Ups and Downs...

So this week in my ‘need to go into the adult world’ phase I finally decided to start my driving lessons (yes I know I should have started but I never wanted to drive when I was younger and I didn’t have much time!). Anyway Monday was my first ever driving lesson and I was absolutely convinced the driving instructor was out to kill me!!! Maybe as some sort of weird diabolical insurance scam...

Oh well I finally started to understand what I needed to do although what my brain imagined my body refused to do (or the car refused to do). I did know I wasn’t going to be amazing but when I got out of the car I was shaking with pure confusion and terror!!! I got in, huddled into a ball and decided then and there I shall never drive and will stick to using public transport. Also if anyone asked me “Hey Dan, do you drive?” I could just simply say no I CARE about the environment! However my friends kept telling me to keep at it and I will improve. Now I got in from my second lesson and I was shaking with anger. No matter what I seemed to do it was not right and I always seemed to be doing the opposite to what he wanted. He shouted at me to brake so I panicked and braked the car which I understand would get me a telling off. Next time I braked earlier than before and I got told I should have waited till I was up to the line. Ok got it this time. Then he shouted brake again waited till I got right to the white line and then braked but went a bit over the line which got me another telling off “You could have been hit by a car then but luckily it would have been your side not mine!” hmm thanks very much!

Oh well in other news I finally got my grades back and I have finished my course (games and multimedia technologies) with a 2:1! Hooray I can now graduate which means I will have a special graduation day blog coming up soon. I have booked my robes (how harry potter!), I have the confirmation through and I have booked my photographs. I thought it was quite funny I got the option to have my photo touched up to improve my complexion in the photo for only £5ish so I thought best to add that in just in case ;0)

In other news I have still not found a job and I really don’t want to accept a job that will not pay me for two months just to get experience. I did realise it was going to be hard but I have been told that games testing is a good way to get your foot in the door and work your way up from there. Unfortunately they know that too and are being really picky about how much experience is required. I therefore have decided to narrow my search down into a more specific role. As I specialise in designing interfaces I have stopped searching for games designer jobs and looking at interface designer jobs. It may be that I work in a different field for a while but hopefully I can use that to build up enough work experience to start work in games. Anyways I don’t mind too much if I have a break from games to build up my knowledge in interfaces.

Finally I have got another driving lesson this Monday so I have all weekend to practice! O.o Just got to remember as the clutch goes down the accelerator comes up and vice versa. Just got to remember up and down like a seesaw so a bit like this week really!

Not the type...

So now that university is pretty much at an end I have loads more free time. So far that free time has been used up for job searching and tidying up! Although I did manage to get to watch the new x-men film and I have also been catching up on all the news. Usually I don’t like to read the news as its always doom and gloom but I think it’s important to know what’s happening in the world. I was reading an article the other day about someone being murdered and the neighbours describing the lad as “not the type” to do such a thing...

Erm forgive me if I am wrong but I am pretty sure that there is not a “type” for murderers as I have never seen someone that I immediately think “Yep, they’re a murderer!” Unless of course they are running around waving a knife about! It just one of those things that annoy me as it just goes to show how quickly people can judge. It’s like saying blonde girls are dumb and it’s just not true. Our Equality and Diversity manager at the university recently sent out a link to complete an online training course in Equality and Diversity Essentials and even though I am pretty clued up some of the statistics still seemed shocking. For example even in this day and age you are less likely to be employed if you are female, black, disabled or LGBT (Lesbian, Gay, Bi or Trans). Although this doesn’t mean you don’t have an equal chance when you are applying for a job (By law you should have an equal chance) it just shows that ‘statistically’ you are less likely to be employed.

Anyway back to my original point it would seem that all human beings are hard-wired in the brain to stereotype. It is believed to be a survival mechanism we have as we need to judge situations (and people) to ensure we are not in danger! However I like to believe we have evolved enough not to rely on stereotypes to define people. One part (I liked) from the course was this exercise:

 

I think the actual point of my rant is actually that we all should get to know someone before judging them as they often can surprise you. Like today a young teenager, off to school, actually gave up his seat for an elderly woman (which is great in its own right) but then the elderly woman sat down and whipped out her blackberry phone!

On another weird tangent I was in Morrison’s recently and the woman at the till asked if I wanted a ‘bag for life’. I didn’t get one but I was wondering are they really a bag for life? And if it broke would they give me a new one? Or if a better bag came out would I get the bag upgraded?O.o 

 

But anyways I said at the beginning I did go to the see the new x-men film and I have to say it was my favourite out of the five x-men films but it barely kept to the original comic book storyline but hey I enjoyed it and definitely say it’s one to go watch!  

The course takes approximately an hour and a half to complete, and you can print out a certificate of completion. Our equality and diversity manager, Kirsteen, said: “It’s a good thing to do as with the introduction of the new Equality Act of 2010, an understanding of equality and diversity is fast becoming an essential attribute for job applicants and you can expect to be asked an equality interview question for every job you go for.  Make the most of this opportunity and complete the training and improve your employability!”

So that’s all for this week and I hope I haven’t ranted too much!

 

End of University...

So the degree show at the CMS School has finished and was a relative success as I did get someone very interested in my work. The games company develop 2D games and really liked my design style and I am currently waiting for an email just to have a further chat or to demonstrate more of my work but fingers crossed!

The first day of the degree show was a bit awkward as I am not amazing at talking about my work and there were loads of new faces but after a while it was fine to chat (when I say after a while I mean after some alcohol!). Oh yeah I also said it was a relative success as unfortunately someone’s laptop was stolen which is such a shame when the event went so well.

My degree show display

~ This was on a black background and the orb was cut out to show the screen, the idea being a fortune teller showing the future (my work!)And topped off with two glowing crystals! ~

On other news the degree show was my last piece of university work so I guess I am officially finished and I just need to wait for my grades now! I have decided I am going to start my driving lessons soon although I am worried I could possibly be one of the worst drivers ever! But I started by getting the theory book as I thought if I know the theory it will surely help with the practical side (we will see). I am also working on my website as computing students do benefit from having an online portfolio to showcase their work. I am not the most amazing of web designers and I am really trying to develop my website to show what I am good at. One such idea I have at the moment is to implement a few games onto the actual website and I managed to get a good start on them this Sunday (will post pics soon).

~ Overview of some of the work I designed for my final year game; including health bar at the top, from collectable cages, to models and finally interface designs. ~

I guess the main things I need to be concerned about now is getting a job and passing my exams. I also have been thinking about the past three years and what an amazing time I have had at university but I am also a little bit worried about what the next step is. I suppose I should get a job in the games industry and use my degree but I also feel I have wasted my A-levels as it would be nice to go into counselling at some point. Apparently I am young so I have plenty of time but I also am very impatient and want everything yesterday! Although it has definitely been a huge jump for me to go from A-levels in psychology and biology to (hopefully) getting a degree in games and multimedia technologies.

Also I really want to go the cinema and watch the new X-men film although I am slightly worried it may be rubbish like the last four (?). I do agree they were exciting and action packed but they were not really keeping to the timeline of the comics and also just didn’t really pack a punch at the end of the day. I am already disappointed that the film is meant to be about the first class of X-men mutants and some of them were never in the first class!!! Anyway geek rant over I am looking forward to be able to just relax and not worry about the next deadline and hopefully I will hear back from the Company at the degree show soon and maybe in the next blog I would have watched the X-men film and be able to deliver my verdict! :p