Reflection, Self Learning Did It Work?

Hi all,

It seems my previous post was not my last 1 as a student, nor will it be my last as an ex student!

In this post I would like to show how,why where and when my 6 month learning plan was successful and was not successful. This is the plan I intended to follow but not knowing what the next project entailed, e.g. flash prevented realistic planning, though on the other hand, when do you get realistic time to plan in industry?

This was the plan:
Where I Am Now (at time of writing)

I currently have a basic knowledge of Dreamweaver, Photoshop and Freehand, I also have some Flash skills, but I believe that is one of my weaknesses.
I do not have any experience of Illustrator and would like to gain some knowledge of that. I am of the opinion that the more ‘strings to your bow’ the more employable you are.
I think I have strong research and sketchbook skills and do not have any problems generating ideas, my weakness, as I see it, is implementing them technically with the software at my disposal.

Aims
In my 6 month learning plan I would like to achieve the following:

· To be able to use Photoshop to a professional level.
· Learn how to use Freehand to an intermediate level.
· Learn how to use Flash, beyond the basics.

I have based these aims on research into what employers are currently looking for, in the positions that interest me. Those being web designer and 2D creative artist.

Hopefully CSS will be learned to a sufficient level while doing the CiSSy project. This leaves the remaining software applications.

I will have to do tutorials on a regular basis to get to the standard I would like, this could be 1-2 a week.

To demonstrate that I am learning via the tutorials I will set myself small projects after each one. This will be saved and recorded as evidence.

Progress Measurability
My progress will be measured by using the Adobe partners that give tutorials, I will utilise their learning outcomes as a guide as to what I should be achieving.
A document will be produced to monitor and check my progress, with timescale and skills achieved and not achieved.

Flash Links

Action Script Tutorial:
www.adobe.com/support/flash/action_scripts/actionscript_tutorial/
This tutorial is expected to take 1 hour (adobe.com)
Date for tutorial. Friday 15th December 2006

How to Animate Text in Flash:
www.adobe.com/tips/aft65presetanim/
I expect this tutorial to take approximately 2 ½ hours.
Date for tutorial Saturday 23rd December 2006

Flash Sound:
www.adobe.com/support/flash/sound/sound_player/
Date(s) for Tutorials. Friday 20th, 27th January, Friday 2nd February and Friday 9th February 2006.

Freehand Links
Deconstructing Freehand Graphics:
www.adobe.com/support/freehand/basics/deconstructing_fh_1/
This tutorial is divided into 4, I will allow ½ hour for each part.
Date for tutorial Friday 16th February.

Deconstructing Freehand Graphics 2:
www.adobe.com/support/freehand/basics/deconstructing_fh_2/
This tutorial is the more advanced version of the previous one. It is divided into 5 parts and I would like to allow 45 minutes for each part. This project may have to be done over 2 dates.
Date(s) for tutorial Friday 23rd and Saturday 24th February 2007

Apply Special Effects:
www.adobe.com/support/freehand/learning/fhmx_tutorial02/fhmx_tutorial0206.html
I would like to allow 2 hours for this tutorial.
Date for tutorial Friday 2nd March 2007

FreeHand MX lesson 2: Using vector and raster effects:
www.adobe.com/support/freehand/learning/2_effects/
2 hours for this tutorial.
Date for tutorial Friday 9th March 2007

Photoshop Links
Use Sketches to Produce Artwork:
www.adobe.com/uk/designcenter/illustrator/articles/createcomp.html
I feel this could possibly be one of the most important tutorials for me. It will allow me to use my illustrations as a bases for print work or web images.
I will dedicated 6 hours to this , I would like to create a small brief designed to produce some professional work for my portfolio. Probably to be mainly used for print but also applicable to web pages.
I would like to do 2, 3 hour sessions with this.
Dates for project Friday 16th and Friday 23rd March 2007

Dreamweaver and CSS
I would like to use some of my remaining college months making sites, I will try to produce ‘real’ sites, which will hopefully give me valuable commercial experience.
I believe the more I use Dreamweaver and CSS the more skilled I will become, a case of practice.
Dates dedicated to using Dreamweaver and CSS skills will be: Friday 30th March, Friday 6th, 13th, 20th and 27th April 2007

