Week 5 - Review

Reviewing My Research so Far:

Discuss what you have found during your self reflection and job/ career company research so far:

• By looking at my self reflection I have been able to highlight areas that need to be improved to help myself get into the job's that interest me the most.  Also by addressing these it will give me the best opportunities to get jobs I believe I will find interesting and will be happiest in the future. The tools that were mostly helped gain an understanding in was my personal SWOT analysis where I looked at Strengths, Opportunities, Weaknesses & Threats. Also my personal Skills analysis where I rated my current level of  Knowledge and Skills. Both of theses gave me a personal insight to areas where I am weak and need to be improved. I plan to improve  my skills and knowledge by doing more personal projects. Especially on areas where I am interested in and want/need to improve. Watch videos and tutorials on places like Lynda.com and YouTube. Also finally read up more around areas I'm interested in which I need to develop my understanding. As well as to help follow the trends of the industry and find the leading people currently in specific areas.  

• From looking at specific jobs and careers I have found that not all requirements are software based. Other main factors include time management, teamwork skills and also the need to fit in to a company's general social aspect. ( Will you fit in/ work well with other team members). This has now also been confirmed by two speakers who have visited us for lectures, explaining that depending on the job the relevant software may not even be available for anyone use and relevant training will be given once joining the company ( MCLAREN COMPANY DASH DESIGNERS). Ive also learned that skills aren't all that's necessary to get a job in many businesses. A big part of landing a job is fitting in with the current business, I learned this through  ........ from Fusebox games. This is a lesson i will take into every interview or job opportunity in the future. Looking at the best way to present myself and understanding what is needed to fit in to specific businesses depending on their current staff and work ethics.     

Questions you might like to ask of yourself: 

• Do I want to work for a big or small company ?
• Will I be happy in the area of work I'm going for ?
• Is the industry growing / will their be lots of opportunity's?
• How will I achieve a good job ?
• Do i want to specialise in one are or try to stay multidisciplinary?
• What industry area do I want to pursue ?  

What themes or interesting touch points you have found:

• From thinking about what I want to do in my future and the career path I want to follow I feel it is very important to be in an industry area that I am happy with. From looking back at projects I have completed and my current interests I feel that Industry areas I would be happy working in would include: The health and fitness / Sports industry and Technology Industry. How can i apply my design skill and aspiration of UX / UI / Mobile programming skills to these types of industry's.        
• I feel that my interest in UX & UI design will become in high demand as more high tech apps and programs become available, especially as technology continues to develop rapidly the problem becomes creating a way that it is accessible and usable to every user.     

What will my next steps be:

• Start creating things on the side as well as class projects.  This will help me develop my skills across a series of programs and create things that I find interesting or relevant to my interests or skills development.
• Creating will also help me to create a portfolio of work outside of University projects. Letting employers know this is what i'm interested in and do it for fun as well as just for my degree. 
• Learn new skill and discover new software. Can do this through Lynda.com or YouTube and use these new skills to create new content.
• Keep up to date on Industry changes or trends through relevant books, magazines and blog posts. 
• Find work that interests and inspired me. research about it and have ready to discuss in interviews.