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Chapter 1
Decisions, decisions …
What happens now? What happens next?
What happens from now on depends on how determined you are to bring your hopes and aspirations, dreams and ambitions to fruition and the timescale within which you want to do it. Your future plans may be very clear to you, or you may be kicking lots of ideas about, or just not have a clue. What you do know is that there are lots of decisions to make and plans to be laid – but what, exactly? Where do you start?
Looking at the next few months
If you’ve already left university, you may have happily spent the summer enjoying a break at home before considering what happens next. The start of the academic year may feel strange as you realise that for the first time, perhaps in your life, you do not have to go back to school, college or university. You’re free to do as you like. This may also be strange to the people you live with, such as your parents. They may not be used to you being around and may start giving you odd jobs to do which interfere with your day and which you may resent. Meal times may be punctuated with discussions about your future and when you’re going to get a ‘real’ job and visitors to the house ask you about your plans. It may feel as though life is going backwards fast, instead of moving on to greater things. Build a structure into your life, even if you have no work or study to go to. Keeping to a routine now will help you when you start work.
You may have studied part time for your degree while holding down a full-time job, working two or three hours a night and trying the patience of family members as you disappear to study yet again. You’ve probably pleaded with the boss for more time off, spent lunch times doing research on the Internet and sneaked the odd sickie to get that assignment done. And now you’re faced with many free hours and you feel a bit lost. It’s nice to have a rest from all that study, but having risen to one challenge, you want another.
If you’re still at university, create time now to plan your career. This involves participating in activities such as constructive work experience, internships, developing your portfolio and web of industry contacts, voluntary work, attending careers and trade events and research into the job market, finding out what resources are available if you want to become self-employed, considering further study, visiting the careers service in person and online and analysing your own strengths and capabilities. Allocate even three hours a week out of 168 during your degree, and you will be well on the road to securing your immediate future. You’ll also have time to fill any missing gaps in your CV to strengthen any future job or course applications and make deadlines. If you are a post-graduate student, this equally applies. Visit your careers service to see how they can help you, and don’t leave it too late.
Start building bridges from where you are now to where you want to be. The more foundations you can lay down now, the easier life will be later.
Take control. Get organised
Create a folder – call it something like ‘Life After University’ – and put everything you need to work on in it. It will save you time searching for pieces of paper and information. If you’ve got a PC or lap top, create a life and career folder on that, too, for emails and bookmark useful websites you visit regularly. In addition, plan for the presentation and expansion of your portfolio, ideas, references, scribbles, doodles, articles you’ve cut out or printed off, and notes of conversations you’ve had with fellow students, artists, designers, industry contacts, employers and tutors and anyone else you talk to. Consider the following:
How are you going to organise your portfolio? Where will you continue your arts, craft and design after you’ve left university – what space will you need and can you negotiate for it, for example, if you’re moving back home with your parent(s)? What facilities and equipment will you need? Where will you find those? What can you set up on your own where you live? Can you tap into facilities in the area? If you plan to work for someone else, how much activity of an artistic or design nature do you think you will do outside of the working day for your own enjoyment? Efficient organisation will clear your mind of clutter and enable you to work more effectively. Both collections – your ‘life after’ folder and your portfolio – should grow week by week as you add to them and expand your kno...
