Check out what Ellie Barrett, a final year student, has to say about studying Digital Arts including a Year in Industry.<\/p>\n
I actually started at a different university but I decided to move to Kent because the course is more up to date in terms of teaching digital skills and they had the equipment, the computers, the production facilities to teach them properly. I also liked that the campus is like a bubble\u00a0 \u2013 it\u2019s easy to get into town but it\u2019s secluded from too much craziness.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s really, really good. My fourth year is very different to my first year, because I\u2019m nearly finished. You look back and you make lots of comparisons. I am much more confident now and everything that I thought I knew I wanted to learn at the beginning has completely changed. For instance, I come from an illustration and arts background and I do well at illustration, I am happy with it, and I never thought of myself as someone who could code or be into engineering or anything like that. But it turns out I can do both, and I now feel like if I can put in the hours, I can learn to do anything.<\/p>\n
We work with lecturers who are really renowned for what they do, especially in interaction and solving big problems using digital art. They really are very, very good and they are very understanding and personable; I can always get hold of them if I need help. EDA [School of Engineering and Digital Arts] also has a pretty good system of peer mentors, so you can get help from students in the years above you; throughout my time, they have been very happy to help. It\u2019s a good culture.<\/p>\n
I\u2019ve enjoyed web design the most because I learned about web accessibility and user experience design and it helped me find my purpose. And that\u2019s what I want to do when I graduate. Everything we do in the world now is digital, which means that a lot of groups in society risk being left behind. It\u2019s very important to me that everyone should have access to services and things they need; I want to be part of encouraging equal opportunities for everyone.<\/p>\n
I did my year in industry at Zebra Technologies in Covent Garden in London, which is a really cool place to work. You can get help from EDA to find a placement, but I\u2019d been freelancing as an illustrator for three years already so I just applied for it, and luckily my brother lives in London so I was able to stay with him. I was a user experience design intern, which was great because I was able to take a year to explore and see if it\u2019s what I liked, in a safe environment where expectations are measured and people know they will have to teach me things. I worked on lots of real projects that are currently being used. Zebra Technologies make a lot of handheld devices and one is for delivery workers, so every time I get a parcel delivered I can see software that I helped to design.<\/p>\n
I would absolutely recommend doing a year in industry, partly for the personal growth and the confidence that it gives you, and partly because it beefs up your CV: when I graduate, I\u2019ve already got that first year of experience. It\u2019s a competitive industry so it will really help.<\/p>\n
The facilities on campus are great. During the time that I\u2019ve been here, I\u2019ve seen the Templeman Library change completely \u2013 it\u2019s just been renovated and it looks very, very cool, with lots of study space and lots of computers. But I spend the majority of my time in the Jennison Building [the main base for EDA] because that\u2019s where they have the really high-powered computers we need for our projects. They are also building a brand new Maker Space and production studio.\u00a0I won\u2019t get to use them because I’ll have graduated, but I’m very glad it\u2019s happening and it shows they\u2019re staying up to date with what\u2019s needed.<\/p>\n
Canterbury is a lovely city to live in because it\u2019s just the right size, it has beautiful cobbled streets, lovely rivers. It looks gorgeous in the summer time, and Bramley\u2019s [bar] has lovely cocktails. You shouldn\u2019t just stick around Canterbury, though. There\u2019s a shuttle bus to the Medway campus, which has wonderful history and cool museums. And London is quick and easy to get to on the coach; it\u2019s cheaper than the train.<\/p>\n
Yes, I attend a knitting group every Wednesday and I\u2019m also in the Yoga Society and the British Sign Language Society. Learning sign language has helped improve my knowledge of accessibility, which I care about, but in social and relaxed way: we have a laugh.<\/p>\n
I\u2019m working as a content creator here at the University. It means I can make a bit of money to help with the cost of being at university and continue to develop my skills and my portfolio using everything I\u2019m learning on my degree. And I can learn from the team at the University, I get loads of feedback and also get to see how those teams work and how they\u2019re organised, and get even more experience of how things are done.<\/p>\n
In Welcome Week, leave your door open \u2013 get a door stop, talk to other people. Go to societies. Don\u2019t worry about over-committing because if, in the second week, you decide you don\u2019t want to carry on with a particular society, that\u2019s OK, but you should go and try them. Don\u2019t be scared to try them. And make sure you remember to exercise after Welcome Week!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"