Universities
I am currently leaning towards gaining employment after the course has ended but if I were to do a degree the links to possible courses are below.
University of Leeds:
http://tldynamic.leeds.ac.uk/ugcoursefinder/2007/prospectus3SQL.asp?prog_id=1020

University of Huddersfield:
Interactive Arts BA(Hons)
http://www.hud.ac.uk/courses/undergrad/ipp_pages00000438.htm

Multimedia Computing
http://www.hud.ac.uk/courses/undergrad/ipp_pages00000069.htm

Interactive Media BA (Hons)
http://www.hud.ac.uk/courses/undergrad/ipp_pages00000146.htm

Multimedia Design BA (Hons)
http://www.hud.ac.uk/courses/undergrad/ipp_pages00000217.htm

These were the tutorials that I did, but nowhere near in the order that I set out to do them in. Nearly as soon as the ink had dried on the print out of my researched list of what i wanted to learn, the new project came in, nothing to do with what I planned to learn! 1st years beware! Look at subjects in advance is a good bit of advice!

Of course when asked to plan 6 months in advance, it is a little difficult when you are still at college and you do not know what is coming next, in the workplace at least you are employed as a 'whatever you do best' sort of person and so you are in your comfort zone.

This is where the 6 month learning plan fell down in my eyes, it seemed to distract from the work we were doing rather than help. I am sure if done correctly it could help but I felt that it was a 'have to do it' kind of task rather than something we could clearly see the benefit of.

I do think it would have had a greater value if it had been discussed earlier too, I think as a student, you can get caught up in the design, 'exciting' stuff rather than the written planning work.

Discussing it earlier may have put more value on the task. Maybe 2nd years from last year could have been introduced to tell us of their experiences, just a thought.

As it is, as 2nd years, I think the few remaining (3) have felt a little isolated, and so planning beyond the next week proves difficult. This is especially true when you also see that you are not rewarded like the other 'years' on the course for doing well.

My '6 month learning plan' will continue, and at the moment it will mainly be based around flash and CSS, as my weaknesses. But having seen the job search results that have come back to me via email, I think I have a lot more to learn!

Thanks for reading

Mark

Plan B

Hi, for probably the last time as a student.

Well so much for the plan! It is now a case of get it done any way possible. The stress is quite unbearable as I heaped the pressure on myself by deciding to a portfolio re-design so close to the end of the course, now I am behind with the 'A Day in Your Life' project, whether I will get it done I do not know, at least for the 15th May.

But enough of that, its presentation day on Tuesday and the nerves are creeping in, though the practices seem to have gone okay, if a little short of the half hour mark.

I have been thinking what I will say, the things I have learned, my experiences and where I want to go next.

Well the things I have learned, theres so much, I did not know how to use pagemaker when I walked through the door on the 1st day. Now I feel that I am employable, I have knowledge of Flash, Dreamweaver, Photoshop, Freehand, CSS, HTML and Javascript. It is a considerable amount to learn in 2 years I think.

So my experiences, well they have been rewarding, infuriating, disastrous and joyous! Late nights trying to figure out CSS or action scripts in Flash have been some of the most painful events, but also the most joyous when I managed to master something.

I have made mistakes along the way, usually involving me doing everything twice, which has not been good for producing the quality of work I have wanted to.

Looking at my portfolio though, I seem to have done more work than I realised, though I know how hard I have had to work to get projects done and the sacrifices I have had to make, including my family.

I would like to say it has all been worth it and on a professionl level that is true, as now I feel as though I have some career prospects. On a personal level though, the support from my family wavered and dissapeared and I believe contributed to our break up. This has made the final few weeks incredibly difficult as ther reasons for me doing the course dissapeared.

I certainly thing I have done it the hard way, but I do think I will benefit greatly from completing the course.

So where do I go from here? I am hoping to gain employment in the web deesign industry asap, though I will be taking any job that comes up after I finish to start with. I will also be looking to get up and running as a freelance web designer / print designer and indeed I already have some possible clients which bodes well.

I'd just like to say thanks for reading my ramblings over the last year or so, but do not fear i intend to continue using this blog, maybe it will shed some light for future students of what to expect when they 'get out'.

Bye for now

Mark