It’s All Over
I honestly can’t believe it. The last few months feel like a blur.
Something I’ve learned over the last 10 months of thesis work is that it’s alright to not know what to do immediately. For the first semester, I didn’t even know where I was going with my project. I had a title, but no substance to back it up. And that’s ok!
Feedback is something incredibly important as well. Make sure you always ask for help, because you never know the kinds of new connections you can make if you ask. I would’ve never partnered up with Mistee if I didn’t ask my professor for some soul searching on my own project. Always consider every possibility, even if you don’t want to. That includes any criticism people have, because you can take anything and make it into something great.
A project concept that keeps you engaged for 8 months is almost bound to change in some way or another. Accepting the fact that it will likely change is crucial for making a great thesis. Those changes are important because they challenge you as a creator, which leads to a better end result. If you capitalize on that, I’m sure you’ll feel more engaged making your projects as well. That’s how I was, even if it was testing my patience.
As for work habits, make sure you track everything you’ve done within the project down, even if it’s minimal. It’s extremely important to have notes because you never know when you’ll need to fall back on older ideas. Take for example the pandemic, many people needed to downsize their projects, including me. You never know what’s going to happen.
To me, the most effective way to frame the skills you’ve learned is to continue building on your portfolio, from class and projects outside of class. There’s always something you’ve done that can be used as portfolio material. It’s also important to talk to your professors for contacts, because you never know who needs someone to work for them.
All in all, this year was extremely successful, mainly because of all the adversity we’ve faced as seniors. I’m sure we’ll become stronger after this, and better at everything we do. That’s the real IMM way.
