or B), developing the social skills required to function efficiently and effectively, both in university life and in the real world, should be your top priority. The development of these critical skills was most likely stunted/delayed due to a lack of social interaction (very common in the case of math majors, (due to the constant bullying, time spent in libraries, and General weeb-ness that occurs in high school years).

 

If you want to know how to make the pain go away, and start living a life others will envy, follow the steps outlined above, and then watch this **FREE** Video:

 

Can't get enough of these life-changing Social-Hacks that'll change any Mathie into the life of the party??... Watch this video to see how (for a limited time) YOU can subscribe to my Mathie-to-Social-Powerhouse Transformation Program TODAY for only one easy payment of $4242.42 (it is the answer to life after all!)

 

 

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So REMEMBER... It doesn't get better... UNLESS you TAKE MASSIVE ACTION!

[rcjp]

I have signed up for two advanced math classes next year in High School so time to see if I can handle math at it's worst.

 

Study hard! Engineering math gets even worse once you're in college. I do not miss it at all lol

True. I never disliked math so it wasn't/hasn't been that much of a problem but yeah, it's fairly tough.

[TB305]

AP Calculus exam next week, wish me luck!

[Shavethewhales]

I remember when I was 10 years younger and dreaming of building roller coasters one day. Watching this stuff get built is a big part of why I chose to be a civil engineer. It didn't take me long to ditch the coaster building dreams once I hit university though. I don't know if there's an official number out there for how many dedicated engineers are working in this specific industry, but it's got to be <100 for civils. As most have pointed out, it's a tiny niche industry that you have to work your way into, and there's tons of people competing for the half dozen or so internships/entry-level positions that are based in the US - and that's after you assume that you are OK with moving to one of the few locations where these companies have permanent offices.

 

By the time you make it through your sophomore year, you just want a job - period. Adulthood catches up and you just want to support yourself comfortably. No matter what you do, it all becomes just a job, but at least with a practical engineering job you can easily support plenty of park trips throughout the year.

 

For those slugging through maths, I'll give you a little light at the end of the tunnel: a lot of engineering is less about performing complex calculus by hand, and more about thinking things through and neatly working through established design processes. I never believed people when they told me that, but after a couple years of professional experience I wish I had taken this mindset earlier.

 

I didn't do any calculus in high school, which a surprising number of people think would have eliminated me from getting into an engineering school. I did have to take a couple of absolutely pointless "remedial" classes that I should have tried to get out of, but otherwise it didn't really affect me at all. Calculus can be a pain, but with diligence you will get through it. Diligence is really the most important lesson I learned from doing calculus, because after two years of working as a structural engineer I haven't used it since. There are different jobs within the field that will use more high-level math, but it really isn't as difficult as they make it in school.

 

P.S. The word "design" is thrown around a lot and can take on different meanings in the engineering/construction world. You can "design" something by making a quick napkin sketch, and then hand it off to someone to do proper "design" work. In other words it can mean basic conceptualization or it can mean planning out how a given idea will work based on codes, efficiency, cost, etc. This is an important distinction because the vast majority of engineers to my knowledge never actually get to "design" something by thinking it up or sketching it out on paper/CAD. Most often we are paid to take a proposed design/idea and produce a final design that meets the given codes or requirements. So even if you do make it into the industry as an engineer, maybe you should expect less roller coaster tycooning and a lot more general analysis like you would do in any engineering job.

[chickenbowl]

Now that I graduated from Cal Poly SLO (in December) with a BS in Mechanical Engineering with a concentration in Manufacturing, I am seeking employment in the amusement engineering industry. In fact, I just had an interview with WhiteWater West. Wish me luck, guys!

 

For the past couple weeks I have been learning a ton as an Associate Engineer for WhiteWater West, designing and building with FlowRider. I'm so happy to be in the attraction industry!!