What my study means now and in the future.

Personal Development Planning

I have developed my skills, on the course, in this area. The skills I have picked up are being able to self evaluate and also to plan for what I want to achieve in the future.

I think in my future career this will translate to my workplace when I have a performance review. Also I will be able to set myself goals for my career and plan out what I hope to achieve.

It has also developed my skills in terms of being able to write about myself, this will translate very well when it comes to me writing my CV to apply for jobs.


Attending Lectures, Seminars, Tutorials etc

When attending lectures and tutorials at college I have been able to develop my listening skills, not only this but I have also furthered my ability to take notes whilst listening.

I can see that in my future career these will be valuable skills as an employee I would be expected to take notes of a brief when it is first given so that I don’t have to get my employer to repeat themselves.

In addition I have learnt to take criticism through peer and tutor review. This is definitely something I would have to get used to when working with a client as I cannot afford to take things personally when a client doesn’t like my work.


Seminars, Group Work, Team Projects

When working in groups I have learnt to communicate and compromise with my peers. I have developed my skills in listening and debating which has also helped to further my confidence to speak up and argue my opinion when I feel that a wrong decision has been made.

As an employee these skills will be very valuable, being able to speak up and voice your opinion is an asset and an employer would favour this type of person over somebody who didn’t contribute.

Oral Presentation

Oral Presentation to a group is something that requires you to have confidence and clarity when talking in front of a group of people. I feel that I have picked up some pointers here and have definitely improved in this area. I have been in this situation three times since I joined the course and it is no longer an alien concept to me. I have presented to my tutors once the class once and also a combination of tutors, peers and prospective employees. It wouldn’t worry me if I were told I needed to do it again thanks to this experience.

I can see this will be valuable in the future; if I needed to present work to clients or if it was used as a tool by an employer in an interview process.

Writing essays and other forms of academic writing

In this area I have managed to develop my grasp of English in terms of spelling and grammar. In addition I have learnt how to present my work in referenced format and in a structure that is easily read.

In the future I can see that this will transfer as I will, in any employment, be required to write. Specifically in terms of web design I would be required to write web content. The practice I have received at writing will no doubt have improved and help me to write more fluidly so that my content isn’t dull and difficult to follow.

Maths and Statistics

Maths and Statistics have been employed when carrying out research and I have had to display my findings in the form of a chart. The program I have used in this instance has been Microsoft Excel.

In the future this is a skill I will be able to use on my CV as I think employers would consider this to be a valuable skill to have.

Observation

I have used observation skills on the course when I have had to complete things such as competitive analyses. In this respect of this I have learnt to look at things thoroughly at the minor details and also to analyse things more.

Another example of this is when I have been asked to review websites created by peers but also myself.

The skills of observation and analysis will be of great use in my future career as a web designer as I will have to write in code and these skills would come into play when trying to find errors.

Research

On many occasions, in all projects, I have been required to carry out research. This is a skill that has developed and I realise that I have developed in this area. I know it is important to check multiple sources to check I have the correct information.

In my future career I will be able to use this skill when I am looking for employment as it is important to know about the company for which you are seeking employment from.

Also whilst in employment I will be able to use this skill as a designer when I have to generate ideas, it will help me to find inspiration. In addition to this I would be able to corroborate any written content I have produced by checking it against multiple sources.

Exams and Revision

Although on this course we do not have to complete any exams we do have to submit a project to a strict deadline. This is a similar type of learning curve as to when studying for an exam and each has a final deadline for which the work must be completed.

In this respect I feel that on the course I have learnt to plan my time and I am learning that this is something I must strive to improve.

Also in term of revision this can be likened to our self study, this is something that requires self discipline. This is another area for me where I am striving to improve.

I know that in the future I will need to apply myself if I want to progress in the industry, in a large company I may be required to work out of hours or if I were freelance it could be required of me to be contactable out of hours.