My Past, My Future, and Everything in Between.

Prior to starting on the HND Interactive Media course, my background doesn’t contain a lot of creative or technical study related to the area, aside from the compulsory subjects in school of course. I have tended to study more ‘academic’ subjects, completing A-Levels in English, Politics, and Geography; and an AS-Level in Psychology. This choice of subjects may suggest a contradiction between my interests and the Interactive Media course, but I have always had an interest in computer-based design, although I have never, until now, had the chance to study it in a way that appeals to me.
My working life up until this point has involved working for the majority of my year out in the Council Tax office in Wakefield, which has proved useful in a number of ways, including developing my self confidence and changing my attitude towards the ‘world-of-work’, helping me realise the importance of making a true effort to get where I want to be.
In terms of developing a specific interest in web design, I would say this occurred during my year out, in the time leading up to starting working for the Council. I was asked by the other members of my band to design a website to show the world what we are about and to enable contact with us through the site. Obviously, having never done anything like that before, I wasn’t sure where to start. Despite my lack of knowledge in this area, I used online tutorials and my brothers experience of Flash, which he had gained from his Music Technology degree, to use Photoshop and Flash to create the site. I found creating my bands website a very challenging yet thoroughly enjoyable experience, and my interest in web design has grown since. Further reading and research has led me to realise there are much better ways to create websites, and I decided that studying this at college would probably prove to be the most effective and fruitful way to learn more.
In the future, it is my aim to be able to work for myself in the web design industry, running my own small business. My Brother-in-Law currently runs his own web design business, and my hope is that he will be able to provide me with experience of work, which in turn will lead me to a position where I am able to work for myself.
I recognise the amount of work and commitment it will take for me to get where I aim to be in a few years time, and also the personal skills I will need to develop to be able to achieve my aims effectively. I especially feel these demands when considering my lack of experience in the area, both in terms of creativity and the more technical side. However, I look on this as a personal challenge to overcome, and aspire to put all the effort I can into the course.