Last Year of Grad School
Aug. 14th, 2013 08:38 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
crankyoldmanI'm going to be starting my last year (provided I don't lose my mind and suddenly decide to get another masters or heaven forbid a DOCTORATE) in two weeks. I am vibrating with excitement, because I missed my cohort and know I have so much left to learn! But I am most excited about the prospects of bouncing some ideas off people, doing my capstone (which will hopefully involve cosplay and internet subcultures and how to talk to people). Taking GRAPHIC DESIGN.
This summer had a couple rough points. I had a complete breakdown at one point because OMG WHO WOULD HIRE ME since I've been doing an internship at a startup that can't expand right now. And I had to do a lot of reflection about that and probably came to the conclusion I may be a freelancer for a while.
Ultimately, I want to work in education again, but not as a teacher. I want to help teachers get the resources they need, help design engaging lesson plans, help them understand the tech at their disposal, help make tools for them. There's a big problem with kids dropping out of school in this city and I want to help reverse that (or if they drop out of traditional school, get them a viable alternative). I'm going to be talking with a few of my old teachers about where I can start gaining the knowledge/experience in this sort of thing.I may have to start my own company?
This is really scary weird shit I am thinking about doing, but like, most tech for education people just get it so wrong. I don't want to end up making games for rich kids in their fancy computer labs or iPads or whatever. I don't want to make apps for rich dudes to add to their collection of shit they don't need.
If this major has taught me anything its that you really can do something good if you take the time to understand people. I'm thankfully engaged to a responsible adult who will help me work through all the financial stuff, as that will likely be the biggest hurdle.
I'm going to spend some real time building my portfolio of projects, doing things for friends so they can get some Real Designer Insight (at least hopefully I can provide that, I feel so much more confident now) and I can get some more "client work". Yeah I'll probably be making stuff for other people (not my friends of course) that I don't care as much about. But I know not to waste too much time.
Everything is kind of nebulous now but like.... that's ok. I got this.
This summer had a couple rough points. I had a complete breakdown at one point because OMG WHO WOULD HIRE ME since I've been doing an internship at a startup that can't expand right now. And I had to do a lot of reflection about that and probably came to the conclusion I may be a freelancer for a while.
Ultimately, I want to work in education again, but not as a teacher. I want to help teachers get the resources they need, help design engaging lesson plans, help them understand the tech at their disposal, help make tools for them. There's a big problem with kids dropping out of school in this city and I want to help reverse that (or if they drop out of traditional school, get them a viable alternative). I'm going to be talking with a few of my old teachers about where I can start gaining the knowledge/experience in this sort of thing.
This is really scary weird shit I am thinking about doing, but like, most tech for education people just get it so wrong. I don't want to end up making games for rich kids in their fancy computer labs or iPads or whatever. I don't want to make apps for rich dudes to add to their collection of shit they don't need.
If this major has taught me anything its that you really can do something good if you take the time to understand people. I'm thankfully engaged to a responsible adult who will help me work through all the financial stuff, as that will likely be the biggest hurdle.
I'm going to spend some real time building my portfolio of projects, doing things for friends so they can get some Real Designer Insight (at least hopefully I can provide that, I feel so much more confident now) and I can get some more "client work". Yeah I'll probably be making stuff for other people (not my friends of course) that I don't care as much about. But I know not to waste too much time.
Everything is kind of nebulous now but like.... that's ok. I got this.