It’s over? It’s over!!
Thesis is finally finished! Overall, I’m very happy with my project and how it turned out. I do miss having an interactive part of my project, and the only thing I regret is that the meaning got a bit lost along the way. My original idea of making a statement on environmental and deforestation issues wasn’t able to come across as strongly, but the good news is that because my animation overlapped with my Digital Character’s class final, I was able to add audio that helped deliver the message more strongly. But other those, I think HoloPlanet was a success! Those who came to see it received it very well.
For the incoming seniors, here are some words of wisdom to hopefully help smooth the senior showcase journey.
Inspiration
The first step is obviously coming up with an idea. Honestly, I think this is one of the hardest parts. If you have Professor Ault, you’ll be required to go to an industry event. I would encourage you to go as soon as you can because they are a hive of inspiration and networking. Plus, you’ll get the assignment out of the way ahead of time! In general, it’s never too early to start thinking of your senior thesis project idea. It’s important to come up with an idea you’re passionate about so you’ll have motivation to continue working on it throughout the year.
Perhaps start by thinking of your favorite things, how you can incorporate them into a project. Or maybe there’s a problem you run into every day that you’d like to solve, or a way you think you could improve the community. Sites like Pintrest, Dribbble, YouTube, ArtStation, and many others are good for seeing what other people are doing. Talk to friends and family to get different perspectives. Think about what skills you have already. It’s great to try something new, but don’t forget the time frame you have. Maybe take what you already know and take a different spin on it, or incorporate something you’ve always wanted to learn. I’d suggest taking a look at your industry and what would be a really beneficial piece to have. For example, you’ve only worked in html and CSS but you want to build a website with react.js, which is really important in the web development world right now.
There are more options than you think! Try not to box yourself in early. And if you happen to need to change your idea, well, it “be like that sometimes”. In my opinion, it’s better to do something you’ll care about or is more helpful to you than trudging along on a project that you are loathe to work on. Just keep in mind the time frame you have and thoroughly consider your options.
Making the Most of Feedback
Feedback and constructive critique is absolutely invaluable in our industry. While Medium posts are good to keep up with progress updates, it’s not the best place to get feedback. I’ve personally found just going up to family, friends, professors, and coworkers and bouncing ideas off of them to be the most effective. I’ve been posting short updates on my instagram story throughout my thesis project process to get exposure, so using social media is a good way to reach out to people.
Feedback is important, and any you get(unless it’s just criticism without being constructive) is worth taking a look at. Sometimes you may get overwhelmed, or someone suggests something that sounds way cool but is just unrealistic given your time/resources. Just take a step back, break it down, maybe write it all down, and think about how it could really improve your project. A method UX researchers do is called Rose Buds & Thorns, which is a way of brainstorming the potential pros and cons of a proposed change or feature.
COMMIT
Ok I may have lied. Being motivated for eight months is the absolute hardest. When I started my animation, I underestimated how much time and effort I would need to put into it. For months, I was animating almost every day for hours and lemme tell ya it was MUCH. There were times where I wish I just did a mobile app, but I was in too deep and sometimes you just have to commit. In the end though, I’m glad I stuck with it! As I said before, the secret lies in finding a project you care about. But even then there are times when you put it off to the side because, let’s be real, an entire school year is loooong. I can’t say that I worked on my thesis nonstop from the start (who can?), but I did think about it pretty constantly. If you’re a step by step person, following a schedule may work for you. I had a schedule for myself, but wasn’t very good at following it week to week. I work better with broader milestones, and instead of looking at the breakdown of what I need to do each week, I prefer splitting up my project into chunks that span multiple weeks.
I’m also a fan of the iterative process. Having constant deliverables is a huge motivation booster, even if they’re rough. The iterative process just means you can modularly add more and improve as you go. Just having something you can show off that works as a proof of concept is also a great way to get feedback. I can say that being able to show a mini version of my hologram with the animatic at AIMM After Dark was really helpful in envisioning the “light at the end of the tunnel”, and was also useful in getting early feedback from people.
