Final Medium Update
With this project finally completed, now is a good time to reflect on development, and to give some advice to people that will be going through the same thing in the future.
Finding inspiration for a project that you want to work on can be really hard. My best piece of advice is to think of an actual idea, and not to run with the first thing that pops into your head. Really make sure that it’s something that you want to work on, otherwise the development of the project will be miserable. Try incorporating something that you’re passionate about. I incorporated woodworking because it’s something that I love to do. Try to do the same for your project.
When it comes to feedback, absolutely pay attention to what people suggest, but don’t necessarily feel that you have to take every bit of advice. If you do, you’ll end up with way more features to work on that you may have to eventually cut. Pay attention to things that could be done better, and then focus second on things that are missing, unless it’s something that you believe is fundamental. Take things into consideration, but don’t try to make your project bigger than you can handle.
Make sure that your project has some kind of learning curve, otherwise it will end up being kind of boring to work on. You need to incorporate something that’s unfamiliar to you, but not so completely foreign that you don’t know how to start. Part of my project was making the trim for the top of my board, which was essentially like making a picture frame. I have never made a picture frame, so over the course of a few days my dad and I figured it out. There was something new inside of something that I was already kind of familiar with.
I honestly struggled sticking to my schedule when it came to this project. In fact, I didn’t stick to the schedule from my proposal at all. This was because I had underestimated the amount of time the class I took over the winter would take. I also didn’t take into account the fact that I would have other classes. The weekly schedule I made at the start of the semester was much more manageable because I had already figured out the amount of work each class would take. When making your schedule, I would recommend overestimating how much time aspects other than your project will take, so that any excess time you have can be seen as a bonus to working on your project, as opposed to losing time to work because other classes took longer than expected. It’s also way more motivating to think “I finished that ahead of time, I could go work on my project now” then it is to think “That took way too long, and now I still have to get some work done on my project.” For example, I’m writing this less than ten minutes after finishing a final, but I was motivated to do so because the exam didn’t take as long as I had expected it to.
Finding resources can be hard. I was lucky, because my dad enjoys woodworking as well, and my mom enjoys complex crafts. That being said, hopefully you won’t be stuck in quarantine during your project. Assuming that is the case, know which professors inside of IMM are familiar with the kind of thing you’re working on. I wouldn’t be afraid to ask friends from other departments if they knew professors who might be able to help. Linkedin Learning/ Lynda.com can also be really helpful resources. I needed to use them several times when dealing with some things in illustrator. Also, if your project is physical in nature, a local hobby shop, lumber yard, or something similar can be really helpful. Employees are often knowledgeable and may be able to offer advice.
The shift to an aspiring professional can be a difficult one. Start searching for internships and job opportunities early. Look at what requirements positions have, and try to find a way to apply what you learned through IMM into as many of them as possible. Think of the project as a portfolio piece, and make sure it represents your strengths.
Above all, try to have fun with it. If you do, it will feel less like struggling to walk through a swamp, and more like a pleasant hike up a gentle mountain.
