One day, on a whim, she enrolled online for the Diploma of Digital Creativity, and discovered to her delight that she had been accepted. "I remember finding out over the Christmas period that I didn't have to go back for Year 13 and I was stoked!" Here, she tells us more about life as a Digital Creativity student and what she's up to now.
Being one of the youngest students there, I was expecting it to be rather intimidating, but everybody was actually so friendly and the age difference wasn't even recognisable. I thought that the way the institute was laid out with bright colours and quirky furniture really lightened the atmosphere! I also thought that, after hearing the overview of the course, I really had to step up my game, The intensity of effort was far more than they expect in high school, but after all, that's what I was after!
As a class we were only small; 20 or so students. We decided it would be nice if after each 'summative' assessment we would go out for a group lunch to celebrate. I think this actually only happened once or twice but it was nice to be able to go somewhere with the class outside of the facility and share in our successes together that way.
We were allocated time within our studies to indulge in a Personal Project. After a lot of thought about trying to spend this time wisely, I decided to create an online community to help promote and sell emerging artists and designers work.
I designed a website that was aimed at students, as being one myself I was well aware that it's difficult to earn money when you have little 'experience', little time, and when employers would rather hire a graduate. I found any art submitted for online sales would almost always get taken advantage of because they give you little credit and practically steal your well-deserved profit. My website, however, was there to allow emerging artists to promote their artwork, free of charge, and earn a decent commission with all the hard work being done for them. It was focused on the niche market of thought provoking artwork, including visually inspiring illustrations and graphic prints. I wanted to motivate people to cultivate their consciousness, and I knew there was very conceptual and captivating art within this area.
I get to create all the advertising material for the company such as magazines, catalogues, and product packaging. I even got to design a billboard in the first month of working! I'm also in charge of around 15 websites that I regularly update to keep the information as relevant as possible and also to keep up with the fast paced changes we have in web today, such as responsive design and user accessibility!
I've only been in the workforce since the beginning of 2015 and this one job has allowed me to design for high-end companies such as Parrot, Yuneec Drones, Repco, JB-HiFi, Nakamichi and many more! I'm responsible for updating social media accounts, sending out weekly/monthly newsletters and, if applicable, attend events to photograph them.
It's a cool role because it's really diverse; I'm not doing the same thing every day. I think that everyone can relate to the fact that repetition can turn into a chore!
Undeniably. Industry standards is something you are never taught without tertiary education, and I now use those standards every day.
Also, I might add, when it comes to web design, most people are either all for the technical coding side, or all for the design aspect. We are really lacking people who can do both. After a short introduction to the technical side of web design (included in my design course at Media Design School) I learnt how to transform the industry standards (as well as unique personal opinion) into HTML, CSS and JavaScript. These may only be the introductory languages of coding, but from this I was able to create an idea from scratch into a fully functioning site all by myself and not having to rely on other people's expertise. This is something employers will find really valuable
Rather then sitting there nodding, ask your lecturer's questions to further yourself from those C grades to reach that potential you know you hold. Tertiary education is about gaining something you couldn't with only your previous knowledge, so challenge yourself.
Also, don't compare yourself to others because I'm telling you now that every student varies. You are your own best competition.
