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Gcse's!


Jake.

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It's the next stage that's pretty important if you intend to go to University.

I really wish I would have chosen better subjects and/or actually tried at A-level. I only needed 80 UCAS points to get into Sheffield Hallam as it was a Prep year in engineering, so I just didn't bother with much. But I needed 300 for Huddersfield, which I already had, so im there this year. But still, I just saw sixth form as something to pass the time before I get into Uni. Don't do that, kids!

Edited by dann2707
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GCSEs don't mean anything at all. If you know what you want to do A Levels matter so you can get on the degree you need and pursue a specific career, but if you just want to earn a decent wage, it's more about luck than anything else. It's taken me this long (23) to find out that I don't think there's a job I'm ever going to like now because of the path I've taken, so I just want a decent wage so I can spend the time when I'm not at work enjoying myself.

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I didn't take any, never caused me any issues so far.

Well maybe that's because you're a beast on a bike haha.

I can't decide if I want to do Electrical Engineering / Plumbing / Computer Engineering / Working in the Media with adverts (photoshop) / photography...

I chose to do iMedia and Photography at college, iMedia is a course where you use photoshop, dreamweaver, flash, video creation... Etc

And photography is just taking pictures, using darkroom, writing notes, experimenting etc.

But if I ever decide to do Engineering then I've chosen f**k all the wrong subjects to do at college... I'm worried :(

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Well maybe that's because you're a beast on a bike haha.

I can't decide if I want to do Electrical Engineering / Plumbing / Computer Engineering / Working in the Media with adverts (photoshop) / photography...

I chose to do iMedia and Photography at college, iMedia is a course where you use photoshop, dreamweaver, flash, video creation... Etc

And photography is just taking pictures, using darkroom, writing notes, experimenting etc.

But if I ever decide to do Engineering then I've chosen f**k all the wrong subjects to do at college... I'm worried :(

My photography degree was shit. I reckon that doing one of the engineering courses 'officially' and pursuing photography and/or design in your own time would be a better bet as it's more achievable to get to a good standard of photography just from going out with a camera compared to having to try and teach yourself electrical engineering...

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The thing is if you want to have a job in design (media/photoshop toucher-upper whatever) then you do need to (and i certainly don't agree with this) have to have a degree in design. (In most cases).

I have a degree in design and work as a graphic designer. I couldn't have got my current job if i didn't have my degree. I think it's absolutely ridiculous, but for much of design it unfortunately is the case.

Can't speak for photography, whilst a lot of my work naturally compromises photography, i'm not specifically a photographer so the same rules may not apply?

Edited by Matthew62
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If my brothers design degree is anything to go by, it wasn't so much what he learnt, but the contacts he gained through the course.

The contacts he made helped him get two books published and an internship at an advertising agency that now hire him full time.

He already had most of the skills, but no way of breaking in to the industry...

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Can't speak for photography, whilst a lot of my work naturally compromises photography, i'm not specifically a photographer so the same rules may not apply?

Didn't seem to be the same with photography from my experience. The only real way in seems to generally be either pretty much working for free as a photographer, or working for free as an assistant.

Is a portfolio/experience not considered much in graphic design then? Or is it just those sort of 2 aspects combined with a degree?

EDIT: In fairness, my degree did teach me some interesting things although pretty much none of them were actually of any use to me. After I finished I really wanted to continue writing about stuff similar to what I did my dissertation on, and looking at the more academic/theoretical side of things, but real life then got in the way...

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Shit, went wrong: In reply to Hannah:

Well that's what doing art and/or design is. Comparisons and critiquing are all very important aspects of it - you can't be insular in your style and outlook.

Plus who said anything about creating work in the style of someone else? Not that you have to, but it can be a very helpful technical exercise from time to time.

Didn't seem to be the same with photography from my experience. The only real way in seems to generally be either pretty much working for free as a photographer, or working for free as an assistant.

Is a portfolio/experience not considered much in graphic design then? Or is it just those sort of 2 aspects combined with a degree?

EDIT: In fairness, my degree did teach me some interesting things although pretty much none of them were actually of any use to me. After I finished I really wanted to continue writing about stuff similar to what I did my dissertation on, and looking at the more academic/theoretical side of things, but real life then got in the way...

Of course. Portfolio and experience are very much the most important aspects - but in terms of getting your leg in and starting off, unfortunately mny people won't let you show them a portfolio without a degree.

Now i'm not a newbie it'll be my work and experience that i'm judged by, but i couldn't of even started off without my degree. I personally don't really agree with internships so have always been against them. I think they're very much the downfall of the creative industry. Of course i understand their purpose, but on a personal level i'm against them for a number of reasons and have never had a problem explainign to anyone (or potential employer) why i have never done one.

Edited by Matthew62
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I've looked at illustrating and the likes of mostly. I only scraped a pass in my art GCSE because I didn't want to create art like Andy Warhol or Roy Lichtenstein. I understand that it can be beneficial to compare your own work to other people's work and I'm sure you can pick up lots of skills based from other people's art but I never actually got the chance to do work in my own way without the influence of others artists. Same goes for lots of my friends who chose to study art / art related courses at college.

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Of course. Portfolio and experience are very much the most important aspects - but in terms of getting your leg in and starting off, unfortunately mny people won't let you show them a portfolio without a degree.

Yeah, I knew once you were 'in' it'd be those two, but just that first step...

The whole way the creative industries seem to work appears to be a little f**ked. I'm sort of glad I didn't really get that heavily involved with it because I didn't really like how you were 'supposed' to go about getting work there from a graduate's perspective, then reading industry journals/publications/magazines/stuff just sort of reinforced that view.

I've looked at illustrating and the likes of mostly. I only scraped a pass in my art GCSE because I didn't want to create art like Andy Warhol or Roy Lichtenstein. I understand that it can be beneficial to compare your own work to other people's work and I'm sure you can pick up lots of skills based from other people's art but I never actually got the chance to do work in my own way without the influence of others artists.

With a degree you tend to be less limited in your scope than you are when you do earlier sorts of qualifications like GCSEs. We had to do a couple of things like that just to get us thinking about different techniques, understanding people's reasoning and so on, but they were only ever side modules rather than our main modules.

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With a degree you tend to be less limited in your scope than you are when you do earlier sorts of qualifications like GCSEs. We had to do a couple of things like that just to get us thinking about different techniques, understanding people's reasoning and so on, but they were only ever side modules rather than our main modules.

Fair enough. It just seemed that every module we ever studied never actually allowed us to express our individuality in work. The only piece I can recall doing was explaining how I felt when I listened to a certain song through art. I got to pick the song and I chose Brian Eno - An Ending. I did a piece I was pretty chuffed with (no arrows, squiggles or funny men with moustaches and wings!) and was told by my teacher that it wasn't right and to alter parts of it. When I refused she 'took it in for marking' and it was returned to me a completely unrecognisable piece. Just my experience I guess.

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