In terms of work habits, well, everyone is different. For me personally, I need to get out of my room. I work best in a setting that I don’t associate with sleep and relaxation. It’s all about stepping into your “work mode”, and for me, that’s settling down at the Barnes and Noble cafe, Panera, or even the living room with a nice hot cup of coffee. Set aside a chunk of time and apart from short breaks, don’t let yourself leave before then. Side note, if you’re like me and have a chronic addiction to scrolling through memes online, there’s a great app called Forest available on for Apple and Android that helps keep you off your phone.
Resources
I cannot stress this enough — take advantage of the IMM and TCNJ resources!! This includes alum and professors. The professors in this department are amazingly supportive and they just want your projects to turn out well. Don’t be afraid to ask them for help! If you are stuck on something, don’t hesitate reaching out to them, your classmates, or alumni. There was a past alum who also did a hologram project year back so you never know! If you need something that the department might have, don’t hesitate to ask around. In terms of the physical presentation, I think 80% of my project consisted of borrowed items. Take advantage of online tutorials too, whether it be YouTube, Lynda, or some other resource.
Now what?
Ooh boy, that’s the question isn’t it? IMM is simultaneously great and stress-inducing in that it opens up a lot of options for students. For those who know what they want career-wise from the get-go, great! Focus as much as you can on that. TCNJ will give you the basics, but it’s really up to you to hone those skills you need. If you’re not sure what you want, I’d say put yourself out in the industry as much as possible. This goes for everyone, but for the unsure, I think it’s a good way to experience something you might be interested in in a real life setting so you can decide if you actually like it. Start looking at internships as soon as possible!
I’d say the shift from student to aspiring professional should start as early as your freshman year. Dust off that resume, hike over to the career center, start joining networking events on and off campus, join clubs. College is really a great time to gain exposure from a huge diversity of people. I’ve had my resume reviewed by peers, professors, the career center, and industry professionals. It may seem intimidating, but it’s an easy first step into the transition.
Another thing I’d really emphasize is networking. I actually gave a whole presentation at a SIGGRAPH club meeting all about networking. There are so many opportunities once you start looking. My first networking adventure was volunteering for the SIGGRAPH 2017 Conference in Los Angeles. From there, it was tech meetups, going to talks, attending hackathons, going to a computer science conference, and reaching out to alum and other industry professionals. Sometimes you have to make your own opportunities. My dream job was an animation company, so when I heard that a few IMM students had interned at DreamWorks, I asked my professor for their contacts. The majority of alum are perfectly happy helping out TCNJ students!
Lastly, job searches. Frequent Indeed, Glassdoor, and LinkedIn postings. Reach out to alum and professors to see if they can keep you in the loop. Rachel was the one who actually told me about the company I interned for last summer!
Job searches are stressful. Believe me, I know. I have a whole excel documents full of companies I’ve applied to and it’s chock full of rejections. I’m lucky enough (and incredibly grateful!) that I’ve had a standing full time offer from my internship since the end of summer, but it doesn’t mean I’ve stopped applying or that I’ve stopped being super anxious about the job search and application process. It’s the absolute WORST. Sometimes the stress of being a senior and trying to figure out what you want in life after graduation is almost crippling, and rejection after rejection doesn’t make it better. I know that a number of my classmates have also dealt with that so this is for them too. The stress from that and the many hours I poured into applying for jobs and working on my portfolio has certainly at times made it difficult to work on thesis. All I can say is take it one step at a time, and remember that rejection from a job is bound to happen and doesn’t define any part of you. I would highly recommend an excel document, though, to keep track of jobs you want to apply to. And definitely don’t forget to take care of yourself, mentally, emotionally and physically!
Welp, that’s all I got for the incoming seniors, and amazing job to the class of 2019! You guys rocked thesis.
