CGAA Alumni Tom O'Rourke is currently studying for his Msc in Design and Digital Media at the University of Edinburgh. I asked him recently if he had any advice for CGAA Year 3 as they move into the last five weeks of their penultimate semester...
"Graduation is always a wonderful time where characters you may have met in your first and second years spontaneously emerge from the periphery and say hello and everyone in general is in a great mood of optimism and celebration. Graduation is, however, also a time where you have to ask the question, what do I do next and how do I navigate through the current job market?
My first bit of advice based on how I went about it is, try not to be generic in your covering letters to people, it sounds silly but try and start a conversation rather than just reel off 'I am a CG Artist, my name is X I have a degree in Y' – 'you' as a prospect are then just equivalent to your degree in the potential employers eyes. Are you just a CG Artist? Would you conduct a conversation like that face to face with someone, would that bore you? What started getting me responses was saying things like 'hey I've noticed that you're working on X,Y and Z, they really interest me because of A,B and C how did you do D? etc. So unless they are completely cynical people they will probably respond. Also don't be afraid to inject a touch of personality into your covering letters, turning point #1 for me was seeing someone else's covering letter early on and noticing that it was essentially the same as mine.
The next bit of advice is to make use of the UCA Enterprise Hub which can be accessed via the UCA website. Here you will find opportunities such as internships and placements as well as advice and contacts. If I hadn't have registered my interest in the Business First project offered by the Enterprise Hub I wouldn't have had my 6 month placement at the Maidstone TV Studios where I was able to produce many CG projects for clients as well as meet Reeves and Mortimer etc. I am also still working for the company on a remote working basis and they expect me to contact them about coming back after I complete my Masters. So do check out the Enterprise Hub and do check relevant notice boards around the campus / in the base room for opportunities - the flyer for the Business First project was just lying about in the base room, I'm surprised nobody else seemed to be interested.
Anyhow the third thing I will suggest for those of you who are so inclined is - go ahead and do a Master's if you can. One of the problems in today's job market (one of many) is that there is a sheer over-saturation of graduates which makes it imperative that you distinguish yourself in one way or another either by a) injecting a little personality as mentioned above or b) by adding a complimentary set of skills to your skillset in the form of a Masters.
If you are applying for a Masters programme you can bet that they are competitive just like jobs are and so again you need to somehow set yourself apart whether it is by sheer contagious enthusiasm, intellectual engagement of the reader with as many ideas as you can squeeze into the allocated space or a detailed discussion of who the hell you are and why a Masters is right for you. Remember, just like a piece of design defend your work and why you want to be accepted onto a Masters programme, show confidence and show intelligence - don't give them a reason to say no.
Anyhow, good luck, there are PLENTY of things skilled digital designers like yourselves can do after graduation so enjoy yourselves and celebrate your achievements."
Thank you for this post, really nice advice here too!
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